Safa

We always get our Indian delivery from Safa and the standard has always been high and consistent.

What we like most about the food is that it tastes very clean. By this I mean that it is great to have Indian food which is not cooked with tons of oil or ghee. In fact it seems like they use very little. This is a major plus point and the food tastes better for it.

The menu is also more adventurous than most Indian restaurants which means that there is lots to explore.

We tried another local Indian recently (well you've got to) and we're back to Safa and we'll stick with it. Thank you!
Comment on this reader review

TMH
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Friday, January 11, 2008

The first time we ordered food from Safa, we thought it was a real find. Delicious, light, authentic South Indian dishes were better presented than the usual takeaway standard, if a bit on the pricy side. It’s a great shame that the second time we ordered from them, they chose to spoil that excellent first impression through terrible service.

We ordered a few dishes, they arrived in due course, we tucked in. Then we noticed that one of the dishes wasn’t what we had ordered – puri instead of pakora, an understandable mistake. So we rang up, pointed out the error and asked them to bring the dish we’d ordered. They said this wouldn’t be a problem – but a few minutes later, they rang back to argue the toss. It was our fault, we had ordered the wrong thing, it was too far for them to bring it – really unpleasant tone and poor attitude. And after yet another phone call and more bad attitude, our replacement dish never arrived.

Sorry, Safa, but there’s no excuse for poor service and bad attitude. We’ll be going elsewhere in future.
Comment on this reader review

SophieM - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 6
Thursday, May 24, 2007

A fantastic local Indian. I cannot resist ordering the lemon rice every time I visit here – it's fantastic. Lots of the vegetarian dishes are fabulous too – very nicely flavoured and spiced. Of the meat dishes, the lamb shank curry is the best, as is the chicken 'shacooti'. All the breads are great too. I love the naan with chillies in it. Great service as well. All the staff are super-friendly and will deliver to your house for free as well.
Comment on this reader review

LD
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, April 21, 2007

This is a great little restaurant with very attentive service well presented food. The popadums were crisp and condiments were very edible. My King Prawn poori was very tasty - considering that this dish is sometimes served in such a way that it looks like a pile of sick. The chicken byriani slipped down very easily and wasn't too stodgy. My friend's dishes also got a big thumbs up. In an area with some dubious curry houses, I'd make a bee-line for this place
Comment on this reader review

Ross Todhunter
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Presentation, quality, and nice service with a good price in London... is it possible? I've lived here for 3-4 years and didn't think it existed (at least within zones 1-3), but of course, I've been wrong one or two times.... Safa was one of these times that I was very wrong... I have learned that there are many Michelin restaurants in this over-priced little town that do not treat customers with such respect like the humbly-priced Safa in Camberwell...

Very professional service and wonderful presentation. I, along with my partner who is a Michelin star chef, feel that this is one of the best value-for-money restaurants in London (especially since their delivery service vacuum-packs EVERYTHING, it is fast, and it's free). We go whenever we have time and have never been disappointed. As it seems with many Indian restaurants, the vegetable dishes seem to be of a higher quality than many of the meat dishes, but still, everything is wonderful! Definitely recommended!
Comment on this reader review

Joel Urbina
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, December 17, 2006

I was introduced to Safa several years ago and now eat there once a week. The food is always delicious and beautifully presented, the staff are welcoming and efficient, and the prices are very reasonable. You would have to go a long way to find a comparable curry!
Comment on this reader review

Toastie
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, November 09, 2006

The restaurant appears smart and clean which perhaps made me overly optimistic about the food. It was the second worst curry I've ever had (the worst being from the New Dewalian, also in Camberwell).

I ordered a Chicken Rogan Josh while my partner had a Prawn Puree and Crab Bhuna and we shared a Peshwari Naan. My chicken tasted old and dry and the sauce reminded me of awful school curries. I've had better microwave curries and I couldn't make myself finish it despite the fact I was still hungry due to the tiny portions.

My partner's Prawn Puree was far too spicy but he was happy with the Crab Bhuna, which smelt strangely like cat food. He admitted that the naan bread was the nicest part of the meal, which is a pretty sad state of affairs for a curry restaurant.

All this may be explained by the speed with which our food arrived - I don't believe it was cooked fresh. Needless to say, we won't be paying a return visit.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Sunday, September 24, 2006

What an attractive restaurant! Very clean and crisp looking, just like the food?

Well, that would be a nice little segue, but unfortunately I really disliked the food here. I adore Asian food, have eaten it all over the world, but I found Safa's dishes to be under spiced and too heavily bent towards the English palate.

As vegetarians, my partner and I were looking forward to what the chef would do to the kofta and lentil dishes we ordered. Asian chefs often seem to have an understanding of vegetables that their European counterparts lack. Instead, we were greeted with bland and boring food. If the food we ate that night were a person, he would be dressed in beige and driving a Micra at 20 MPH.

That said, the staff were lovely and extremely hospitable. The little mint chocolate was a lovely afterthought, however probably the tastiest thing about the meal!
Comment on this reader review

Jemma
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 4
Thursday, July 20, 2006

THE BEST INDIAN CUISINE IN LONDON!!!!

This place is tops whether its eat in or take-away. I was introduced to this by a friend but since then haven't looked back. The food is gorgeously presented when eating in and is quick when taking away.

It is reasonably priced. My favourite is the Lamb Jalfrezi which is totally different to any other jalfrezi I have ever had. The kebab and cheese starter is also superb, although its always tempting to have more than one of these!

But shhhhh...don't tell everyone. Its a Camberwell thing
Comment on this reader review

MB
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Thursday, May 25, 2006

safa is a welcome addition to the culinary options in camberwell. good food, unpretentious, value for money, friendly staff, comfortable environment.
Comment on this reader review

J.Sreedharan
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Sunday, May 21, 2006