Zaffron Kitchen’s menu is a gastronomic montage of the various tastes and textures from the land of spices.
Contributed By Yong Yung Shin
The cozy, child-friendly interior of Zaffron Kitchen. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZAFFRON KITCHEN.
A splash of cheery orange hues greets patrons as they enter the premises of Zaffron Kitchen, which opened its doors on July 27, along East Coast Road near Katong Mall. The main draw at this Indian restaurant is its variety—while many tend to focus on either North or South Indian cuisine, Zaffron Kitchen serves up both, as well as the local street fare.
By no means, however, is its authenticity diluted. One can whet the appetite on popular street food like the Papdi Chaat (S$6) and Sambar Idli (S$4.50); the former is made of fried dough wafers and topped with sweet yoghurt, mint and tamarind, while the latter is a South Indian savory lentil cake topped with a vegetable stew.
Zaffron Tandoori Platter.
The spicy tandoor-baked, oil-free papadum (S$4) is good, with the black peppercorns lending a robust, fiery zap with each bite. It is extremely addictive, even more so when dipped into the mint sauce and mango chutney. Another staple that Zaffron Kitchen does so well is the naan—the Garlic Naan (S$3.50) is a favorite, being chewy and fragrant, with just a touch of salt and garlic oil.
The Zaffron Tandoori Platter (S$38) is good for those who want to sample as much as they can without overstuffing themselves—it features chicken, fish and mutton kebab, all marinated in a storm of spices from turmeric to paprika and fennel seeds.
Naan, Khatti Meethi Gobi and Kadhai Jhinga.
The South Indian dish Dum Chicken Briyani (S$10.50) is a hearty meal good for sharing—fragrant basmati rice spiced with garam masala, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, saffron and cumin piled around a chicken thigh and a hard-boiled egg, all tucked beneath a thin layer of baked dough to keep the rice warm.
Other dishes include the Kadhai Jhinga (S$14), consisting of fresh shrimps sautéed in an onion tomato masala as well as the Khatti Meethi Gobi (S$7.50), fried cauliflower cooked in garam masala, paprika and fenugreek leaves—a simple but flavorful dish.
Leave room for the classic Moong Dal Halwa (S$9), a paste made from lentils cooked with milk, sugar and butter, is sweet in a complex way, and makes for an interesting meal-ender.
This is one of few child-friendly Indian restaurants, the cottage playhouse and the cute miniature lavatory are brilliant touches. Kids can even order their own meals using stickers of food pictures on order chits. The kid’s meal, priced at S$6.50, comprises a main dish, a drink and ice-cream. Pencil this down as a weekend chill-out spot with family and friends.
Zaffron Kitchen
135/137 East Coast Road
Singapore 341137
+65 6440 6786
