Saffron Street
Address: 448-450 Cranbrook Rd, Gants Hill, Ilford, IG2 6LL
Website: https://www.lovesaffronstreet.com/
Nearest Station: Gants Hill Station (Central Line)
Tel: 020 8518 5444
Saffron Street is bringing Indian street food to London at a whole new level.
A sister company to Saffron Kitchen, if you’re looking for a good looking Indian style restaurant, check out Saffron Street. The experience will make you feel right at home. This new street food restaurant has been buzzing ever since it opened in Gants Hill. People around London simply can’t get enough of the stunning interior and experience that comes with it.
Having found out about the opening of this new street food restaurant. I tried my luck by going here late at night a couple of times but due to the queue for a table. I decided to try again another time, as waiting for a table was like up to an hour or more at times.
You can find this restaurant open during the evening only from 5 pm till 11 pm. However, I thought to myself this time I will decide to arrive super early at 6 pm. Even then it was buzzing full of people just an hour after its opening hour. Luckily, the third time round when I went up to the staff, I managed to get a table for 2 straight away.
Experience
As we sat by the window, I noticed the whole room was full of people dining already. The first thing myself and my Mrs did was have a look through their menu. However, I did some research beforehand by looking at their Instagram page and others. I already knew what to order for myself. The wait time for our food was slightly longer than I expected. This was due to how busy all the tables that required serving were. I kind of expected it, although it felt like around 10 mins or so for the drinks and the starters arrive.
I found Samosa Chaat to be pretty delicious but was disappointed with Thaali as it was tasteless, but the only good outcome with it was shared amongst two people. I noticed around the other people ordered the Masala Chips and Pani Puri, which seems like a real hit down here.
On the other hand, the live food show on your table will make you want to come back for more and experience the rest of their menu. Likes of Biryani show you in a round pot poured out on your plate and with tea, they have a bit of food entertainment, these are a few of the items which happen at your table.
The wait for a table is pretty long, especially if you are in a group of people, but people still return for more as it’s such a good and perfect location to gather with family and friends.
Menu
The menu has plenty of street food you can think of to choose from. However, I would just recommend trying their starter dishes rather than just going for the main dishes.
What I ordered:
- Lucknowi Dabaari £20
- Samosa Chaat £5
- Chicken Jalfrezi Naanza £7
- Strawberry Daiquiri £5
You can have a look at their main menu above, or on their Instagram page. As there are plenty of choices to choose from and try, it’s a better idea to go as a group if you want to try out other dishes. As the prices here per dish are quite high. After taking some shots from my camera of the starters and the Strawberry Daiquiri. The mains arrived in time, so I could shoot all of the food altogether including ‘Chicken Jalfrezi Naanza’ and Thaali.
Food Photography
Chicken Jalfrezi Naanza is an authentic Indian pizza, filled with chicken pieces and a mixture of veg fillings.
Lucknowi Darbaari is just one out of the two Thaali options you can opt for from their main menu. Thaali contains Lamb Chops, Sholay Wings, Dhaba Gosht, Butter Chicken, Daal Makhani, Pilau Rice, Naan, Garlic Naan, Onion Salad, Kheer.
They do have a veg option called ‘Chandni Chowk to China’. This dish has Chilli Paneer, Chilli Chicken, Noodle Dhamaka Prawns, Chicken Lollipop, Veg Manchurian, Stir-Fried Lamb, Prawn Cracker and Kheer. This will be tried another time or unless you guys can tell me what if it’s worth it 😉
CONCLUSION
Overall, the wait for this restaurant was okay. I wasn’t fully impressed with the food but happy with the experience as it was really busy the entire restaurant. The staff members who were serving food were in full Indian wear, making it extra special and like you’re in India. I was told that the chef is from Mumbai, which makes the food pretty authentic, just like you would find food from back home.
Although Thaali wasn’t as nice for the price I paid. However, you’re more or less paying more for the interior and experience than anything else. I was glad this time around as I managed to get a table straight away. The starter options were nice, so I recommend ordering either the Pani Puri, Masala Chips or Samosa Chaat.
The bill came up to be £37 altogether, which I felt was way over priced for the portion you receive as its not that filling. If you’re looking for quality food then I wouldn’t recommend coming here, unless you’re thinking of gathering with mates for a snack and chat.
You can have a look behind the scenes from this cafe on my Instagram stories.
Food: 5 out of 10
Service: 7 out of 10
Price: 5 out of 10
Experience: 8 out of 10
Presentation: 7 out of 10
Overall: I’ve given this restaurant a 6.4 out of 10.
Thanks for reading my blog post. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this honest new Indian street food in Gants Hill review. This meal was not complimentary therefore all opinions are my own. Let me know where you would like to see me review next.
ADIL MUSA
