Saffron Summer, Chessington - situated just right off Kingston Bypass, is not the most scenic of…read moresights. Looking at the Summer Saffron sign, I honestly felt I was going to be fed a service station kinda dinner. No, I didn't drive all the way for this! And I shouted it out loud in my head, enough to burst both sides of my eardrums. With tinted dark windows, an orangey sign board, black lettering and a triangular sign board that says lunch value of £9.95 for a starter and main course, I was a little discouraged. Quite quickly we soon found out what made Saffron Summer stand out.
Starting with this wonderful canape known as the gol gappa £1.00, it is just the prettiest of the gol gappa's currently in the London's Indian restaurant scene. I'm not joking. In the past six months I have tried at least four places that do this canape. Saffron Summer, you are my winner by a long way. This comprises of a little fried puff patry, known as puri, stuffed with mashed chickpeas and - this is what makes it stand out - beautified with a jewel of pomegranate seed and micro leaves. Pour the green, tangy water in and take it in one mouthful. The taste and texture is a flavour bomb in the mouth. It is indeed a sign of good food to follow.
assorted pappadums served with a trio of chutneys; tomato and lime, mango chutney and prawn pickle £2.50 - these pappadums although small had substance to them; the thickness of a nacho. All the chutneys had a slight sweetness to them. Our favourite was the prawn pickle where the small prawns had a texture of Chinese dried shrimps that I am more used to so, the more you bite, the more prawney flavour was extracted. It was simply delicious.
Feeling a little more pleased after the canapes, I got more excited with the menu. Although it is not an extensive wine list, but I was surprised to find wines priced at up to £80.00 and champagnes of up to £160.00. Wow, they must have some serious clients here.
Saffron Summer's menu has popular Indian dishes such as butter chicken, vindaloo, rogan josh, goan fish curry and paneer makhani. The smaller lettering reads ingredients such as rock samphire and green pea wasabi shows that there is a chef who also has a foodie nose and has taken the time and care to write the menu. The dishes are tailored to individual servings rather than sharing manner. We still shared our dishes because I felt that there is more love dining this way.
curry leaf calamari £6.95 (stir fried squid with chilli apricot glaze and curry recipe) - I was a little surprised when I saw this dish. I am sure that when you say calamari, it automatically means squid being battered and deep fried. Whatever it means, this dish was the best of them all. The apricot glaze gave that sticky personality and the savoury of that curry leaf was beautifully balanced.
prawns recheado £6.95 (goan style fiery prawns, rock samphire, crab and curry leaf kedgree) - see what I mean about the presentation. The chef who plated this has a pride for the food they cook. It's clean and eye pleasing. I enjoyed the flavours but despite having a few foodie ingredients, it came across as quite an average dish in taste.
raan e khaas £12.95 (48 hours marinate Elwy Valley lamb shoulder slow cooked in aromatic herbs, rose petals, wild mushrooms and fresh greens) - the joy I had at the sight of this meat on the bone really meant that I cannot be a true vegetarian. Although slow cooked but the meat did not lose the integrity and is an overall quite a mild dish. The sauce had a creamy consistency like yoghurt but I cannot be entirely sure about this. I admire the touch of fried potatoes as a garnish. Delicious!
wild boar vindaloo £12.95 - I am glad that despite the strong curry taste, the meatiness of wild boar still comes across. It is almost like a cross of beef and pork, without the strong beef smell but textures similar to it and the sweetness of pork. The spiciness level was mild for me, had a pleasant taste and could do with a drop or two more of vinegar. The sauce is very concentrated and the addition of fried greens in the dish gave a good balance of visual effect.
keralan meen £12.95 (pan seared seabass in banana leaves, fresh ground shallots and garlic, beetroot poriyal) - a slight let down compared to the rest of the dishes. The fish had cooled by the time it was served and spices were not as stimulating compared to the flavoursome curries. The beetroot did not stand out. The amazing taste on this dish was the side of apple and fennel. The sourish sauce it had was like plum. It came across more like a palate cleanser. Refreshing and felt original.
We had all the attention we needed because Saffron Summer had a quiet afternoon. Having said that it was by Kingston bypass, it really does not get much passing trade. Unless you were told. Now you know, I strongly recommend Saffron Summer for a haute Indian cuisine.
