This was my choice for a farewell evening meal with mother at the end of a fortnight vacation in Ayrshire. She is now raving about this place to all her friends!
For me, this shows the power of online research or word of mouth - although Saffy's is easily accessible in Ayr town centre and just across from the Mercure Hotel, it is not at all on the main drag. But Saffy's is highly ranked on Tripadvisor.
What we have here is a forty cover (estimate) bistro which doesn't really catch the eye from the street. You can't really see much through the windows, and nothing of the signage or the standard Ayr old sandstone building gives any clues.
Inside, the ambience is informally elegant and friendly - one of our waitress was good enough, but the head waitress was outstanding in terms of bubbly and informative communication. From the website, Saffy's looks to be a chef-patron place of a former head chef of local upmarket country hotel Enterkine House. One nice touch for the foodies amongst us is that the chef has kindly stored his cookbook collection in two full height bookshelves front of house, with an implied invitation to diners to browse - I could have happily spent several hours doing just that!
Foodwise, there is a line on Saffy's website that 'good food doesn't have to be expensive' or words to that effect. I would say both our mains were good food with unfussy presentation, with a bit of labour cost saved by skipping any attempt at fancy plating.
Mother had a korma-type curry of market vegetables which she really enjoyed. I didn't get a taste, but it sounded as though there were some veg in there which would be unlikely to feature at your average curry house - think celeriac, sweet potatoes. My main course was roasted veg and brocolli over sautéed potatoes topped with melting brie - not outstanding, but a wholesome meal with which I was well pleased. Vegetarian choices on the menu were impressively extensive and imaginative compared with the small number of other Modern British venues I've visited. In Ayrshire, I wouldn't be surprised if Saffy's is a better choice for vegetarians than any of the upmarket mini-chains - Costley, Simpsinns, Buzzworks.
I read out the dessert menu to mother and we both decide on crème brûlée, which is turns out mother has extensive previous experience of. This came as a small ramekin on a side plate, with a rhubarb compote at the bottom of the ramekin, beneath the custard, and three mini-shortbreads on the side (see photos). Whereas the mains felt good value at £9 or so, £4.50 each (from memory) for the desserts felt a bit steep. Although there weren't any 'mistakes' to warrant sending them back, mother had been expecting a hot pudding and was disappointed when they were served cold. Also, the combined sweetness of the brûlée topping and the 'jammy' rhubarb compote was too much for both our palates.
All in all, Saffy's was just right for a nice evening meal out with a parent of advanced years. By 7.30pm, the place was busy with couples of various ages, what looked like families on holiday and mixed-age ladies' night out.
However, I do have a few niggles. I felt the presentation of the food could have been a bit more elegant. And while I liked the mix-and-match décor , some of the furniture looked a bit worse for wear - scratched glass, worn corners on wooden veneer. While I sympathise that modern furniture isn't constructed for sanding down and revarnishing, I felt that the oil-stained placemats smacked of a place needing just a bit more TLC.
If mother had her way, we would be going straight back to Saffy's during my next visit north - I would have no complaints if we did. read more