The very popular Zaffran of Crawford Market fame has recently opened its doors at Todi Mills Compound, Lower Parel in the former premises of the nightclub Zinc. We decided to check it out for dinner on a weekday.
Easy to locate just off the main S.B. Marg, the restaurant doors open to a small reception area. On your left, the restaurant extends in a straight line offering plenty of seating. One side of the tables are housed in 'bird-cage'-like structures with a flowing water feature behind them. The lighting is bright (too bright for my liking) and the music is at blaring levels for a sit down dinner venue. We were promptly showed to one of the cage tables and the seats are definitely more comfortable than those of the stand alone tables on the other side.
We went through the menu and it looked exhaustive. Selection of wines by the glass was as expected, limited. We ordered 2 glasses of Reveilo Shyrah red wine priced at INR 350++ each. I was in the mood to have some Tandoori Murg and ordered half portion (INR 300). The preparation was strictly average especially when compared with what even an average Delhi dhaba churns out in that name. Galouti kebabs (INR 270 veg / INR 350 mutton) were nothing to write home about either. They were harder than what Galouti kebabs are meant to be. Being a Lucknow native, my high expectations were probably unreasonable but even then Zaffran's kebabs did not leave an impression.
For the main course, we ordered a very boring Dal Makhani (INR 225), decent Palak Paneer (INR 300) and a greasy and salty Gosht Biryani (INR 400). Laccha Parantha (INR 60) and plain Naan (INR 50) made up the bread basket. It was all very standard fare and I had to keep reminding myself we are eating at THE popular and 'authentic' Zaffran.
Zaffran at Lower Parel is a classic example of the teething troubles faced by a new restaurant. Uber bright interiors and eager to please (bordering on over-bearing) waiters topped with inconsistent food as compared to the parent branch do not make for a favourable first impression. A sore common point I have noticed in lot of Mumbai restaurants is a high staff-to-diners ratio. Whilst this is desirable so that all patrons are catered to on busy days, on other leaner days it is a problem. The staff tends to group chat in the middle of the restaurant or generally just huddle together in a group. I have noticed this in Copper Chimney, Moti Mahal and now Zaffran. A bit of staff training in etiquette can go a long way in improving the diners' experience in this aspect. Zaffran has it in it to be a good restaurant and with Mumbai's woeful shortage of restaurants offering quality Mughlai fare, I'd like to give them a second chance. Sometime in the near future, I'll try to be back and then decide for sure if this is a hit or miss.
Easy to locate just off the main S.B. Marg, the restaurant doors open to a small reception area. On your left, the restaurant extends in a straight line offering plenty of seating. One side of the tables are housed in 'bird-cage'-like structures with a flowing water feature behind them. The lighting is bright (too bright for my liking) and the music is at blaring levels for a sit down dinner venue. We were promptly showed to one of the cage tables and the seats are definitely more comfortable than those of the stand alone tables on the other side.
We went through the menu and it looked exhaustive. Selection of wines by the glass was as expected, limited. We ordered 2 glasses of Reveilo Shyrah red wine priced at INR 350++ each. I was in the mood to have some Tandoori Murg and ordered half portion (INR 300). The preparation was strictly average especially when compared with what even an average Delhi dhaba churns out in that name. Galouti kebabs (INR 270 veg / INR 350 mutton) were nothing to write home about either. They were harder than what Galouti kebabs are meant to be. Being a Lucknow native, my high expectations were probably unreasonable but even then Zaffran's kebabs did not leave an impression.
For the main course, we ordered a very boring Dal Makhani (INR 225), decent Palak Paneer (INR 300) and a greasy and salty Gosht Biryani (INR 400). Laccha Parantha (INR 60) and plain Naan (INR 50) made up the bread basket. It was all very standard fare and I had to keep reminding myself we are eating at THE popular and 'authentic' Zaffran.
Zaffran at Lower Parel is a classic example of the teething troubles faced by a new restaurant. Uber bright interiors and eager to please (bordering on over-bearing) waiters topped with inconsistent food as compared to the parent branch do not make for a favourable first impression. A sore common point I have noticed in lot of Mumbai restaurants is a high staff-to-diners ratio. Whilst this is desirable so that all patrons are catered to on busy days, on other leaner days it is a problem. The staff tends to group chat in the middle of the restaurant or generally just huddle together in a group. I have noticed this in Copper Chimney, Moti Mahal and now Zaffran. A bit of staff training in etiquette can go a long way in improving the diners' experience in this aspect. Zaffran has it in it to be a good restaurant and with Mumbai's woeful shortage of restaurants offering quality Mughlai fare, I'd like to give them a second chance. Sometime in the near future, I'll try to be back and then decide for sure if this is a hit or miss.
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