ITP Indian Travel Places: Food, Travel, Tourism Business Events and Trade Shows
Restaurant Name: Saffron: Radisson Blu, Marathahalli, Bangalore
Phone: +919731476113, +918884400175, +919731474386
Address: Radisson Blu, 90/4, Outer Ring Road, Munnekollalu Village, Marathahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Time: 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 2,500
Cuisines: North Indian, Mughlai, Fast Food, Beverages
Facilities: Home Delivery, Full Bar Available, Smoking Area, Indoor Seating, Table booking recommended, Family Friendly, Outdoor Seating, Romantic Dining, Luxury Dining, Valet Parking Available
Saffron – Radisson Blu: About
Restaurants have ruined North Indian food – which in itself is such a misnomer for something so richly diverse – for me. The prospect of ploughing through mediocre kebabs and dal makhni whose only quality is that it is enriched with unreasonable amounts of cream or butter or both is not an appealing one. After such a meal there is the discomfort to deal with.
Food: Saffron
Dinner at Saffron – Radisson Blu in Marathahalli indicated to me that it is wrong to always be dismissive of restaurants serving North Indian fare. Here, I ate a meal that had several dishes not commonly found on restaurant menus, especially in the star hotels. Even the ubiquitous dishes were prepared with a lightness of touch that put them in an entirely different league.
I had a tiny bowl of Paya to begin with and it was warming and soothing at the same time. I have eaten so many disappointing galouti kebabs in Bengaluru restaurants, I decided to give the Saffron version a miss and had, instead, the less common Jimikhand ki Galouti. Made from yam, this was very good, as was the Soya aur Nadru ki Shaami, with lotus stem. The cityDahi ke Kebab which, the menu sweetly admitted included processed cheese, is a crowd pleaser with its creamy centre and crunchy surface. Vegetarians can dine well at Saffron. I’m not particularly fond of chicken, but the Bhatti da Murgh, marinated in yellow chilli and yogurt, was most pleasant. Meat lovers should tuck into the hearty Gosht ki Champ. The chops have a delightful mix of fatty and crunchy bits. The two vegetarian curries I had after this were absolutely brilliant. The Shahi Pithod was beautifully spiced gram flour dumplings immersed in a yogurt gravy. The Choliya Punjabi Wadi was black channa and Amritsari wadis in a thin, sharp gravy and I relished every bite.
These dishes were a refreshing change from the tomato pureecream concoctions that pass for Indian gravies and aglimpse into what North Indian restaurants can achieve. The Nalli Nihari was similarly light and fragrant, yet packed with deep flavours. I ate the curries with a selection of very well made rotis and finished my meal with some satisfying, fudge-like Badam Akhrot ka Halwa. I’m definitely going back for the galouti kebab and the haleem. This festive season, indulge in the wonderful flavours of Indian food at Saffron.
