Cafe Saffron — Restaurant in England

I'm going to preface this review by saying I eat out a lot, my standards are high - I am simply too fat to eat average food.

I had high expectations of Saffron Cafe, after all if the infamous curry munching fatty Eric Pickles has eaten here...

Unfortunately the service was average, the food was average. It just didn't wow me. Although credit where credit is due, Chablis albeit an average bottle was on the menu. Not many places stock reasonable wine now a days.

The highlights were the nan breads and tarkha dhall. The prawns were fresh. And none of it was 'bad' just average.

Coming from near Walsall I have been blessed with some of the best curries. So I know what good curry is all about.

The poppadoms whilst cooked today were not warm and fresh fresh. They were likely cooked several hours before or maybe even the night before.

Rice was again average, lacking vibrancy. The two main meals whilst vastly different on the menu shared a common base sauce. Never a good sign.

Whilst I would not be in a rush to visit again I shall certainly give them the benefit of the doubt and try another dish.

As for price it is at the upper end of curry pricing. I have paid more and had better curry and I have paid less and had better curry.

Perhaps it was an off day for then, or perhaps they are living off a past reputation. I don't know but I cannot and will not say it was bad and nor can I likewise say it was fantastic.

It was just simply average. And I'm too fat to eat...

I've been here a few times, and the last three have been poor experiences. Some of the staff have a friendly front, but they're not good waiters. Last night my friend wanted some tea, but they only serve English breakfast - no herbal or Indian teas; my curry was disappointingly greasy, even though it was £18; there was no draught beer as the tap was broken. This is all fine, you could forgive it once, but like I said, the previous 3 visits have been tarred with a similar brush so I won't be returning. My previous visit, my girlfriend ordered a coke which came and was totally flat, like completely still. We asked for a new one, and the waiter didn't believe us, so tasted it right in front of us.... During the evening it had got slightly steamy in there, then when we came to leave, we found half the restaurant was having wallpaper stripped by the waiters who were also serving the food. This might have been a good curry house once, but I think it's only afloat because of an old reputation. I'd rather have had a takeaway for half the price of my meal last night, and could have had one from plenty of other places...

Pros: excellent quality food you'd genuinely struggle to find a better quality curry in Shrewsbury.

Cons: quality comes at a cost and is at least 10-20% more expensive than the competition. Whether you think paying that much more is worth it..I'm honestly not sure.

Staff could have been more friendly and attentive. Especially as they have the guts to charge a 10% service charge. I don't feel this is warranted with he price of the food. 'other places do it' is a poor excuse.

My biggest gripe about my experience is how they have decided to plaster the menu with piles of pictures of 'celebrity' visitors or people the chef has met at an awards ceremony. I don't really care if Priti Patel visited...I'd kind of understand if you stated what they had or provided quotes and recommendations instead it's just a mess and distracting. I'm also not sure about naming a dish 'Mother Theresa lamb' I don't think she became martyrd to be a dish at an Indian...