Tucked down an alley behind the Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tianmu and just two doors away from the Spice Shop, another Indian restaurant, is a jewel box of a restaurant, Saffron. It's fine Indian dining, but in a very elegant yet comfortable atmosphere.
Sandra, one of the owners, said they spent six months before the restaurant opened just working out the design, decor and menu. That attention to detail clearly paid off. Open just under a year (mid-March is the anniversary), Saffron quickly became a favorite of Tianmu residents and word-of-mouth has ensured that plenty of downtown denizens are willing to make the trek north to try it.
While not an extensive menu, there are between four and eight options each for appetizers (averaging NT$170), tandoori chicken and lamb dishes (ranging from NT$290 to NT$540), vegetable dishes (average of NT$250), breads (NT$75 and up) and rice dishes (around NT$200). The drinks include a small wine selection (NT$200 a glass), beers, soft drinks, lassis, juices and teas.
PHOTO: DIANE BAKER, TAIPEI TIMES
The chef has a very light hand with the oils and ghee; even the fried appetizers such as samosas and pakoras are crisp without being greasy. Diners can watch the tandoor chef at work because his glass-enclosed cubicle is at the front of the restaurant, which is a great way to keep the children entertained while they are waiting for their food or after they eat as well as a good advertisement for Saffron.
I have never had a bad meal at Saffron, but must-tries for anyone would have to include the methi pakora as an appetizer (feenugrek, onion, potato and green chiles all finely diced and mixed together into small patties, which are then deep fried) or the punjabi tikki (a mix of ground lentils and potato deep fried in a small patty); the baigan bharta (charcoal-flamed eggplant, which is diced up and mixed with garlic, coriander and onion), the sak paneer (a fine rendering of the classic creamed spinach and cheese dish) and the tikki masala (chicken marinated with herb-nut mix and cooked in the tandoor oven).
The dessert list is short, just two dishes, but I can't make a recommendation. I'm sure they are both good, but despite best intentions, we have always been too full to actually order them.
While reservations are not required, they are recomended for both lunch and dinner on weekends because Saffron fills up quickly.
Feb. 17 to Feb. 23 “Japanese city is bombed,” screamed the banner in bold capital letters spanning the front page of the US daily New Castle News on Feb. 24, 1938. This was big news across the globe, as Japan had not been bombarded since Western forces attacked Shimonoseki in 1864. “Numerous Japanese citizens were killed and injured today when eight Chinese planes bombed Taihoku, capital of Formosa, and other nearby cities in the first Chinese air raid anywhere in the Japanese empire,” the subhead clarified. The target was the Matsuyama Airfield (today’s Songshan Airport in Taipei), which
On Jan. 17, Beijing announced that it would allow residents of Shanghai and Fujian Province to visit Taiwan. The two sides are still working out the details. President William Lai (賴清德) has been promoting cross-strait tourism, perhaps to soften the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) attitudes, perhaps as a sop to international and local opinion leaders. Likely the latter, since many observers understand that the twin drivers of cross-strait tourism — the belief that Chinese tourists will bring money into Taiwan, and the belief that tourism will create better relations — are both false. CHINESE TOURISM PIPE DREAM Back in July
Could Taiwan’s democracy be at risk? There is a lot of apocalyptic commentary right now suggesting that this is the case, but it is always a conspiracy by the other guys — our side is firmly on the side of protecting democracy and always has been, unlike them! The situation is nowhere near that bleak — yet. The concern is that the power struggle between the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and their now effectively pan-blue allies the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) intensifies to the point where democratic functions start to break down. Both
This was not supposed to be an election year. The local media is billing it as the “2025 great recall era” (2025大罷免時代) or the “2025 great recall wave” (2025大罷免潮), with many now just shortening it to “great recall.” As of this writing the number of campaigns that have submitted the requisite one percent of eligible voters signatures in legislative districts is 51 — 35 targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus lawmakers and 16 targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The pan-green side has more as they started earlier. Many recall campaigns are billing themselves as “Winter Bluebirds” after the “Bluebird Action”
RSS