Saffron's - Tasteless & Overpriced

Celebrating Canada's Day with friends is always a great marker of a good summer. Having to work on the wards on Canada Day this year, I met up with a bunch of fellow residents for dinner and drinks on the patio. The location of choice, Saffron's Restaurant in the heart of Corydon Avenue.

Saffron's is located on busy Corydon Avenue with plenty of foot and car traffic. Curiously the main building is tucked away behind the main attraction, the large sprawling patio that almost obtrusively pushes itself onto the walking paths. One cannot miss the joy and laughter of party revelers milling about on the patio, nor of the delightful smells wafting in the air. Thankfully the service staff was attentive during busy Canada's Day.

The menu is decidedly pedestrian, choosing to focus on pub grub favourites. The usual sandwiches, "gourmet" thin crust pizzas and boring pastas adorn the mains. Thankfully the appetizers take on a much more appealing form including lettuce wraps, steamed mussels or Mediterranean sliders. A decidedly Mediterranean feel is evident with the inclusion of Chicken Souvlaki and a gyro or chicken pita. Nevertheless there is nothing here that warrants a second look as everything on the menu is ordinary.

These Lettuce Wraps were a huge disappointment. Featuring a tasteless and bland mixture of chicken, noodles and vegetables all covered in a thick hoisin based sauce wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves that were too large and cumbersome to use; this entire dish failed to deliver on a supposed Asian inspiration. In fact, the massive leaves of lettuce completely overwhelmed the overcooked chicken and soggy chow mein noodles. A disgrace at any price, not withstanding the outrageous $16 charge associated with this dish.

The Chicken Souvlaki equally disappointing. At least here the chicken was tender and cooked well enough to be edible. In truth though, it was missing any semblance of the supposed oregano and garlic marinade but instead tasted all of drizzled lemon juice. The accompanying salad boring and pedestrian; and the swapped side of Yam Fries ordinary and under-seasoned.

There is nothing worthwhile to eat at the extremely overpriced and tasteless Saffron's. It reeks of a decidedly ordinary restaurant whose sole claim to fame is a busy and bustling patio; and while it might succeed in drawing customers in once, it gives them no reason to return again.