Saffron Kitchen
5940 College Ave.
Oakland
“Oh! That’s not good for business!”
A closed sign flipped to open, and an large, airy, open, and empty restaurant was ours.
Saffron Kitchen, on a food-laden stretch of College Avenue in Rockridge, has bright plate-glass windows and a sunken entrance. The expansive interior is matched by a sweet patio out front, and turquoise painted trims and gold-leaf touched resin paintings line the walls above dozens of tables and a large horseshoe bar. The menu, a single page (a really big one) skews stewed. So, ready for succulent saucy goodness, my friend Jasmine and I ordered like the hungry fiends we were. Our eyes, filled with the soft light from the windows behind us, were far larger than our stomachs. We’d asked for a feast, and a feast we received.
A mango lassi was a no-brainer choice, and the dough (a savory yogurt and mint beverage) was a fabulous companion. The lassi was thick and just the right level of sweet, with big mango melting into your mouth, creamy and soft. The dough, salted and thinner, was tart, bright, and a reminder of the versatility of yogurt. Dried mint flecked the top, delivering a juiciness one wouldn’t expect from a white creamy drink. They both stood on their own and made an excellent backdrop to the food.
A watermelon and feta salad to start: opting for (not so seasonal) produce over a classic Greek salad, we were pleasantly surprised by the flavorful chunks of melon and the soft crumbles of feta. Baby spinach and arugula backed the fruits (sliced grape tomatoes, too); an unobtrusive but complimentary balsamic dressing brought it all together.
Next, our array of stewed meat and veg and eponymous saffron rice arrived. A side of potato qurma (medium sized bowl, $9) offered us tender potato pieces smothered in a rich tomato sauce and tossed with peppers, onions, and chickpeas. The spicing (heavy on the paprika, in a great way), in combination with the soft potatoes, instantly took me back to seasoned curly or home fries at a diner, elevated into a nutritious, potentially even more comforting dish.
My vegetarian combo plate came packed to the edges: a slice of fresh flatbread (chewy, lightly greasy, with just enough nigella seeds on top to make me very eager for more) hedging a big pile of rice, flanked by a veg trio sautéed eggplant, spinach, and butternut squash. The spinach and squash were heavily doused in an addictive garlic yogurt sauce I would eat by the spoonful; it brought a bright acidic zip to the soft, slightly sweet cooked vegetables.
At a glance the plate’s contents resembled a Thanksgiving meal. In reality they delivered a level of comfort I have yet to experience on that holiday. The eggplant was mushy in all the right ways, soft and squishy in the mouth, melting, the spinach creamy without cream, full of green flavor and salinity. The squash, a vibrant orange, was fork tender. It melted upon contact, the flesh tasting nearly caramelized and sweet, a grown-up candied yam. The bright yogurt cut the sugars just right, leaving no cloying residuals, just contentment.
Jasmine’s qabuli pallaw with lamb arrived as a heaping bowl of tender long-grained rice tossed and topped with carrot shreds and plump raisins. The lamb was tender with no gaminess, falling off the fork. It could have used a bit more seasoning, but in combination with everything else it blended in nicely. In both of our dishes we were disappointed to find very little saffron. Iit appeared to be a small smattering of pigmented rice grains on the top of each plate. But the long grains were fluffy and light, soft without any mealy or mushy texture, so we truly couldn’t complain.
Too full to finish our plates, let alone order any dessert (next visit I will absolutely try the ferni, a milk pudding topped with pistachios, or the baghlava, their baklava), we packed up and paid the bill. I had to inquire about a restaurant week special; they are offering 15 percent off meals, as we were told they felt it would limit their fare too much to offer prix-fixe. But our bill was happily amended by our very friendly server. Filled to the necks and carrying out food enough for dinner each, we set off into the afternoon to digest and spread the gospel of great Afghan food here in Oaktown.
