Most people who attend Kalamazoo College have heard of the infamous “K-Bubble.” K students are notorious for being unwilling to leave campus for things like shows, parties, and even restaurants. Despite this, Saffron, an Indian restaurant which is located just northwest of campus on West Main, is often visited by students from Kalamazoo College. Saffron is near and dear to the hearts of many K students, but after paying a visit to the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, it’s hard to understand exactly why this is the case.
Saffron, which describes itself as a restaurant of “Fine Dining Indian Cuisine,” has a classy and open atmosphere. The artificial lighting within the restaurant is dim, but the large windows at the front of the establishment allow sunlight to stream in and help keep the place lit. The walls are covered in beautiful works of art, all of which seem to fit with the restaurant’s Indian theme. The walls and furniture are mostly dark shades of brown and beige, but bright, vibrant orange and red accents pop out periodically. Saffron serves a diverse crowd of patrons, who range from couples on intimate dates to large family gatherings.
Saffron offers two distinct dining options. A lunch buffet is available during the day, running from noon until 2:00 or 2:30 (depending on the day of the week). The restaurant closes after this is over. The next few hours are spent preparing for dinner, and Saffron reopens for the evening at 5:00. Saffron’s ten dollar lunch buffet will be covered exclusively in this review. Despite the high-class atmosphere and quality service, this buffet was unremarkable and altogether failed to satisfy.
The buffet table, which sat in the center of the restaurant, had only 10 chaffing dishes clustered atop of it. Upon further inspection, it became clear that almost half of these were filled with side dishes or deserts. The array of entree choices was limited, especially when one considers the typical abundance of choices associated with all-you-can-eat buffets, and several of the dishes proved to be disappointing. Thus, the grand total of worthwhile options only came to about three, a disappointingly low number.
Two different kinds of rice adorned the buffet table, a yellow one which was dubbed “Saffron Rice” and a white one described as “Plain Basmati Rice.” However, had it not been for the stark color difference, these two dishes would have been very difficult to tell apart. The yellow rice, which promised spice, was almost flavorless, as was the basmati rice. The rices served the purpose of mixing with the other dishes well, but were disappointing and bland when eaten in solitude. Next to the white rice sat a dish filled with Naan, Indian flatbread. It was fluffy, flavorful, and delicious; one of the saving graces of the buffet.
There were only two meat options on the table, Tandoori Chicken and Lamb Keema. The Tandoori Chicken seemed to be made from high quality meat; it was juicy, fresh, and perfectly flaky. It was definitely one of the more tasty options available, but even this dish had its drawbacks; the seasonings were sparse, usually covering only one side of each chicken cube, and it was sometimes hard to taste the spices at all. The Lamb Keema, on the other hand, did not have the same potential; it had the appearance of elementary school cafeteria ground taco meat, complete with a dull film which developed over the top the longer it sat out on the buffet table and a questionable orange liquid that leaked from it. Sampling this unappetizing goop is inadvisable; it was much too tangy, and the only real distinguishable taste was that of the lamb itself.
The Channa Saag, a dark brown vegetarian dish filled primarily with chick peas, was the spiciest thing on the buffet. This was not saying much, however, as the spice only begins to appear after several bites. The Channa Saag had a thick, porridge-like consistency to it. The chick peas were well-cooked, and though this meal had decent flavor to it, it did not linger; the only perceivable aftertaste was the twang from the heat.
A similar dish, the Mutter Paneer, was filled with peas and white rectangular lumps that turned out to be a type of cheese. This had a consistency closer to soup, and was actually quite delicious. It was not very spicy, and it had two distinct and strong flavors to it, one from the sauce and the spices and one from the peas themselves. The Mutter Paneer was particularly good when spooned onto a piece of the sensational Naan, and ended up being the only worthwhile entree on the buffet table.
The only cold dish aside from the dessert was an array of fruits and vegetables called Saffron’s Sensational Salad. Despite this cute wordplay, the salad was anything but sensational. It was a bizarre mixture of flavors; it paired apples and grapes with onions and tomatoes and covered the whole thing in oil, vinegar, and pepper. The ingredients were all visibly fresh and beautiful, but this awkward mixture of flavors was not well executed.
A lunch at Saffron is typically finished off with the buffet’s only dessert, an almond rice pudding called Badami Kheer. This sweet dessert was absolutely phenomenal. This was, without a doubt, the highlight of the buffet. It looked rather unappetizing, and may have been easy to accidentally pass up due to its dull white color and runny consistency. Once it is tasted, though, all of these negative opinions fall away. It was rich, sweet, and creamy, with soft pieces of rice and little bits of almonds providing a contrast of texture. This dessert was well worth it, but the bliss one can find in washing away the rest of the buffet’s flavors with this final dish doesn’t speak too well to the buffet’s quality as a whole.
The service at Saffron, like the decor and atmosphere, is top-notch. The servers are friendly and sociable, but also courteous; they did not hover near the tables when they were not needed, allowing the opportunity for serious conversations to bloom between patrons. The buffet, too, was replenished regularly. Fresh food continued to be put out on the buffet table even within five minutes of the buffet’s closing time.
All in all, Saffron had a strange dichotomy about it. It was well-maintained, the food was fresh, and the atmosphere was positive and peaceful. Despite all of these things, though, the food was, for the most part, unsatisfying. The few good dishes were not enough to counter-balance the general blandness and lack of choices that the buffet had, especially as the two best dishes were a side dish and a desert. The short walk and manageable price tag are a strong incentive for K students to venture to Saffron for a meal, but students should be prepared to either fill up entirely on bread and dessert or leave disappointed.
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