The Hub

Every year the Hub, in Palmerston, sends out a birthday letter which entitles you to a free meal. These are a really great way to say thank you to members. This evening two of us had the birthday letters, a good excuse to spend a pleasant evening at the Hub.

Grilled Chicken Breast with Creamy Garlic Prawns

Grilled Chicken Breast with Creamy Garlic Prawns - $22.00

Chicken Schnitzel Mexicana topped with Melted Cheese, Jalapenos, Guacamole and Sour Cream -$17.50 (unfortunately, no photo of this meal)

Chicken Schnitzel with Garlic Prawns - $22.00

Chicken Schnitzel with Garlic Prawns

All three meals were huge, with lots of vegetables. We did find it really unusual that no potatoes came with the meals. We asked about that and three delicious baked potatoes with sour cream were brought out for us. 

The Hub was really busy tonight, thus it did take quite a while for our meals to be served. We had bread rolls to nibble on while we waited. I find it disappointing that they don't bake their own bread rolls. The rolls on offer look like the standard ones you can buy from Woolworths. 

The staff here are always pleasant and the atmosphere is warm and relaxing. One comment that I'd like to make is that I feel it's about time a new entertainer was hired; we need a fresh voice to listen to. It would be ideal to have an entertainer who could actually play the piano, not one that bashes away at an electronic keyboard while mutilating lyrics. 

Saffrron - The Taste of India in Parap

You will find Saffrron on the corner of Gregory Street and Vimy Lane, Parap. 8981 2383

This restaurant, without a doubt, would have to be my favourite so far. The decor is exquisite; rich red walls, dark furniture and subdued lighting make for a warm and inviting atmosphere.

This evening the restaurant was busy and the customers all seemed really happy, obviously enjoying their meals. Their takeaway service was also extremely busy with many people happily picking up their take-away dinners.

Our waiter, once having determined that this was our first visit, explained some interesting aspects to this restaurant; biodegradable tableware, energy efficient lighting and minimal use of chemicals. Later on in the evening I picked up a takeaway menu and discovered that it had a lot of interesting information about the restaurant.

I'd actually booked online and had already read quite a lot about Saffrron including all the awards it had won. They have a well designed and user friendly website, you can find the full menu online.  http://www.saffrron.com/

We decided to order the Saffrron Tasting Menu. At $49.50 per person we figured it would be well worth it as we got to try out two entrees, four main meals and one dessert. These meals are chosen by the chef on the night, so if going there on other nights you would get to taste different meals if you ordered the same again.

Entree - Kastoori Tikka and Panjabi Lamb Cutlet

Kastoori Tikka - Fresh chicken marinated with ginger, garlic, cashew nut, lime juice, yoghurt and dry fenugreek leaves, baked in the tandoori oven.
Panjabi Lamb Cutlet - Tender lamb cutlet marinated in yoghurt, cumin powder, ginger and mustard oil, done to perfection in the tandoori oven.

These were served with two delicious side dishes.

Main Meals

These were the four main meals that we got to taste. They were delicious, I enjoyed every one of them. 

Barramundi Mooli - Territory Barramundi cubes poached in a ginger and turmeric flavoured mild coconut curry.
Bhindi Do Pyaza (DRY) - Humpty Doo Okra and diced onion tossed with tomato based masala sauce.

Butter Chicken Masala - Chicken tikka simmered in a rich creamy tomato sauce with sundried fenugreek leaves and garam masala.

Kerala Beef - Slow cooked diced beef simmered with onion, tomato, aniseed, fennel seed and coconut milk, finished with fresh curry leaves.

We also got side servings of Saffron pualo rice, Pappadoms, Naan Bread, Sweet Pickle (mango/tomato) and 

Cucumber raitha.

Dessert

Saffrron Kulfi - Home made Indian ice cream, flavoured with rose water, saffrron and pistachio paste. This was a very interesting combination, one that I enjoyed immensely.

We did not have to wait long for our meal and each course was brought out promptly by friendly staff who were more than happy to find out extra information to answer our questions.  

A feast for Kings! I can wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant to our readers. 

Congratulations to the Saffrron team for their outstanding food, venue and service.