Tag Archives: Ajay Walia

San Carlos’ Saffron Gets A Menu Redo

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Chicken paratha wrap, one of the items on the new "Bites'' portion of the menu at Saffron San Carlos.
Chicken paratha wrap, one of the items on the new “Bites” portion of the menu at Saffron San Carlos.

Think tapas — Indian-style.

That’s what husband-and-wife owners Ajay Walia and Reena Miglani had in mind when they revamped the menu at their Saffron restaurant in downtown San Carlos three weeks ago.

Regulars shouldn’t fret, as their favorites are still there, only portioned in smaller sizes so that diners can try a greater variety of dishes now.

Want to enjoy a pav slider, but you’re vegetarian and your dining companion is not? Now, you can order them by the piece, so that everyone gets what they crave.

Indeed, the restaurant has added a sizeable “Saffron’s Bites” section to the menu, that allows you to do just that.

The exterior of the restaurant.
The exterior of the restaurant.
The parklet for outdoor dining.
The parklet for outdoor dining.
The dining room.
The dining room.

I had a chance to try the new menu when I was invited as a guest of the restaurant last week. In fact, Executive Chef Vivek Tamhane was amenable to making some of the “bites” even smaller so that I could try that much more.

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Dining Outside at Saffron in Burlingame, Ne Rasa

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India meets China in General Tso's cauliflower at Saffron in Burlingame.
India meets China in General Tso’s cauliflower at Saffron in Burlingame.

At this Burlingame spot, you will find a refashioned brighter interior, an added parklet, a new menu and name change, and owner Ajay Walia no longer greeting you in a sharp suit, but casual shirt and slacks.

In June, Walia closed his former Michelin-starred, fine-dining Rasa on this property, and morphed it into the second outpost of his Saffron (the original is in San Carlos). It was a difficult decision, he says, but one necessitated by the challenges of the pandemic.

Yet despite the transformation, Walia doesn’t believe anything is radically different.

“We’re still buying the same ingredients, and cooking with the same standards,” he says. “The only thing that has changed is people’s expectations.”

A feast al fresco.
A feast al fresco.

Indeed, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant last week to dine outside, I found the food as delightful as ever.

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Dining Outside at Saffron

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Smoky, spiced tandoori prawns at Saffron.
Smoky, spiced tandoori prawns at Saffron.

Owner Ajay Walia can’t help but chuckle these days when patrons — and even long-time regulars — walk past his Saffron restaurant in San Carlos, only to back-peddle in a double-take.

Like some other establishments, Walia decided to use the time during the pandemic when his 19-year-old restaurant wasn’t operating at full capacity to refresh its look.

The result is night and day. The once near-black exterior is now bright white. The interior, once much more traditional in vibe with gold and saffron-hued walls, is now as crisp and fresh looking as a starched summer shirt with white walls and banquettes, and loads of greenery. With so many of us spending time in our own backyards during lock-down, Walia says he was inspired to bring the outdoors in.

If you’re like me and still only dining outdoors at the moment, though, you’ll be glad to know that Saffron also has a few tables outside its front doors. That’s where I parked myself when I was invited to dine as a guest last week.

The refreshed exterior.
The refreshed exterior.
And the inviting interior.
And the inviting interior.

Walia, who also owns Michelin-starred Rasa in Burlingame, has updated Saffron’s menu, even going so far as to do away with the restaurant’s long-time buffet, to concentrate on quality rather than quantity. I’d say the food’s never been better.

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