Saffron - Lincoln

In this restaurant, as it was the closest in our hotel, the weather was very included. the waitress greeted us cordially and showed us on our table. she was the best piece of our culinary experience. she was cheerful and polite. we tried to order. drinks, but they didn't have the most drinks we wanted, e.g. 5 beers listed on the map, but they had only 1. martini was listed as baileys, but the waitress had to apologize for not having. at this point we would have left, but the rain was so heavy that we decided to stay. the food was edible, but most of them were cooked. the poppadome were boiled and soft and flexible. the pickle tablet consisted of a grated carrot, some grated wobbles and mango cutney. not a great experience and we felt regret for the very happy, pleasant and helpful waitress.

This has for the last four or five years been my go to restaurant not anymore. Went with my husband for supper yesterday. We should have been suspicious given that we could get a table. The night was an absolute disaster. Menus were filthy, sticky...taped together. Poppadoms were shop brought and thus in lots of bits. The sauces were awful mango was thick and sugary. We ordered food including a paratha, apparently they didn’t have any parathas so this was replaced with a chapati. The food was awful two meals didn’t come together but rather with a fifteen minute interval hence my food got cold whilst waiting for my husbands food to arrive. The whole experience was awful. It is so sad that a restaurant that was so amazing can have sunk so low! So very disappointing!

Having eaten here many years ago when we lived in the area we decided to revisit when we were back for the Xmas Market how things have changed! Positives nice Naan breads, drinks reasonably priced, plenty of tables available Negatives our Bhuna...and Daansak curries were watery and tasted like they had been made with sauce from a supermarket jar, unusual poppadom pickles (mashed carrot and a baby food looking blended mango Pilau rice and the Dansaak were glow in the dark yellow, very tired and cheap looking decor and furniture (paper table cloths, ripped and cracked chairs, tatty card menus, several tables in a converted corridor to the emergency exit) The worst Indian meal out we have ever had and a real shame to see how far it has fallen.

I visited this restaurant a year ago with friends and the meal was very good. However something seems to have changed, and our visit this week was very disappointing. The decor and chairs are looking shabby and we were brought menus that had been scribbled...on and taped up with masking tape, not creating a good impression. They had run out of the menu beers and offered us Stella and pravha instead. Pickles arrived which were odd especially the grated carrot with raw chopped garlic. The mains arrived which looked good but we're cold so had to be sent back. Tasted like it was pre cooked chicken in very small pieces mixed into a pre made sauce. Although this tasted well flavoured, it just didn't seem right. The table next to us complained vociferously about their food, and asked for the manager. They wheeled out a lady who was clearly just a waitress who couldn't speak English, and who didn't even respond to their complaint....really a bit surreal. I'm afraid we won't be going back.

I prefer using tripadvisor to give positive feedback for products and services I’ve received and rarely moan, or have a reason to. However I felt obliged to leave this review to warn others who are looking for a good curry in Lincoln to avoid Saffron....As a couple we’d enjoyed a day out in Lincoln and headed to the famous Bailgate to enjoy the evening with a few drinks and a meal out. A bit of a treat, you’d think. Only a curry would do, so we got sat in Saffron and did not let the slightly shabby interior put us off. Some of the best food we’ve been lucky enough to eat around the world has been served in, let’s stay, ‘rustic’ environments. We did, however, become aware and nervous about other diners pointing out problems with their food to the waitress and a table opposite us pulling faces at their dishes. We were keen to judge for ourselves. We know and love our curries. We ordered a bottle of white. It arrived. Not what we ordered, but similar enough. It was plonked on the table, unopened but handily with a screw top. I’m not fancy. I can live without an offer to pour the wine for me, but a “thanks” or “enjoy” might’ve been nice. Nevermind. Ordered the popadoms and pickle tray. Crushed and cold popadoms that were clearly not ‘home’ made let alone freshly made! Weirdest pickle tray EVER. Can’t be hard to get mango chutney right in an Indian restaurant but it was watery and tasteless. Such a shame. Oh, and our knives and forks came wrapped in blue roll... you know the stuff in a public loo to dry your hands on? Yeah, that. The main course. Abysmal. The lamb curry and vegetable curry both very different styles according to the menu looked the same... same sauce, same colour, same vegetables. Believe me, the vegetables are frozen, not fresh, I’d put money on them being microwave in the bag veg. Couldn’t tell the two dishes apart until we managed to find a few bits of meat in one. The naan bread was cold. Again, it couldn’t have been fresh. The rice was... okay? Sort of? It was the best part of the course anyway. By this time, a party entered looking for a table but they hadn’t been cleaned or prepared. One table had been left filthy for the duration of our visit. Waitress didn’t care. I was asked if everything was okay when paying the bill. I very, very politely and quietly mentioned that there were a few things we weren’t happy with. “Well we’ve been very busy tonight!” the waitress snapped back (they weren’t that busy, plenty of empty but dirty tables) She did not care. No apology. Still no thanks for my custom, which wasn’t appreciated. I left feeling like I’d been robbed. I’d handed over hard-earned money for bad food and bad service and I’ll be honest, it spoiled our evening. Indian food is meant to be exciting, flavourful, vibrant, authentic, fresh, aromatic... an experience to savour, satisfy and remember. To call this a curry house and their food curry is AN INSULT to Indian cuisine. Go somewhere else. Anywhere else.