When I saw the last review saying that the lamb at Saffron is gamey (有羶味), I was ecstatic! That itself is enough to arouse my interest and go to Quarry Bay despite having no other obvious tasks in the neighborhood. Even before my visit, I had locked down my target: The Lamb Pie ($35).
The store was empty when I arrived after 2pm, and there was plenty of food, both savory and sweet, available. Without a second thought I ordered the lamb pie. Salad selection there was wide and attractive, ranging from my favorite couscous to chickpea and lentils, and uncommon quinoa and haricot beans. Normally I would have add frittata or quiche to my order (Tomato Provencal looked really delicious and fresh!). However, a Beef Empanada ($25), a common snack in Manhattan yet rarely spotted in Hong Kong, got my final vote.
I heated up both my items at home as I think most pastries tasted the best when slightly warmed. The lamb pie was indeed filled with lamb meat with some gamey note but not overly so. Unfortunately the meat was either too lean and stringy or too fatty as white solid fat lobes. The sauce was quite monotonous like a canned tomato gravy with some herbs added in. The usual vegetable filings like peas, carrots, and potatoes were all present but they added nothing to the overall flavor. The pie crust was a letdown as it wasn’t flakey nor buttery and was too thick and dry without ample sauce as lubricant. It didn’t taste like fresh puff pastry but some non-artisanal creation using store-bought frozen puff pastry as short cut.
Since the lamb pie was just too dry, I gave up halfway and moved on to the beef empanada. In Manhattan, there are many South American ethnic deli shops selling homemade authentic empanadas for their home-sick immigrants. They were delightful and hearty snacks with the meat or fillings heavily seasoned with unique blends of spices (e.g. cumins and paprika). The beef empanada at Saffron lacked the depth of spices compared to the renditions I had before, but the coarsely ground beef and pepper were still flavorful with a kick to drive your appetite. Even though the shell was somewhat ordinary (and probably didn’t have lard as it should be), the empanada was still much easier to finish than the lamb pie.
As a bakery I would expect Saffron to have better pastries but both of the items were just passable, enough if you are in serious craves for English or South American food but hardly qualified as artisan gourmets. Perhaps their strength lies in sweet pastries? It would be unfair to beat them to death with just two items, and with the sincere and friendly service, I will be back to try out other items like their salads, quiches, frittata, and cupcakes.
This place was relatively empty despite the other breakfast places nearby were jam-packed. I was looking for a bagel here (which I'd had once years before and thought was quite good) but couldn't find any. I'm not sure if they're still around now. Instead there was an ample choice of cakes and salads, as well as candies from the States. I wanted to try the Magic Square but was put off by the coconut filling inside. So I got a Flapjack ($15) plus a regular latte ($20).
So I settled in one of the sofa seats and started to enjoy my breakfast, while leisurely surfing the web on Wifi, thanks to some of the signals transmitted from Taikoo Place in its proximity. I know, even though the Flapjack was made of rolled oats (it's how Americans call muesli bars), it was actually quite sweet and fatty if you know how to make it...never mind. It was chewy yet crunchy, and a few raisins added to some extra flavor too. The latte was fine but was far from being exceptional.
Then my eyes were set on the salad section. There was something I found very interesting: tabbouleh? Anyway being adventurous gastronomically, I bought a small bowl of this Tabbouleh Salad with Lemon Mint Dressing ($38) home for lunch.
So what's tabbouleh anyway? I searched Wikipedia and found this: "Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة; also Tabouleh or Tabouli) is a Middle Eastern Arabic salad dish, often used as part of a mezze." It is made of bulgur (a cereal made from some kind of wheat), and this salad also contained bell peppers, spring onions among other things and spices.Think of a middle eastern version of cold fried rice, great for the summer heat. A pretty exotic twist for me, huh.
I'd say the food here is okay, I came mainly for the laid back ambience. The staff (usually there's only one) was neither too friendly nor enthusiastic, perhaps because I'm a local? --> Anyway she acutally spoke Cantonese to me but I replied back in English, and she changed to a local radio channel for me while I was there.
Looks like this is more like a place for lounging out, but what a pity it's not open on Sundays where a relaxing morning is preferred.
A bakery named after the most expensive spice in the world. 'Saffron' is the stamens of an orchid, and it has to be handpicked. Saffron has long be associated with luxury and indugence. Imagine a bakery named after that? I've got to go try it out myself, and so I did, and returned disappointingly writing a review to inform other readers that Saffron Bakery has everything going strong as a bakery, but is it outstanding and live up to being a "saffron status"? Far from it, I'd say.
A savoury whiff of toasty bread reached my senses the moment I entered. I examined the bakery a few times, with the L-shaped counter dividing the kitchen and the dining area, selections of baked goods are superb. You have the famous bar cookies, their specialties being rapsberry oatmeal bar ($15), the flapjack ($15) and Rice Krispies Bar ($15). Chocolate Brownies take on variations when they are sold plain, with cream cheese frosting (overly sweet and not very dairy), and with caramel sauce (rich caramel and buttery taste), all sold for $15. Pecan Bars ($15) are too sweet and fillings are so thin (amount of it) and so thick (consistency) at the same time. Pecans are toasty but shortbread base lacks the necessary buttery taste.
Cookies are also $15 each. Quality is across the board and frequently varies. Pecan shortbread is chocoate dipped and tasted nutty and appropriately sweet. Snickerdoodles are cloyingly sweet while Molasses cookies did not demonstrate the necessary caramel sweetness of molasses itself. Chocolate chip cookies disappoint with a gigantic cookie with countable pieces of chocolates. The cookie seems thinner than homebaked ones and was not inducing my thoughts for seconds. The oatmeal chocolate chip is not very chocolatey and failing as an oatmeal cookie as well, as the oatmeal itself tasted bland. On the contrary oatmeal raisin cookie is wonderful with plump raisins and just the balance of sugar in it.
Breads and cakes are often popular here in Saffron, so are the salads at the Deli Section. Bread loaves sold out quickly but they keep coming out of the oven freshly baked throughout the day. Other treats include cupcakes, muffins and assorted selections of candies from North America. Coffee stands out as the prime selection for any beverage at all.
You can certainly skip the quiches (savoury tarts) because the portobello mushrooms tend to be dried out while zucchini slices or cherry tomatoes didn't seem all that moist either. The crust is soggy and the quiche lorraine's custard is very eggy, in fact so much that you thought you're only eating egg yolks. Be sure to visit Saffron during lunch for their sandwich/ salad combo, even though I'd stay away from lentils salad if I can.
Saffron has the peachy decor that offers you a comforting environment to enjoy your teatime, or afternoon snack, but does it offer baked goods of luxury, in a way that makes you almost feeling guilty after a bite? Not a chance. Quality varies and be sure to tell the staff to replace a new one for you if your piece of brownies is flavorless and tougher than dry cardboard.
Saffron is satisfactory, but not in its prime as we expected it should be.
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FoodieGoodie
共54篇食評
豬肉卷
內外都咁吸引啊...
外形上就肥得得…較短短方方的…表面已可見層層o既酥皮, 切開見內裏o既層次亦吸引!!!...個皮真真造到酥脆得可以!!...烘熱後, 起刀切落去o既一刹同咬落去果下都可以聽到聲的...除視覺、嗅覺同味覺享受外, 仲加埋聽覺享受呢!!...酥皮要用吾少牛油, 最重要係佢又冇漏喉o既感覺喎!!...
至於sausage用o既都係minced pork加點點香草…咸度調得剛好, 香料亦吾會太重…肉o既比例適中…正體配合得宜…著實覺得好味啊!!!...喜歡o既可加點ketchup…
…食o既時候最好用大大個碟…就算斯文慢用, 個皮都脆得飛到滿檯係碎o架…嘻!
p.s. 見佢地有個圓圓頂帽咁大o既walnut bread, 未知佢地造包包o既實力…有機會要買o黎試下先!
評分: 味道 5 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 4
0個
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Little Meg
共89篇食評
Saffron: My lamb pie wasn't that fine...
My order as takeout
Lamb Pie: Large, filling, but not too satisfying
Fillings: Passable but not impressive
Beef Empanada: If they added lard to the shell
When I saw the last review saying that the lamb at Saffron is gamey (有羶味), I was ecstatic! That itself is enough to arouse my interest and go to Quarry Bay despite having no other obvious tasks in the neighborhood. Even before my visit, I had locked down my target: The Lamb Pie ($35).
The store was empty when I arrived after 2pm, and there was plenty of food, both savory and sweet, available. Without a second thought I ordered the lamb pie. Salad selection there was wide and attractive, ranging from my favorite couscous to chickpea and lentils, and uncommon quinoa and haricot beans. Normally I would have add frittata or quiche to my order (Tomato Provencal looked really delicious and fresh!). However, a Beef Empanada ($25), a common snack in Manhattan yet rarely spotted in Hong Kong, got my final vote.
I heated up both my items at home as I think most pastries tasted the best when slightly warmed. The lamb pie was indeed filled with lamb meat with some gamey note but not overly so. Unfortunately the meat was either too lean and stringy or too fatty as white solid fat lobes. The sauce was quite monotonous like a canned tomato gravy with some herbs added in. The usual vegetable filings like peas, carrots, and potatoes were all present but they added nothing to the overall flavor. The pie crust was a letdown as it wasn’t flakey nor buttery and was too thick and dry without ample sauce as lubricant. It didn’t taste like fresh puff pastry but some non-artisanal creation using store-bought frozen puff pastry as short cut.
Since the lamb pie was just too dry, I gave up halfway and moved on to the beef empanada. In Manhattan, there are many South American ethnic deli shops selling homemade authentic empanadas for their home-sick immigrants. They were delightful and hearty snacks with the meat or fillings heavily seasoned with unique blends of spices (e.g. cumins and paprika). The beef empanada at Saffron lacked the depth of spices compared to the renditions I had before, but the coarsely ground beef and pepper were still flavorful with a kick to drive your appetite. Even though the shell was somewhat ordinary (and probably didn’t have lard as it should be), the empanada was still much easier to finish than the lamb pie.
As a bakery I would expect Saffron to have better pastries but both of the items were just passable, enough if you are in serious craves for English or South American food but hardly qualified as artisan gourmets. Perhaps their strength lies in sweet pastries? It would be unfair to beat them to death with just two items, and with the sincere and friendly service, I will be back to try out other items like their salads, quiches, frittata, and cupcakes.
評分: 味道 3 環境 3 服務 4 衛生 3 抵食 3
2個
共有2 人投票
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FoodieGoodie
共54篇食評
Beautiful Saffron
Chicken Pie (1)
Chicken Pie (2)
Cream Cheese Brownie
如果吾係為怕肥同健康著想...quiches, sausage rolls, brownies, pies哩類美式食物…對我o黎講, 真係好似食極吾厭咁架…!!!
哈哈!!!...今日放工就聽到Saffron對我呼喚咁…不其然雙腳吾聽駛就走左入去…揀揀揀…
揀左一件lamb pie ($35), chicken & mushroom pie ($35)同埋一個cream cheese brownie ($15)…
好鍾意食羊, 亦冇所謂怕羶…最好帶點添,哈!...有時會吾明白有D人食羊時會讚好係因為冇羶味?!...所以”羊肉批”播, 當然吾放過!!...批皮夠薄夠鬆化,有麥香, 餡料足加有少許pepper!!...”雞批”則用雞胸肉同鮮菇菌…同樣份量十足但就較”羊肉批”乾身…兩個批都係淡口做法…灑適度o既盬先可帶出真味!!
至於brownie層cream cheese好甜…都係愛o黎配黑咖啡,冇問題!...但朱加力味吾濃而且佢係較硬同乾身製法, 我自己就鍾意濕潤軟身少少果D…
評分: 味道 3 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 4 抵食 3
2個
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共60篇食評
Was i in a foreign country??
去到就有一個外國人係到食緊salad
而我, 就點了Caramel Brownie而已
個 brownie都幾實, 幾乾身, 但caramel味充斥成件brownie, 很好
不過highlight其實係面層的caramel sauce, 愛極了
半個小時裡, 進去此店的都是foreigner, 無人講中文的, 覺得自己去了外國吧
而已全部都是女士來的, 佢地都是來吃salad / sandwich的
其中一些人應該係第一次來這間shop的, 因為聽到帶佢地黎的人話呢間既salad and sandwich係very good
咁我其實下次都應該要試試salad and sandwich了
喜愛這店decoration的色, 令我諗起Australia Central (Uluru, Alice Springs)的顏色. C'est super!! 亦喜愛除了放左Pie, Salad, Sandwich, Cake 外, 全店仲放左好多snack呢~~~
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 3 衛生 3 抵食 3
0個
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辣子
共704篇食評
Saffron 之前傳
只開一至五
好多糖果呀
火雞批
Salad
都是午飯時間來, 在四周滿座的食肆群中, 獨這家散發著悠然的氣質。一進店內, 迎面是溫暖的橙色牆壁和藤椅, 空氣中瀰漫著麵包香和輕鬆的音樂, 看著外面人潮湧湧, 有點身處世外桃源的感覺。
點了 Turkey Pie ($35) 和 Brownie with Caramel Sauce ($15)。雖然火雞批價錢比較貴, 但也相當大個, 吃完個批都已大半飽了。酥皮批內的是蘿蔔、洋蔥、薯仔等蔬菜, 還有鞋鞋的火雞肉, 我想是慣吃感恩節火雞的美國佬才懂得欣賞。批內有很多杰杰的醬汁, 但也彌補不了批皮的乾。甜甜的朱古力 Brownie 偏硬身, 上面黏稠的焦糖醬令其更添甜膩, 簡直是甜魔必修課; 而我就要急急來杯黑咖啡中和一下。
受過教訓, 之後來就吃沙律好了。要飽肚的有以豆類為主的沙律, 如小辣有嚼頭的 Lentil (扁豆) & Quinoa (藜麥)Salad with Carrot & Ginger-Curry Vinaigrette, 清新的選擇則有 Watercress & Cucumber Salad with Feta 和 Roasted Vegetables。沙律還可以自由配搭, 貪心的人可多試幾款了。
其實 Saffron 最吸引的地方是她色彩繽紛的 cupcakes 和來自美國的地道糖果, 其中我最喜歡是 Resse's 的花生醬朱古力啊。
賓籍服務員笑容滿面, 我在店內也是任影唔嬲, 可能是顧客不多吧, 奇怪赤柱本店就不准人影相。
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 4 衛生 3 抵食 3
0個
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辣子
共704篇食評
Breakfast Challenge (5)
So I settled in one of the sofa seats and started to enjoy my breakfast, while leisurely surfing the web on Wifi, thanks to some of the signals transmitted from Taikoo Place in its proximity. I know, even though the Flapjack was made of rolled oats (it's how Americans call muesli bars), it was actually quite sweet and fatty if you know how to make it...never mind. It was chewy yet crunchy, and a few raisins added to some extra flavor too. The latte was fine but was far from being exceptional.
Then my eyes were set on the salad section. There was something I found very interesting: tabbouleh? Anyway being adventurous gastronomically, I bought a small bowl of this Tabbouleh Salad with Lemon Mint Dressing ($38) home for lunch.
So what's tabbouleh anyway? I searched Wikipedia and found this: "Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة; also Tabouleh or Tabouli) is a Middle Eastern Arabic salad dish, often used as part of a mezze." It is made of bulgur (a cereal made from some kind of wheat), and this salad also contained bell peppers, spring onions among other things and spices.Think of a middle eastern version of cold fried rice, great for the summer heat. A pretty exotic twist for me, huh.
I'd say the food here is okay, I came mainly for the laid back ambience. The staff (usually there's only one) was neither too friendly nor enthusiastic, perhaps because I'm a local? --> Anyway she acutally spoke Cantonese to me but I replied back in English, and she changed to a local radio channel for me while I was there.
Looks like this is more like a place for lounging out, but what a pity it's not open on Sundays where a relaxing morning is preferred.
評分: 味道 4 環境 4 服務 3 衛生 4 抵食 3
0個
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FoodieWil
共247篇食評
Does it live up to being "Saffron", literally?
A savoury whiff of toasty bread reached my senses the moment I entered. I examined the bakery a few times, with the L-shaped counter dividing the kitchen and the dining area, selections of baked goods are superb. You have the famous bar cookies, their specialties being rapsberry oatmeal bar ($15), the flapjack ($15) and Rice Krispies Bar ($15). Chocolate Brownies take on variations when they are sold plain, with cream cheese frosting (overly sweet and not very dairy), and with caramel sauce (rich caramel and buttery taste), all sold for $15. Pecan Bars ($15) are too sweet and fillings are so thin (amount of it) and so thick (consistency) at the same time. Pecans are toasty but shortbread base lacks the necessary buttery taste.
Cookies are also $15 each. Quality is across the board and frequently varies. Pecan shortbread is chocoate dipped and tasted nutty and appropriately sweet. Snickerdoodles are cloyingly sweet while Molasses cookies did not demonstrate the necessary caramel sweetness of molasses itself. Chocolate chip cookies disappoint with a gigantic cookie with countable pieces of chocolates. The cookie seems thinner than homebaked ones and was not inducing my thoughts for seconds. The oatmeal chocolate chip is not very chocolatey and failing as an oatmeal cookie as well, as the oatmeal itself tasted bland. On the contrary oatmeal raisin cookie is wonderful with plump raisins and just the balance of sugar in it.
Breads and cakes are often popular here in Saffron, so are the salads at the Deli Section. Bread loaves sold out quickly but they keep coming out of the oven freshly baked throughout the day. Other treats include cupcakes, muffins and assorted selections of candies from North America. Coffee stands out as the prime selection for any beverage at all.
You can certainly skip the quiches (savoury tarts) because the portobello mushrooms tend to be dried out while zucchini slices or cherry tomatoes didn't seem all that moist either. The crust is soggy and the quiche lorraine's custard is very eggy, in fact so much that you thought you're only eating egg yolks. Be sure to visit Saffron during lunch for their sandwich/ salad combo, even though I'd stay away from lentils salad if I can.
Saffron has the peachy decor that offers you a comforting environment to enjoy your teatime, or afternoon snack, but does it offer baked goods of luxury, in a way that makes you almost feeling guilty after a bite? Not a chance. Quality varies and be sure to tell the staff to replace a new one for you if your piece of brownies is flavorless and tougher than dry cardboard.
Saffron is satisfactory, but not in its prime as we expected it should be.
評分: 味道 3 環境 4 服務 3 衛生 4 抵食 2
0個
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共7篇食評
平凡中既不平凡
店內地方細小，座位約十個，可避免人多擠迫，我坐低朋友出去揀食物。食物只有英文名，多以gram計，近門口既麵包櫥則無名無價錢，你主動問店員，佢地會樂意為你解答。朋友應我要求，買左個薑餅人俾我，個樣相當討好，興幸唔駛等到聖誕節都可以食到薑餅人。
由於唔係我點菜，所以唔知叫咩名，有個似忌廉雞湯，好香味道濃郁；另外有薯仔批，面頭有D外國菇，但嫌個批硬；主菜唔知點叫，有D豆有D洋蔥有D飯咁既有少少似沙津，比較外國口味；仲有兩樽Snapple，我諗我地都係六七成飽。價錢一般，唔係平價野，埋單約百幾蚊，多謝朋友請食飯。
整體感覺幾好，環境同食物好有Homemade feel，好親切。唯與店員溝通要講英文，佢地D食物名都幾難讀。我下次會試下夜晚來，睇睇會唔會有驚喜。
0個
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quayteow
共737篇食評
浪跡街頭
Cranberry Scone 有很重的植物油和麥粉，涼涼淡淡的，全靠那一匙蔓越莓果占畫龍點睛。喝的Orange Pekoe，當然是茶包貨色-- 有機茶包貨色。
教人scream out loud 的，還是遠道而來的各款candies。
一餅一壺一坐，盛惠三十有找，尚算超值。
評分: 味道 3 環境 4 服務 3 衛生 4 抵食 3
0個
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moprettymo
共386篇食評
蛇一蛇, 八一八
放棄各大名牌, 胡亂撞入這家店。有很多muffins, 麵包, 件件都好吸引! 仲有拖肥糖等只有鬼仔至接受到的勁甜食物賣, 入到去都幾開心的。
一人要了一杯tall latte, 三十大洋就有很大的一杯, 大量泡沫在面頭, 很好吃; 咖啡本身啡味不重, 滑就幾夠滑, 個人認為比其他咖啡大牌子好喝。
$40/件的美式芝士餅, 不是切定的, 很罕見的不修邊幅, 不等腰地切下的餅, 為芝士蛋糕本身加添幾份raw味。味道很american, 極濃極漏, 頭幾口略嫌死實, 可是愈吃卻愈好吃! 四十元的份量是多的, 可能見我倆只叫一件的關係罷~
坐是不夠舒適, 背景音樂略吵耳, 可是沒撞口撞面的人, 有大品牌所欠缺的人情味, 這小店是可以一試的。
評分: 味道 4 環境 3 服務 3 衛生 3 抵食 3
0個
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阿丸
共1250篇食評
甜食
廚囪的包點,樣樣都無名無價錢,揀左兩樣最想試的,貌似marble磚的白朱古力味東西,好甜。
仲有一件chocolate chips cookie,軟軟的,落有很多唔算甜的朱古力粒,勁正!
我諗廚囪的東西都是@$10啊!
評分: 味道 4 環境 3 服務 3 衛生 3 抵食 1
0個
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共10篇食評
其實係好耐之前ge事lah
外國人(美國?)開ge店, 佢ge cake都係簡單唔係個樣勁靚果種, 好home made feel, 佢重有d外國零食賣ga
買左cinnamon roll & 1 slice orange pound cake, cinnamon roll好重味但頗為甜漏, 但係我都接受到..
無記錯ge話唔係樣樣野都有寫名同價錢, 要自己問..有善ge店員會樂意幫你
評分: 味道 4 環境 3 服務 4 衛生 3 抵食 3
0個
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