Review: Safron (Ikeja)
Safron Restaurant
57 Joel Ogunnaike Street, Ikeja GRA | Instagram | 0817 296 9360
Saffron Rooftop had been on my mind for a while. Rooftop restaurants on the mainland are a bit more of a rarity, a bejeweled prize, compared to those on the island, so this was a fairly big deal for me. I made a reservation for two on their website the day before, so I was all set to go. Although reservations aren't mandatory, I wasn't taking any chances, especially since it was a Saturday night.
Ed note: We were ready to tease Oyinda to infinity at “for two”, based on say love is in the air, but turns out this was an innocent girls’ night out 😏
Saffron Rooftop is located on the top floor of The Saffron Hotel. To my surprise, the space was smaller than I had imagined, or perhaps it was just the crowd that made it seem that way. Nonetheless, I was grateful that I had made a reservation in advance. The atmosphere was more of a party vibe, rather than the sophisticated energy I was expecting, but it was not a problem. On the other hand, the space was as pretty as I had imagined it to be.
Once we were seated, it took quite a while for us to be attended to. The waiter did not even bring us a menu. When we finally received a physical menu from the waiter, it only had drinks listed, and I was puzzled by the situation. Did they not serve food? There was a buffet set up in one corner, but I had thought that Saffron Rooftop served a la carte meals, based on the menu I saw on their Instagram. To make a long story short, it turned out that the a la carte menu was only available at the restaurant on the ground floor. The buffet cost 15,000 per person, but the options were not very appealing, so we decided to go to the restaurant instead.
The restaurant was in an open space just a stone's throw from the lobby and thankfully 😮💨, it had a more sophisticated ambiance, mostly due to the piano being played in the background – a touch of sophistication. Although it was a little crowded with two small parties, it was not as overwhelming as the rooftop restaurant.
Golden Chicken Wings
We were attended to promptly, which showed that the servers in this restaurant had customer service down pat, compared to those at the rooftop restaurant. I ordered the Golden Chicken Wings to share as a starter, Cordon Bleu as my main dish, and a Saffron Strawpple mocktail. My guest ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri and a Shish Tawook sandwich, which excited me because it reminded me of Dubai, but unfortunately, the waiter returned to tell us it was not available. She then settled for a chicken club sandwich with a side of fries.
For my Cordon Bleu, I asked for a side of mashed potatoes, but again, that was not available, which was strange because potato wedges and fries were available. Are they not the same potato? This made me question whether they were using store-bought frozen fries and wedges, but I could be mistaken.
P.S. they also serve the cocktail versions of our drinks, but we just felt like giving it a rest on alcohol that night.
The waiter asked if we wanted our drinks immediately, a question that I always appreciate because it ensures that you don't finish your drinks before the food arrives. But we asked for our drinks to come with the meal.
Safron Strawpple
Strawberry Daiquiri
It took nearly 40 minutes for the wings to be served, which is an unnecessarily long time for deep-fried chicken, in my opinion. The worst part? They were not fully cooked. I mean, we weren't eating raw chicken, but the flesh inside was still slightly pink, especially for the larger wings. They were also a bit dry, so we had to ask for a dipping sauce, which the waiter brought without any additional charge. It went down a lot better with the sweet chilli sauce, but really, a sauce should be an added bonus, not something you need to make the food edible.
Note to restaurants in Lagos: If an item is listed as a starter or appetizer on your menu, it should not take more than 20 minutes to reach the customer. Please and thank you 🙏🏽.
Cordon Bleu
Thankfully, the wait time for the main courses was much more acceptable at Safron. They were served along with our drinks in less than 20 minutes. The Cordon Bleu was decent, but it did not provide the classic "melt in your mouth" experience. The cheese was not fully melted, which is crucial ⚠️⚠️, and as a result, it did not add enough moisture to the other ingredients. I felt that the chicken could have used a little more flavor. However, overall, it was still decent. The potato wedges that came with it were golden-brown, fried to perfection, and delicious.
Safron redeemed itself with the Safron Strawpple mocktail, which was both delicious and healthy-tasting. The combination of lemon juice, fresh strawberries, fresh pineapples, soda, and simple syrup was perfect, with the pineapples being the most prominent ingredient. I was also impressed with the generous portion size of the drink.
Chicken Club Sandwich
My guest's chicken club sandwich was decent, but the chicken could have been a bit softer. They seemed to have omitted the bacon, which is a staple in club sandwiches. My guest jokingly asked if they were afraid of fully toasting the bread 😂. However, I appreciated the addition of fried eggs, the fresh vegetables, and the perfectly fried side of fries. The virgin daiquiri was quite sweet, which wasn’t a bad thing for me, but could definitely be a bit of an overload for some people — so beware.
Unfortunately, there was no dessert on the menu.
(*pause for dramatic effect*)
However, when we asked the server, he informed us that they could offer us cake slices from the hotel bakery. We ended up with a marble cake that tasted great. The moral of the story is: If you ask, you shall receive
Poolside area at Safron
At some point, my guest and I were fed up with the cold, so we went to the outdoor poolside area, just beside the restaurant, despite being warned of potential mosquitoes. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any mosquitoes, and the warmth was greatly appreciated. Additionally, the view was stunning.
Chilling there was a great way to end the night.
By the way, I really appreciated the excellent customer service provided by our waiter, Kenneth, downstairs.
Also, it's worth noting that there was no extra VAT or service charge added, so the prices listed on the menu are all that you'll pay. 👍🏾
POSTSCRIPT
I’d want to go to Safron again, but maybe to try other things on the menu
verdict
DAMAGE
Golden Chicken Wings — N5500
Cordon Bleu — N9000
Chicken Club Sandwich — N6000
Safron Strawpple — N3500
Virgin Daiquiri — N3500
Marble Cake — N2500
PARKING
It’s a hotel so lots of parking space is available