I was excited to hear that Saffron Katara were doing “Something different” when they invited us to blog with celebrity Chef Vineet. Some of the others that were invited were lucky to get a buggy to Saffron from where they had parked; Unfortunately, I didn’t get that privilege but I can’t complain since the weather was pleasant with a slight cool breeze from the shore.

The lounge section was reserved for us to mingle, get to know the company and their owners along with an introduction to Chef Vineet. After the Zomatocon, it was nice to see familiar faces again the following week. The mocktails served had some interesting mixes, my fav being the lassi. Without much wait, the Saffron team started serving us different types of canapés.

The smoked chicken tikka that came first was absolutely delightful; it came with finely chopped black olives, which gave it a nice flavour coating. We got other interesting starters such as Paneer Barfi (cottage cheese squares) , Hyderabadi Tangy Prawns with Paneer. Personally, they were more appealing to my eyes then to my taste buds.

The highlight of the evening was the way they served and plated the poppadum (Padad). The poppadum was inserted between the bristles of a comb that was balanced by uncooked rice. Interesting isn’t it? I believe there is a very thin line between being creative and overdoing it, making it look eerie. There were different point of views on the table and some of the others found it interesting. As Chef Vineet said, “If it made you laugh, then its something you will remember and the experience will be unforgettable”.

We then stepped outside to a cozy open air area where they had set up a portable kitchen with screens for everyone to view. Chef Vineet and a volunteer taught all of us how to create a very special Shrimp Coconut Curry that he labeled as “Mumbai Food” (a fusion of Indian and some east Asian influences). The whole session was filled with wonderful cooking tips and witty jokes from Chef Vineet.

I believe everyone that evening learned something different that they didn’t already know. After we tasted the delicious prawn curry, we were served 3 small and interesting deserts. And to top that, we were pampered with their special coffee.

The Saffron team was extremely respectful and professional and I had the pleasure to meet and speak with both the General Manager and Chef Vineet who were both wonderful people to speak to. We didn’t leave empty handed; we all went home with a wonderful selection of Tchaba loose tea and a selection of chocolates in a funky cappuccino glass. Thank you Saffron for this wonderful experience blogging with Chef Vineet. We will be back to try the a la carte menu.

P.S. – (So lucky to get the buggy ride back :D)