Safran

I went to Safran for a friends birthday dinner awhile back and this place is really awesome. The décor is really nice, feels like you are at home and really relaxing.
The food here is absolutely delicious. The portions are huge, the presentation is beautiful, served on such pretty plates. They have some unique desserts and drinks definitely give them a try.

Interestingly enough, Safran is no longer. It’s now under new management. I’m going to call that food karma!

I’m convinced that Safran — now Jasmine after a mysterious change of name — is one of the most underrated restaurants in downtown Manhattan. I really like this place, dammit.
Here’s what it’s NOT good for: lunch specials and anything Chinese. It’s all bastardized Chinese food and nothing that I would pay money to eat at a restaurant given that I can bastardize my own Chinese food at home.
Here is what Jasmine is good for: most things Vietnamese or of Vietnamese derivation.
— The banh cuon is really nicely filled with chicken, shrimp and lovely, slightly crunchy wood ear mushrooms. Its rice wrapper is a little bit thicker and less tender than what you’d find at a good roadside vendor in Hanoi, but what the heck. This is NYC and to me, the tradeoff is worth it for proximity to home and air conditioning.
— Sandwiches — which, for the record, do not claim to be banh mi – are quite good. The bread is just a regular Italian-​ish mini-​loaf coated with sesame seeds, not the tender rice and wheat flour banh mi bread I so adore. But it’s fresh and filled with deliciously marinated, moist grilled chicken or pork chop and do chua (pickled vegetables).
— Grilled chicken served with salad and scallion pancakes is also moist and flavorful, while scallion pancakes are deliciously crispy and deep fried — wholly ruining any pretense this salad had at being healthy, but doing so, so deliciously you won’t care too much.
— Phở bo is actually more than halfway decent and I consider myself to be pretty picky on this front. Meat is very thinly sliced and very tender, though the broth is heavier on the five-​spice than I personally like. Purists take note that there is no culantro served with the phở and it comes with a wedge of lemon, not lime.
— The do chua (pickled veggies) that come with most Vietnamese dishes are nicely made. Vegetables and herbs served at the restaurant are also very fresh and of high quality, generally. Many Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S. overlook these little details; I appreciate that Jasmine does it right.
For many moons, I avoided this restaurant like the plague after a bad experience with a lunch special. I don’t remember exactly what I ordered, but it was supposedly Chinese and quite certainly terrible. Fortuitously, we ducked in, again, while passing by during a rainstorm, and after a few drinks, became hungry, inebriated and reckless enough to try the food one more time. Thank goodness. For the delicious dishes, which are many, I forgive this restaurant for the bad ones. It’s true that the menu is a bit discombobulated, but if you focus on its strengths (read: the Vietnamese /​Vietnamese fusion dishes), there’s a good chance you’ll eat well.

Safran has closed and an Asian Fusion restuarant called «Jasmine» has opened there. Watch this site for a review as early as tomorrow.

Great deal for the money during RW. Big size portions and happy hour from 4 til closing. The exotic bomb was an experience– white chocolate shell and shorbet center.
Only con was that they had some weird music, some Spanish techno /​rap.

What be you, sir or madam? Latin? Vietnamese? Italian? French? In a similar vein as Jeff C. (minus the Obama reference), I don’t really get you. Maybe it’s not you, it’s me, I dunno. Regardless, you had me at your «exatic» offerings, gargantuan portions, & cheap drafts (Happy «Hour» is from 4-​close Su-​W).
I don’t even know where to begin. No OpenTable points + really aloof hostesses and wait staff (communication/​checking back/​etc) + some intermittent but often very negative Unilocal history = cause for initial concern. Had this place in my back pocket for quite a while and finally got to try it out, as it was the bad-​weather backup & RW (RM) was winding down; option #1 had been foiled by weather and their own dropping-​of-​the-​ball.
Call me cheap, call me simple, call me old-​fashioned, but boatloads of delicious food for $ 35 can make you forget some of the downsides of being seated right next to Little Miss Winnie the Pooh and her half-​asleep, inattentive mom (even though the place was EMPTY, we were treated to a front-​row view of a delightful baton show). The food left me reeling in a culinary coma for 14 hours or so; luckily for them, this was the lasting impact and not the inherent juxtaposition of the joint itself.
Docking them 2 stars simply since I felt an identity crisis coming on myself. Primarily, I couldn’t get over the Spanish hip-​hop infused with Latin house music, all piped in at boisterous volumes. Confusing disconnect between music & food much like the one that exists at Japonais, minus the latter’s superhero revolving door and more upscale clientele. Orange you glad I didn’t mention the music again?

Like Obama, I think this place has an identity crisis. Are you Viet? Are you French? WTF are you? Bruschetta platter and Banh Mi on the same menu? Err.ok. Al fresco option is nice. Too bad the food is just okay. If I want fusion, I’ll go to Basta Pasta next time TYVM. Like Obama, nothing memorable.
Ordered:
L6. Basil Chicken Saté ($ 6.95) [sautéed sliced chicken, eggplant, black bean sauce] — your standard fare, typical asian food, could pass for Chinese
Total came out to $ 9 after everything

I came here for lunch once and I fell in love with the food and the atmosphere. That I decided to do my birthday dinner here with friends. This place was just really cute! I don’t know what is it with me, but I realize I like to go to dimmed places for food. So yea it was hard to take pictures with such dimmed lighting. The flash causes the pictures to be too washed out and if you put it on night mode or candle mode — all you get is blur.
Any way, the food here was pretty good. The desserts are really cute and different. I like the Exotic Bomba. It comes out like an Easter egg and I wanted to take a picture of it, but omg the very fast waiter whipped out a knife and sliced it in front of my eyes. And I missed my opportunity to take a picture of it before it was slaughtered (okay maybe slaughtered is too harsh of a word, but still). I would definitely come back here for food, especially for the desserts. Plus, I find this would be a cute place to go for on a dinner date =)

A friend and I ate here after an unsuccessful shopping adventure. Honestly, the food was quite good, our server was attentive but not pushy (except for when she asked SEVERAL times if we were SURE we wouldn’t like our food wrapped to go; bottom line: we accidentally over ordered, couldn’t finish our meal, but there was no way it was going to keep well for the next day), and we had two-​for-​one drinks.
I can’t really place it, but something was just not right with this place – I almost felt that it had an identity crisis. For example, the dining room appeared to wish it was relatively high-​end, with white linen tablecloths and nice stemware, silverware and appetizer plates set at each place, but the menu was cheaply produced, the bartender was sub-​par, and the furniture in the outdoor area seemed like an afterthought.
My biggest complaint is that my friend and I ordered a vegetarian bun, which was not a bun at all. It was a dish of vegetables on top of vermicelli. Again, all of the food tasted fine (minus the terribly creamy dressing on our prawn and grapefruit salad – bad call there), but the experience was just. not. great. In a city like ours, there’s no reason to waste one’s time at places that are only meh.

Safran makes everything look beautiful. First, the room is oddly nice, which is surprising given that they’ve done so little to it. Despite the almost-​too-​loud Michael Jackson music (which was bad until «Man in the Mirror,» which is so good I found myself singing along) the place just has a nice vibe to it, especially in the (late) summer with the outside seating. I had the «special Vietnamese pancake» which was an oversized crêpe stuffed with shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and mint. While the dish is supposed to be broken up and wrapped in lettuce, there wasn’t exactly enough lettuce to cover this massive crêpe. Nonetheless, the crêpe was delicious, even unwrapped. My partner had the «oriental beauty» (terrible name!) and really enjoyed it. While nothing mind-​blowingly spectacular, we enjoyed Safran– for $ 30, it was a solid, affordable dinner, served in a pretty, tranquil setting.

Ate here during the extended restaurant week. Great plating, although my duck confit, which was served with a battered piece of seared fois gras, ended up looking considerably more monotone than everyone else’s colorful platter.
Our service was dismal. A pity, since the décor in this place is enough to make you feel like a queen – too bad the waiter seems to think you rank somewhere along the lines of the scullery maids. I mean, seriously, when he pours the wine you ordered for the table into everyone else’s glasses but yours, you know something is wack.

I live nearby and this has become a go to restaurant for me. Lunch specials are an affordable treat on the weekends. If the weather is nice, I like to sit at the outside tables. I also enjoy the inside dining room although it could use some sprucing up. The service has been friendly and efficient.
The food is excellent. Ginger-​honey chicken is a favorite.

I went to Safran with a friend during restaurant week for lunch. The place is really cute, its a shame that there weren’t that many people inside (maybe it gets busier during dinner?)
The service was OK, not spectacular. Our server was cute and friendly but gave some pretty vague descriptions of the menu when we asked questions.
My friend ordered from the restaurant week prixfixe but I got the «Oriental Beauty» entrée and spring rolls for the appetizer. The spring rolls were great, light and crispy. I was also pleasantly surprised that they weren’t filled with just cabbage and carrots, there at least 2 different kinds of mushrooms inside which made it richer and more flavourful. The Oriental Beauty was a vegetarian dish. It was pretty good, the array of vegetables worked really nicely together: lotus roots, ginko nuts, seaweeds, mushrooms, carrots, etc… It came with an impressive looking crispy noodle. The dish was alright, though it probably would have benefited from a bit of spices.
For dessert I had the «mango raspberry bomb» which was great! The best part of meal! It was a raspberry sorbet ball enclosed in more mango sorbet and dipped in white chocolate. It came with whipped cream and raspberry sauce. I was kind of surprised when the server came out with a STEAK KNIFE to crack open the bomb for me… but quartering the frozen masterpiece was definitely necessary. I recommend this dessert!
Over all, the pace gets 3 stars for effort. I think the food looks more beautiful than it is, and that can also be said about the dining experience. The gorgeous space makes you think the service will be fabulous but it seemed as though only three people were on staff (as we first confused our server as a hostess).

went here w/​the fam and it was an OK place. food and ambiance were both good and the service was friendly. we all opted out of apps since the my brother had said that the entrees were huge and he was right. my mom decided to go prix fixe and was the only one to get apps but we all shared. we got the safran rolls which had shrimp and crabmeat in them. pretty good.
for entrees, my mom and brother both got the mekong shrimp and from the bites that i got, this was pretty good. wifey got chicken curry which was OK. i got the pan seared sole and this was a tasty dish for sure. the fish was cooked well and the accompanying tamarind chili sauce was nice. my dad got the grilled trout and this was pretty good too.
since my mom had gotten the prix fixe, she got dessert too and chose the chocolate molten cake. this was pretty good and had a nice rich gooey center.
i’d recommend safran to folks looking for some good vietnamese food but doesn’t want all the hype of asian fusion cuisine.

Went here and enjoyed the food. They had a good version of Xao Xa Ot, and the Chicken skewers in peanut sauce were also quite good. My gin and tonic tasted like it had a gin a couple of shelves below the one I ordered on it. Or the really acrid overpowering tonic water that a lot of cheap bars use to cover up that Mr. Boston stuff. Either way, for 10 dollars a drink, that’s going to cost you some points.
Also, they have a nice patio outside. Very nice, but don’t sit outside unless you want to hear every passing V and F train below you, rumbling across your dinner plate.
But that aside, where does this place lose the most points? when I was in the bathroom I saw a member of the kitchen staff use the bathroom and walk out without washing his hands. Now, said person was wearing a chef’s hat– so I don’t want to assume it was a chef, and part of me has faith that he washed his hands upstairs, but still. In front of a customer, wearing a chef’s hat and you don’t even play lip service to washing your hands? Not cool at all. sorry. alright spot, but I don’t think I will be going back.

Went here last February and again last night. 2 different dining experiences.
February (extended Winter Restaurant Week): Ordered the Safran Roll (shrimp, calamari, avocado in rice paper), the duck breast confit, and the exotic bomba (mixed fruit ice cream inside a white chocolate ball) for dessert. The meal was superb and everyone else in my group who ordered different entrees and appetizers all agreed with me.
Last night: Tried my friend’s appetizer (Cha Gio — shrimp, crabmeat, pork, some veggies, yummy sauce), had the boneless roasted duck (what can i say, i love duck mmmm), and the coppa gelato (pistachio gelato layered with chocolate gelato). It was good but not as good as the last time I dined there. The duck was a little chewy and my friend’s salmon was too salty. The appetizer was great though and I could do without the gelato. A new chef perhaps?
Still great. I would eat here again.

Lunch specials at Safran run from $ 6.95 to $ 9.95 and the food is pretty bangin’. The bigger bento boxes have so many compartments to choose from. Sweet honey glazed Vietnamese pork chop was grilled when I placed my order. The accompaniments in the box were two summer rolls, a little spring salad and a servicable pad thai. Yum and cheap. Nice serene spot for lunch and people have taken note.

I’ve been to Safran a few times, and even ordered take-​out. I used to like this place, but not anymore. Don’t get me wrong — some of their lunch box specials are good, like the lemongrass grilled pork chop. Hence — I’m giving them a two star rating, instead of one. This review will focus on their dishonesty and deceit.
I usually get lunch specials, but today I’m sick and I just wanted some chicken soup — which was listed under their «Soups» section in their menu. I’ve had their chicken soup before, and I really liked it. The only difference was that I ordered take out for the chicken soup last time. This time I dined inside.
I’m really pissed b/​c I got served a FRACTION amount of the same exact soup (and price) that I got as take-​out. I’m more pissed at the fact that the server did not even warn me. They really need to put that soup in the «Appetizer» part of the menu, NOT under «Soups»! How misleading! I even asked him what the difference was between the chicken noodle soup and the lunch special «big bowl» soup. (Now I know why they call it «big bowl».) He said the only difference was the type of noodles and type of chicken. He said NOTHING about the size. Not even kidding, but my chicken noodle soup was the same size as one of those miso appetizer soups you get at a restaurant.
Anyway, I called the server back when I was surprised to find a tiny soup bowl, and told him that the serving size was much more than double when I ordered out the same exact soup. He agreed and confirmed that, but he wouldn’t even be able to give me more servings — he said if he did, he would charge me another $ 6! What an azz! I didn’t even want to argue any longer, b/​c I wasn’t feeling well to begin with. Honestly, it costs them close to nothing to add a few more noodles, chicken broth, and few more shredded pieces of chicken.
I left the restaurant COMPLETELY HUNGRY, and ended up going to get a $ 1 slice of pizza, since I spent $ 8 (including tax and tip) on the miniature soup.
Too bad I didn’t take a picture of the tiny poor soup and share it here on Unilocal

When it comes to «Nouvelle» Vietnamese cuisine, Safran doesn’t completely master it. Although the ambiance is chic and sophisticated, the food and service is just average. However, if you’re thinking of going to a chill bar to have a couple of cocktails, and are in the area, it’s a great choice. Try the Asian Persuasion, even if you aren’t under the Asian Persuation ;)
I love lemongrass chicken, so I decided to get it for my entrée. At $ 14, the portion was huge, but the chicken was grilled and in a thick basil-​ginger sauce, which really had no hint of lemongrass. My friend had the boneless duck breast, which was good, but again didn’t really have authentic flavors.
For dessert, we had the Exotic Bomba, (passion fruit, mango, pineapple sorbets inside a egg-​shaped white chocolate shell) which was a refreshing end to our meal.
One thing that I noticed about a lot of restaurants in the area, including Safran, is that many have a downstairs private dining area, which is really nice for parties, perfect for UYEs and Elite Events too!

The food at Safran is really great. If I were just giving stars based on that, it would get 5. But the service was really, really weird and left me unhappy with my overall experience.
I stopped by Safran because I was really hungry, wandering the neighborhood, and wanted dumplings. They don’t have dumplings. That’s okay, though, because they had awesome fried tofu which I love. Anyway, I was quite happy with the place at first, esp. after my tofu came. The waitress seemed very nice and the décor is lovely and there was soft music playing.
Then my entrée came. I ordered the cold noodle sampler, which was a huge bowl of noodles surrounded by 10 small bowls with different things in them — sauce, crispy tofu, chicken, shrimp, etc. I was very excited until the waitress insisted on «preparing» my dish for me. She wanted to dump ALL the little bowls into my noodles even though I said that I would do them individually. She said it tasted best if all went in…
Now, I am not a timid person. But I was in complete shock at having this waitress tell me how to eat my food. So she put in all the stuff but I stopped her from putting in the sauce. I said I’d try it without sauce and then put some in if I wanted. She then walked away.
I sat happily eating my noodles (which were great even with all the stuff mixed in there) for about 5 minutes. Then I look up and this elderly Asian woman was standing by my table and the waitress was standing behind her with a weird look on her face. Then the elderly woman said something like, «How are you? It’s good?» but before I could answer she launched into «Oh, you have not put the sauce in! You must put sauce in because it’s dry without the sauce!!»
Before I knew it, she was dumping all of the sauce in and mixing up my noodles. And still going on about «It bland without the sauce, now it will taste better!!»
Again with the shock. I just could not believe that this old woman was dictating to me how to eat her food. I mean, if they insist on you eating it with all the stuff in and the sauce, they should serve it to you that way! Also, I have a feeling that the waitress went and informed her of my great crime of not wanting to have the sauce on the noodles. Which would explain why she was standing there looking odd.
So she went away and I finished my noodles in peace, but I was annoyed. Not that the noodles were bad with the sauce, I just like to control the level of sauce in my stuff. And also, being bullied by restaurant people!
Sad thing is, I loved the food so much I almost want to go back. On the other hand, I don’t want to give business to a place that has such annoying waitstaff/​management.