Zaffron Kitchen Star Vista – North Indian Restaurant at Buona Vista

Zaffron Kitchen Star Vista is the restaurant we decided to go to take a break from Chinese food. It is a popular restaurant at lunchtime when nearby office workers descend on this small shopping mall next to Buona Vista MRT station as there are many food choices there. One restaurant we note that is consistently full at lunchtime is Zaffron. This time we were there early and avoided the peak hour crowd.

North Indian Restaurant at Star Vista

On its website, Zaffron Kitchen is described as “… a multi-award winning North Indian restaurant. Marrying cosmopolitan modern settings with the best of North Indian cuisine…” It has 3 outlets in Singapore : East Coast Road, Star Vista, and Great World. They used to have a branch in Westgate but that has closed, leaving the Star Vista outlet to serve the West Coast residents.

Star Vista is a futuristic looking mall which has public areas that are mostly not air-conditioned. Zaffron Kitchen Star Vista is located on level 2, the highest level of shops at this mall. Most of the tables are in an air-conditioned space (picture below) but there is a small naturally ventilated area at the entrance.

Zaffron Kitchen Star Vista Menu

There is a wide selection of North Indian food on the Zaffron Kitchen Star Vista Menu. Here are pictures of some pages. Set meals are available at lunchtime on weekdays and all day on weekends (except holidays). These are useful to have for solo dining. On this visit, we did not try the set meals as we knew exactly what we wanted – Chicken Biryani ($18.90) and Chicken Chettinad curry ($18.50).

Curry and Briyani Lunch at Star Vista

We think that the Zaffron chicken biryani is probably the best dish at this restaurant. First, the presentation is attractive. It arrives covered with a layer of crusty dough. When this ‘cover’ is broken open, the aroma of the biryani is released with a whiff of steam. This drama can only be enjoyed at the restaurant. The takeaway version does not have the dough cover.

Inside, the biryani rice is perfectly cooked, each grain of rice nicely fluffed and dry. The nuggets of chicken buried within is moist and tender. The amount of chicken is not high but there is enough rice to be shared by two persons. Which is why we also ordered an additional curry.

The Chicken Chettinad is described in the menu as “Spicy and fiery, this scrumptious chicken curry is made from carefully blended spices for aromatic and flavourful experience”. This curry works as an additional booster to the mild spiciness of the briyani. This curry will please those who want more ‘kick’ in their Indian food. Eaten with the generous amount of biryani rice, it was a good companion dish.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs

Zaffron Kitchen Star Vista
1 Vista Exchange Green, #02-04, The Star Vista, 138617

Open: Mon – Fri 11.30 am – 9.00 pm (closed 3pm-5pm)
Sat-Sun/PH  9.30 am – 9.30 pm (closed 4 – 5pm) 

Website