Located in Chinatown, Zaffron is a decent place to get Indian food with mediocre service. Ray and I came here to get lunch. When we walked in there were two other tables already eating and no wait staff to be found. We decided it would be appropriate to go ahead and seat ourselves. I would of grabbed menus, but they were no where to be found. It took a while for the waiter to come out and when he did it took a while for him to notice us, as he was a one man team. Finally I got up to ask for some menus and to let our presence to known. He said there were no menus, just buffet for lunch. Well that fucking blows. I’m not a fan of buffets for many reasons. Buffets tend to keep food warm. That’s not good enough for me. Temperature is a huge issue for me. I prefer my food piping hot and made just for me because I love to share food, but with those I know. Anyway, needless to say, I wanted to leave but Ray, I know he wanted to stay.

Here’s a picture of the buffet. It’s small, yet very charming and does the job.

Here’s a closer picture from the opposite angle. There were two rice dishes and two meat dishes, other than that everything else was vegetable. I liked the trio of sauces that were offered. I love variety of sauces and condiments.

Naan was extra, which I hate paying extra for bread at a buffet. If anything it should be given for free, especially at a buffet, it’s bread for peaks sake, flour, water, and not a lot of money to make. But I do want to say that it was hot and delicious. If you haven’t had a chance to taste Indian bread your really missing out. This place does it right, there’s a few places that fuck it up, like Indian Bazaar Madras Curry and Indian Food Curry and BBQ. In my opinion, Indian bread should always be hot, that’s what I’m use to and that’s what I expect, especially if you have to pay for it. I think the bread cost around $4.00.

Here’s my trio of sauces. I could eat them as is, they were that good. Ray hated it.

Ray’s plate. He loves chicken and got plenty of it.

And here’s my plate. That little meat ball in the middle tasted just like an Italian meat ball. It was still really good, just not what I expected from an Indian place.

Overall, I was content with this place. I know I would of been happier if I had been able to order off the menu. I don’t think I would come back for lunch, but most definitely for dinner. Off the top of my head, I think the buffet cost $8.95, include the bread, Rays drink, tax and tip, this place isn’t so cheap anymore. If I’m paying $30.00 for just lunch I want to be fulfilled.

Ready for another quick story? Before we leave I get up to take pictures of the buffet. The Indian guy comes out of the kitchen wondering why the hell I’m taking a picture of his buffet. I tell him that it’s my first time to eat Indian food, which is a total lie, and seemed to be a good reason for taking pictures. He runs behind the counter comes back with this laminated paper, tells me they won a few awards, I don’t know if this was meant to be the award or not and shows me the laminated paper. I go, “wow, that’s great, may I take this.” He goes, “no.” “Then I will take a picture,” I say, held it up and snapped my camera. Before we left I asked him to hold up the paper and pose for me.

There you have it folks. Curry will keep your mind sharp.

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Zaffron
69 North King Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 533-6635

Every time we have plans to try this place another restaurant intercepts us in on the way. Well today we were determine with a one track mind and tunnel vision we finally made it for lunch.

The restaurant is quite large once inside.

This was our first pick. I have to say I’m not a huge fan of fried dim sum, only because by the time it rolls out to our table from the kitchen it’s not as hot and fresh. I’m sure we all can agree fried food taste best right out of the deep fryer when it’s hot and crispy. These fried shrimp won tons were crispy but they were room temperature, like they had been sitting out for hours.

I was quite certain that my taste buds would be a huge fan of these seafood balls rolled in sticky rice, but I was wrong. Wow, it just had a huge seafood taste that was so overpowering I could only eat the outer layer of rice on one of them. I don’t know what seafood is used but just think of seafood bologna rolled in sticky mochi rice. But maybe that was just me, cause Ray really liked these.

Pork hash is a must at dim sum. It’s just a safe plate as it is always delightfully fresh and appetizing.

Here’s another dish that’s new to me. Mochi balls stuffed with meat n’ stuff. Just so you all know, I’m not really a mochi fan. I do enjoy it but in small amounts. Biting into one of these was a little overwhelming for me because there was so much chewy mochi that it made it hard to swallow and when I finally did, it seemed like it wanted to come back up. However, once I made my way to the center I found the stuff inside to be surprising delectable.

Steamed pork buns, yet another classic dim sum pick. These were hot and tasted fresh not to mention very filling even after just one.

This time I saved the best for last. If you have not had these pineapple buns you must stop what your doing right now and get some. The sweet flaky top, and hot creamy egg custard filling puts you in a state of shear bliss. Do not get these things at a bakery, it’s never the same, only at a restaurant. Better yet, get them here they were amazing.

The whole bill came out to around $15.00. That’s why I love dim sum so much, it’s fun, delicious (most of the time), filling and always so cheap.

Here are some other reviews on Good Luck Chinese Restaurant that I found. Enjoy!

‘Ono Kine Grindz

Yelp

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100 N Beretania St #101
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 524-9988

Grocery shopping in Hawaii is heartbreaking. You see, growing up as a child my sister and I would wake up early in the mornings with our mother just to go grocery shopping. I know it’s weird, but it was like quality time for us with our coupons in hand. We would memorize the prices of each item and compare it to other grocery stores. To this day, I have a habit of memorizing prices on produce because of my mother and I thank her for it. Cartons of strawberries here can easily go for $6.00 on this island. That’s why when I saw in the streets of Chinatown for the special rate of $1.00, I had to buy at least two baskets and write about my new find.

I went home to make a strawberry spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing but my spinach at home went bad so I ate them as is. Delicious!

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(Around) N King St & Kekaulike St
Honolulu HI 96817