{Yelp and Saffron Valley}

Food and Drink Me Restaurant Reviews Yelp Elite Squad

A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a Yelp Elite Squad Member, which I thought was pretty cool!  I have been using Yelp for quite some time, looking for new restaurants/hotels/services to try in my city and when I am traveling, as well as posting my own reviews of places I have visited.

Last week, I was invite to my first Yelp Elite Squad Event. I had the opportunity to try out a new East India Restaurant, Saffron Valley.

I've tried Indian Food before (basically curry and naan), but had never eaten at an Indian Restaurant, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say I was very impressed!

Saffron Valley is located in the Avenues area of Salt Lake City, in a location that used to house the Pagoda Restaurant. I took my friend Kristyn with me to sample Saffron Valley, since it was my first Yelp Event and I was a bit nervous!  When we arrived we were able to mingle with other "Yelpers" and grab a drink from the bar. The event was held in the lower "banquet room" of the restaurant. It was nice to be able to chat with everyone and get to know people before the food was served. 

 The menu that night consisted of two appetizers to sample, three Entrees, two side dishes and dessert.

We started with a Chicken Tikki Wrap and Dahi Puri. Both were delicious! The portion size of the wrap was very generous! It was a full meal portion, rather than an appetizer portion! The chicken was so tender, and once again I loved the taste of the added cilantro!

 I was also surprised by the light taste of the Dahi Puri. The dish had a light cilantro flavor and the chick peas and yogurt sauce were delicious!  For some reason, when the Dahi Puri came out, I thought it would be a hot dish!  Not at all!  It was like a cold soup.

Saffron Valley has a variety of Kebabs, and I was please with both the lamb and chicken! The chicken was very tender, as was the lamb.  So good!!  I didn't get to try the paneer, but I learned that  it is very easy to make! 

The Naan (leavened flatbread) was served warm and was delicious as well. I am not a huge fan of dessert (I know, I'm weird), but the portion of Gulab Jamun (similar to a donut hole soaked in sugare syrup) was perfect. Just a small portion, that was served warm! It is very sweet (to me), so the small portion was perfect.  For some reason I didn't get a photo of dessert.  My bad!

We also had a belly dancer and henna tattoo artist to entertain us, and a nice raffle of prizes as well. I will definitely be eating at Saffron Valley again in the very near future. If you like East Indian Cuisine, please give them a try!   You won't be disappointed!  They also have a location in South Jordan.

I'm excited to attend more Yelp Events in the future! It was a lot of fun, and I met some great people!

Do you Yelp?

Have you ever tried a restaurant based on a Yelp review?

I would love to heard your thoughts on Yelp!

Happy Monday!

Ali