Got to get over there has it gotten easier to get reservations
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At least in winter it was fairly easy to walk in around 9:00pm weekdays.
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team saffy’s.
I don’t need any of the mains at bavel.
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In general our preference is seafood and poultry. And vegetables!
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Fair opinion I think, but the prices at Saffy’s make it a one and done for me. I don’t see any reason to go back to fork over that kinda money for that food (that is very good).
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Anyone done the arabic breakfast set here? Considering trying this weekend.
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That Arabic breakfast looks appetizing, but I am not sure it’s worth $24 to me. I would not want to skip the bread in this case.
https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/saffys-coffee-and-tea
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saffy’s just keeps getting better and better. every time I come back I’m impressed with another new-to-me dish, this time there were several: scallops, chicken liver, iberico pork shishlik, and banana cake.
not only did this meal bat a thousand but it also went for the cycle.
@rlw power rankings forthcoming?
peruvian scallops - citrus amba, chili oil, toasted wheat, dill, cilantro, sea salt
scallops were on par and maybe even better than fishing with dynamite’s.
grilled lobster skewer - green harissa, serrano-lime yogurt, herbs
chopped chicken liver - challah, oyster mushrooms, date venegar, capers, brown butter, cardamom
the chicken liver on the challah is so good.
roasted carrots - harissa jam, meyer lemon labneh, crispy coriander & shallots, sumac, cilantro
wood-fire shawarma - lamb & beef, lettuce, tomato, sumac onions, tahini, red ajika, laffa
iberico pork shishlik - yogurt, dill, garlic, chili flake, mustard powder
lamb kebab - sweet & spicy peppers, onions, parsley, dry mint & marjoram
the iberico pork shishlik is a huge improvement to the ground pork kebab i had early on, juicy, tender and with bits of fat still attached. they now have an all-star starting line up of pork, chicken, lamb and beef skewers.
soft serve - pixie mandarin & vanilla swirl
banana cake with soft cheese frosting, baharat spiced pecan
the banana cake is my new favorite genevieve dessert, adding the pecans on top so that they’re still crisp and crunchy is brilliant.
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Dang I want that chopped liver!
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These carrots were really nice. I like that yogurt with a touch of citrus.
Chicken livers were well balanced and delicious. The challah? I think I rather have a mound of these livers with a sturdy and crispy chip.
Shawarma sandwich. It’s pretty good but when I went past the kebab and shish station to go to the restroom I think I regretted not getting the beef shish.
I am not much of a dessert guy but I remember liking Genevieve’s desserts at the other 2 places. The spiced nuts played perfectly with the cream and banana cake. If you love some banana nut muffins you will love this cake.
I love Art Deco buildings and Saffys is housed in one. Good energy with some oldies playing in the background. As with the other 2 places the service is always top notch. It’s a fun place.
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another excellent dinner. new grilled duck leg with dirty rice is another most order along with the scallops, chicken liver, lobster, chicken and ibérico pork shishlik, and banana cake.
review forthcoming @boourns @rlw @Bagel?
peruvian scallop crudo - citrus amba, chili oil, toasted wheat, dill, cilantro, sea salt
hummus ful - slow cooked fava beans, cumin, lemon, pickled serrano, soft egg, challah
hummus tahini - grilled onion, crispy shallots, chives, butter, paprika, challah
gem salad - feta, za’atar, shallots, anchovy-buttermilk dressing, olive oil
tabbouleh - bulgur, currants, pickled carrots, pine nuts, herbs, cumin, aged goat’s cheese, sage yogurt
roasted carrots - harissa jam, meyer lemon labneh, crispy coriander & shallots, sumac, cilantro
chopped chicken liver - challah, oyster mushrooms, date vinegar, capers, brown butter, cardamom
grilled lobster skewer - green harissa, serrano-lime yogurt, herbs
turmeric mussels - carrot, habanero, lime, coconut cream, scallions, toasted flatbread
pro tip, order a side of coconut rice to sop up all the sauce.
grilled duck leg confit - dirty rice, hawaij sauce, cardamom raita, herbs
wood-fire shawarma - lamb & beef, lettuce, tomato, sumac onions, tahini, red ajika, laffa
chicken shishlik - garlic, cumin, cinnamon, green fenugreek, sumac
ibérico pork shishlik - yogurt, dill, garlic, chili flake, mustard powder
beef shishlik yogurt, mint, garlic, pepper, marjoram, oregano
lamb kebab - sweet & spicy peppers, onions, parsley, dry mint & marjoram
banana cake with soft cheese frosting, baharat spiced pecan
so good we ordered it twice
vanilla & raspberry swirl
strawberry shortcake, vanilla whipped cream, gaviota strawberries, sonora biscuit
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The duck confit is amazeballs. The flavor profile is unexpected with duck and delicious. Even the shishitos had a unique preparation. The lobster 
is a favorite, but the portion is very small. Good improvements to the wine list. Banana cake had a nice pairing of Pineau des Charentes 
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Damn I’m here for all the savory but that strawberry 
shortcake looks insane!
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Scallop, chicken liver, duck, chicken skewer, banana bread were top of the heap for me. I didn’t really like the challah for the dips, the thick cut makes it hard to get a good dip to bread ratio. With the chicken liver though it was perfect.
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Power Rankings
- Banana Cake
- Chicken Shishlik
- Ibérico Pork Shishlik
- Shawarma
- Chicken Liver
- Duck Leg Confit
- Grilled Lobster Skewer
- Beef Shishlik
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Hummus Ful
- Peruvian Scallop Crudo
- Tumeric Mussels
- Roasted Carrots
- Tabbouleh
- Gem Salad
- Hummus Tahini
- Vanilla & Raspberry Swirl
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scallops got done dirty
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It’s a top heavy ranking and being the first bite out of the gate (and only one at that) means it’s tough to have staying power
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Duck confit was not on the menu. Anyway, I should’ve listened to you guys and got the chicken shishlik. Waitress recommended the lamb kebab w/ habanero (which was still pretty good). Overall, we liked Saffy’s and will return. Guest and I agreed on our order of preference among the Menashe restaurants:
- Bavel
- Bestia
- Saffy’s
But all are quite good. Food was quite boldly flavored and cocktails were on the slightly sweeter side.
Peruvian scallops (citrus amba, chili oil, toasted wheat, dill, cilantro, sea salt) - not bad. The scallops were pretty small and in comparison to the citrus amba and chili oil, they were a little lost against the bold seasoning. With the amba and spices, it tasted quite like an Indian dish, and I don’t really associate Indian flavors with raw shellfish. The combo made me think of passionfruit juice and garam masala quite a bit.
Grilled lobster skewer (green harissa, serrano-lime yogurt, herbs) - tasty. Lobster was a bit small - chunkier bites would’ve been nice for texture and to stand up to the yogurt. Rather delicious at any rate.
Chopped chicken liver (challah, oyster mushrooms, date vinegar, capers, brown butter, cardamom) - quite nice. Bavel’s chicken liver pate with pickled blueberries and sesame buckwheat toast is our jam though, and we like that one quite a bit better. Saffy’s chopped liver is still nice, though.
Wood-fired shawarma (lamb & beef, lettuce, tomato, sumac onions, tahini, red ajika, laffa) - one of the better shawarma sandwiches I’ve had. I would like to try the plate next time.
Skewers, choice of 2 (iberico pork shishlik, lamb kebab (habanero, shallots, ginger, garam masala, cilantro) - very good. I think the Iberico pork had great flavor, but texturally I can see the chicken being even better here. Delicious with the laffa (pull the meat off the skewers with it), tahini chopped salad with dill, chili crunch, and mango amba.
Pina colada soft serve w/ rum float quite sweet but that’s how pina coladas are. the rum helped it out.
Fun place; we’ll be back. Hoping they have the duck confit next time and we’ll get the chicken shishlik.
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I went three times in four weeks and got duck denied twice.
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