Saffron Burlingame (formerly Rasa)

It was worth a try ! As a Michelin star restaurant they meet the good service from the staffs classy vibe. They have good options of items on menu worth trying. Coming to the food it was decent and nothing extra ordinary. Malabar Shrimp masala coconut rice was okay. The lemonade was bit over priced for $12.

Great variety in the menu with interesting dishes from different parts on India, mostly from different states in south India. Flavors of Indian food varies a lot in each region and sub regions. We tried butter chicken North India) and Madras Dosa South India) both tasted pretty authentic, which is not easy to pull off in the same restaurant. General Tso's Cauliflower was a very innovative dish with an Indian twist. Ambiance is nice and friendly service. Portions size was OK. This place is on the pricy side and I get it. What I dont get is why a $30 fish curry or $25 chicken curry dish wouldn't come with a piece of naan or small bowl of rice!? $5 for a small cup of white rice, really?

Fried Chicken: the taste is spicy without the sauce. The sauce is sweet, the vegetables under the chicken is salty. You could combine with any of this to get a new taste for the chicken. Lamb curry: no thing special as other Indian restaurants Basmati rice: sweet and delectable！ recommended！ The only thing I really don’t like (also is the reason why there is only three stars but not five) is the service. There is no greeting when we walk in the restaurant. When we try to get the check, we call the server for three times. But the server is on her phone, and there is no other server near us. Finally we walk to the front service to pay our bill. Also the food is coming a little bit too slow!

An interesting twist: Indian Street food, cooked upscale! Sure $19 for a dosa, but you are going to love the impeccable cooking, and the ghost chili chutney! The sambar was authentic. For appetizers, try the Bombay peppers, very well made. The prawns are perfect for the person who loves seafood. For dessert we ordered the cardamom bread pudding, but after trying it we wished we ordered the rose Panna cotta. Good service.

Smart reinvention of RASA, which we also loved. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple of their signature cocktails. Organic chicken biryani was pretty classic. Butter chicken as well. General Tso's cauliflower was innovative, and it pays off. A little more relaxed vibe, standout dishes overall.