Saffron – cafe review

The tides of new openings in Bristol are always intriguing to study. Most recently, Haymarket Walk has been on the crest of a wave, with Flow, Sky Kong Kong and Mathilda’s Chilli joining the long-established Mayflower.

The stretch of North Street near the Tobacco Factory has in the last two years welcomed Pizza Workshop, The Burger Joint, Curtis & Bell, Zazu’s Kitchen and Zara’s Chocolates, joining old favourites Rare Butchers, Ashton Fruit Shop and Southville Deli, with the brilliant Birch a few hundred yards up Raleigh Road.

King Street is perhaps the most surprising of all of Bristol’s new food and drink destinations, with the area now known as the ‘Beermuda Triangle’ thanks to the arrival of Small Bar and the Beer Emporium and the increased emphasis on malt and hops at the Royal Navy Volunteer.

Could Old Market be next, with the imminent arrival of The Old Market Assembly?

Currently, it’s Boyce’s Avenue, the picturesque heart of Clifton Village that is having a renaissance.

Despite the profits of doom predicting the closure of multiple businesses thanks to the new residents parking scheme, three new cafes are opening within weeks of this other on this small pedestrianised street already home to the likes of Primrose Cafe, the Albion pub and Bauhinia restaurant (as well as a Caffe Nero but we’ll conveniently forget about that).

Saffron is first out if the blocks among the newbies. It will be swiftly followed by Anna, “bringing you the very best in wedding cake design and patisserie”, and Wainwright’s Coffee & Deli.

Only open since the weekend, a sign writer was still putting the finishing touches to a floral pattern and lettering design next to the front door when I visited Saffron on Tuesday morning.

At the counter of the narrow room, a lady was passing the time of day with the one member of staff on duty, recommending chocolate refrigerator cake as perfect for the winter months ahead.

Outside, a gentleman who looked like the owner was talking to two friends; the tables and chairs optimistically put on the road speckled with rainwater after a recent shower.

The front windows here can still be opened wide, as was the way during this unit’s time as 194° Fahrenheit, when lycra-clad cyclists would stop by for a caffeine fix while still on their bicycles.

By the front door, the sign writer’s art was taking shape – Saffron is now officially a Mediterranean kitchen and coffee house, as the staff member headed outside to look for the owners’ friends but found they had disappeared into a nearby shoe shop.

My double-shot macchiato was served slightly burnt. A flat white was the drink of choice for another customer, with the Mediterranean kitchen half of this new opening – on a menu with all-day breakfasts, salads and sandwiches – encompassing shashuka (£5.25), a falafel salad with spicy yoghurt sauce (£6.25) and Turkish couscous with halloumi cheese salad (£6.95).

The tide of new openings has moved westwards, with a splash of Mediterranean sunshine at Saffron leading the way to cakes and even more coffee options in BS8 soon.

4a Boyces Avenue, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4AA