Saffron Restaurant, Oldbury

Reader tip-offs take our

to a restaurant with excellent service and even better food.

Often this column is about finding hidden gems. And while I'd never frequented this week's chosen spot before, it soon became clear 'hidden' is not a word that can be used to describe Saffron in Oldbury.

Firstly, It's planted right alongside one of the Black Country's busiest roads. The frustrating, never-ending, speed camera and traffic light-packed dual carriageway that is the Wolverhampton Road. Not exactly the most tranquil of settings, but one that ensures the passing folk of the Black Country and beyond are well aware of its existance.

Secondly, there's the award hoard. The guys at Saffron are rightly pleased about their string of accolades – and take pride in mentioning them at every opportunity.

The website is packed with references to their various titles, prizes and achievements, which recently included being named 'Best Restaurant in the Midlands' by readers of the Good Food Guide. There's also news of several other competitions on the horizon – Restaurant of the Year Awards 2012, National Chef of the Year 2011 and The Best Ethnic Chef Award. Constantly pitting itself against the UK's leading restaurants, it's clear to see Saffron is certainly confident of its success.

So after receiving a couple of glowing tip-offs from readers of this column, it was time for yours truly to take a look too.

If you've not spotted it on your travels, Saffron is nearer the Birmingham end of the Wolverhampton Road, not too far from the Birchley Island and Asda Oldbury.

Despite its busy roadside location, it is modest in appearance, with a fairly soulless, white facade on the front of two converted 1930s semis. There's a car park with space for around 15 cars.

My visit was last Wednesday. My friend and I arrived at 9.15pm, much later than when we'd normally plan to eat and we didn't expect it to be very busy. There were, however, five tables taken up inside, and with low lighting and the dull hum of conversation in the air, we were met with a nice, relaxing atmosphere that felt a million miles from the hustle and bustle outside.

It's a smart-looking little place. Shiny wood floors contrast with comfy, bright red and black velvet chairs set around mahogany tables. Walls are white and feature striking modern art, except for one, which is covered with dramatic red and black flock effect wallpaper. Three booths sit alongside this feature wall, with trendy glass globe light fittings above them.

The tables were beautifully laid and the welcome we received was a very warm one, with a smiling, friendly waiter who led us to our table for two. All three booths, each set out in a semi circle with a larger seating area, were taken up by an older couple, two young professionals and another pair who we decided were probably on a first date, ear-wigging on their stunted conversation. We were seated close to them, next to another table of two male pals sharing a rather large feast.

The menus were presented to us with the type of pride you might expect from a serial award-winner. It pledges to "to provide discerning diners exceptional Indian cuisine with a contemporary twist," and warns that dishes may take some time to prepare due to the inclusion of only the freshest ingredients.

It featured an exhaustive list of exotic sounding dishes we'd largely never heard of, a welcome change from the common fare churned out by many Indian restaurants. There's also a handy colour chart, denoting whether dishes are mild, medium or hot. There's a good choice of starters, which several vegetarian options, including hara bhara kebab – rather enticing spicy lentil and spinach patties. Fish fans are in for a treat, with such delights as machli bhujia – grilled cod flakes with tomato, onion, chat masala and chopped chilli, and tandoori jhinga, king size prawns marinated in natural herbs and roasted in the clay oven.

My adventurous pal couldn't resist the rabbit varuval (£5.95), a southern Indian dish of rabbit meat tossed with onion, curry leaves and spices. It arrived in a little dome, the meat chopped up into tiny pieces and fused with spice. Having never tasted rabbit before I was straight in there with my fork. It was rather light in flavour and had an unusual, nutty aftertaste, and while I'm not sure I'd order it, my friend thought it wonderful.

I went for the more traditional tandoori mix (£5.50), a delicious and filling combination of chicken tikka, lamb tikka and sheek kebab. It was a well proportioned dish, each piece of meat perfectly soft and spicy. I was slightly more daring with my main.

When ordering the gosht kali mirch (£8.95), the waiter had referred me to the 'hot' symbol and warned me of the perils associated with it. At one point I'm pretty sure he was trying to talk me out of this "black pepper-hot, not chilli-hot" dish. Undeterred, I stuck to my guns – and I'm glad I did. Undoubtedly the hottest thing I've ever eaten – it felt like a small achievement with each mouthful – it was one of the finest Indian dishes I've enjoyed. It consisted of tender lamb pieces cooked with ground black pepper and sizzling hot spices and was just marvellous – full-on runny nose, head-clearing stuff, if you like that sort of thing.

My friend chose the macher jhol (£10.95), a much milder, traditional Bengal fish curry, with smooth flavours and soft pieces of fish, helped down with a plain nan bread (£2.10), while I had the garlic variety.

Our meal, with the obligitory popodoms and chutney tray, and two pints of Cobra and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, came to £54.35 including a tip. For fabulous, award-winning and exciting food, we thought this was incredibly reasonable. Our waiter waved us off into the night, ready to join the whizzing traffic. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable night, with excellent service and even better grub. So while Saffron is certainly not hidden, it's definitely a gem.

ADDRESS

Saffron Restaurant, 909 Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury B69 4RR

Tel: 0121 552 1752

Web: www.saffron-online.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Saffron machli – Seabass marinated with our special marinade flavoured with saffron and shallow fried: £6.95; Masala dosa – thin rice pancake filled with spiced potato, served with tomato and coconut chutney: £4.50; Saffron chilli panir – cottage cheese tossed with chilli, bell peppers and spicy sauce: £3.95

MAINS

Lobster peri-per of Scottish lobster, tossed in crackled mustard seeds and curry leaves, finished with galangal flavoured sauce: £19.95; Malabar jhinga curry – king prawns in gravy of tomatoes, coconut milk, lemon juice, onion & peppers: £13.95; Murgh Chettinaad – chicken cooked in a hot masala of red chilli , curry leaf and mustard seeds: £8.50