The verdict on London's very first gourmet raw restaurant

The London branch of Chad Sarno's Saf restaurant, located in the Shoreditch area to the east of the capital, has been open for just under a month. As UK raw food fans flock to Curtain Road to experience it, and others even fly in from abroad to do so, we have been busy collecting verdicts. And we can report that across the board Saf is getting top marks for food, drinks, service, ambience and venue.

Saf restaurant is backed by a company named The LifeCo, headed up by Turkish entrepreneur Ersin Parmuksuzer. Parmuksuzer started The LifeCo after being so impressed with the results of his first ever raw detox that he decided he wanted to share the benefits with others.

His vision for the group's restaurants (the London venue is number four after two openings in Istanbul and a third in Munich) is that they deliver pure, healthy food in a way that makes customers feel they are not missing out on anything - and that means not just that the food tastes great, but that the ambience is just so too.

The London restaurant is the group's flagship so top architects were brought in a year ago to design the space and number 152-154 Curtain Road was built from the ground up on the site of an old, disused car park. These pictures tell you more about the result than words could.      

One of the comments we've heard most often from raw food fans who have dined there is what a great place it is to take people who are not into raw food! And that is the beauty of Saf. It is a place you can go with anyone, whether they're a plant eater or a meat eater, and whether they are interested in eating healthily or simply want to eat well.

Although the menu is 100% plant-based, it is a million miles away from what most people think of when they think of vegan food. There are cooked choices for those who would baulk at eating all raw, and an impressive drinks list for those for whom dinner out is not complete without a great bottle of wine.

I went to the opening with Michael, one of my oldest friends and a high-flying city lawyer who, although very much into all things organic, is no vegetarian, likes a drink and has a very discerning palate.

The evening began with canapes and cocktails. It's a long time since any alcohol passed my lips, but knowing that these particular drinks were the work of master mixologist and organic sommelier Joe McCanta, I decided that I wouldn't be doing my job properly if I didn't research them a little! ; )

I was handed a pear-infused organic champagne cocktail as I arrived and followed that up with a 'Mojito Rosa'. The mojito was always my favourite cocktail and I'll be writing about it more very shortly as I recently invented a 100% raw, non alcoholic version. Saf's mojito contained sour cherry infused organic rum, fresh lime, fresh mint, and a house-made cinnamon-cherry tincture. Very, very good! I stopped there but Michael was only just getting started and batted on with several glasses of an organic biodynamic white wine which he was obviously very impressed with!

On opening night a five-course menu was on offer - starters, mains, salads, cheeses and desserts. We decided four would be a better number and somewhat embarrassingly the course we chose to forego was the salad course. We had beetroot ravioli to start, followed by lasagne, macadamia caprese (a macadamia feta served with semi-dried tomatoes; the recipe is in the autumn 2007 issue of Get Fresh! magazine and yes, it is as good as it looks!) and apple cheesecake to finish.

I enjoyed every bite as I knew I would, having gone wild over Chad's food before, but I was more interested in the reactions of my friend, who was eating gourmet raw cuisine for the first time. I think it is fair to say he was blown away by what happens when you mix fresh raw ingredients and some clever kitchen equipment with world-class culinary flair! I physically couldn't finish courses two, three and four, much as I wanted to, but what I left, Michael swiftly polished off.    

So head to Saf restaurant for a great night out, whether or not your dining companion/s are into raw food.

So as not to frighten off would-be punters the fare is being described simply as 'pure vegetarian cuisine' and reports from staff are that local office workers are gravitating into Curtain Road's newest establishment without realizing it is a raw restaurant, then ordering and eating an entirely raw meal, and still not realizing!

An example the manager Colin Bremner shared with me was of one of the first customers the restaurant served, who ordered the lasagne. He commented afterwards that he was surprised on the first mouthful to find it was served cold as he was expecting a hot dish, but that it really worked and was in fact the best he'd ever tasted. 

The fact this restaurant is passing muster with not just raw food fans but with foodies of every persuasion is the hugest compliment to Sarno and his team of chefs. We send our congratulations to them, to Joe McCanta, to Ersin Parmuksuzer, to Colin Bremner and to the rest of the team!

Saf Organic Restaurant & Bar, 152-154 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AT. Tel: 0207 613 007.