By David Nelson | SDUN Restaurant Critic 
Saffron Thai Chicken, Noodles and Sate
3731-B India St.
574-0177; sumeiyu.com
If reincarnation is for real, I want mine timed to coincide with that of Su-Mei Yu, who is bound to return as a rock star, a film idol or a revolutionary—of how people eat, that is.
Now past the quarter-century mark serving succulent Thai grilled chicken and other perennially popular dishes to a large local fan club, Su-Mei Yu continues to concentrate more on the cuisine than the ambiance at Saffron, her landmark eatery in the eclectic “colony” of restaurants at the upper end of India Street. The food is great, but the lights are bright and you’re never likely to find a “date night” mood in progress at Saffron. Popular with just about everybody, the restaurant occasionally features a wailing toddler on center stage (it happens everywhere, of course, and happened at Saffron just the other night during a salvo of egg rolls that opened the tastiest of dinners).
However, the décor actually ranks among the most extraordinary and deluxe in San Diego, since it includes a collection of incredible glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, and walls full of paintings by the late Italo Scanga, who was Su-Mei’s partner for many years. In the back dining room, which offers the bulk of the seating (tables on the terrace supply the remainder), one wall supports photos of Su-Mei with notable foodies like Julia Child and Martha Stewart, along with politicians, former President Jimmy Carter among them. The restaurateur’s reservation for future rock star status seems pretty well confirmed. 
Angela Goding, Su-Mei’s daughter, has assumed many duties at Saffron, which despite the relaxed mood is a tightly run ship at which top-quality Thai cuisine can be expected with confidence. Service at a recent dinner was prompt and cheerful, and a request for wine (which Saffron serves, along with a good selection of beers and unusual soft drinks) was answered with the information that the restaurant now offers hard cider, too. This is a rarity in San Diego, and cider frankly would be quite companionable with much of Saffron’s menu. On the occasion, however, a pair of diners opted to split a half-bottle of high-quality but affordable Chardonnay.
Given the sweet, sour, spicy and pungent flavors that percolate through Thai cuisine, pairing any wine with it can be a challenge, but the Chardonnay shone through, nicely lubricating an opener of crisp, large but light vegetarian egg rolls ($2.65) served with a sweet dip. About the most popular single dish served at Asian restaurants in the United States, these easily made the grade with a crunchy wrapper and a moist, luscious filling. Shrimp salad rolls ($2 apiece) were suggested as a tasty counterpoint to the egg rolls, and the texture contrast between lightly chewy rice paper wrappers and slivered vegetables also was a pleasure. These were served with both sweet sauce and the familiar but always welcome peanut sauce, which seemed better at underscoring the simple, savory flavors.
Skewers of white meat chicken, cooked sate-style and served with peanut sauce, fragrant jasmine rice and tangy cucumber salad, put Saffron on the culinary map 25 years ago, and keep it firmly entrenched as the favorite go-to spot for tasty, affordable carry-out (one skewer costs $6.44; two are priced at $8.64). The flavors are simple but bold, and their popularity speaks for the quality. Quite a number of similarly succulent chicken options are available, taken from all parts of the bird and encompassing legs, thighs, breasts and so forth. Mix and match as you like, ordering such a la carte sauces as Sriracha (a commercial Thai pepper sauce which many people adore; this writer is among dissenters), sweet pepper, peanut, chutney and salsa. All have memorable flavors.
Saffron is noodle heaven for fans of both noodle soups and stir-fried Thai pasta. Think twice before ordering a serving to be eaten greedily all by yourself, since the kitchen doesn’t skimp on portion sizes.
The soups (priced at $7.15 to $ $9.35 according to garnishes) are made with the option of thin or wide rice noodles, which is purely a matter of taste, although attacking noodles in broth with chopsticks seems easier when they’re thin. Order the soup plain with such garnishes as chicken, beef, pork or shrimp, or Tomm Yam-style, in which case a big spoonful of a spicy chile-peanut blend will top the bowl, to be stirred in to taste. A wedge of lime nestled in the soup spoon is meant to be squeezed into the bowl, exactly as is done with broths in Mexico, and the effect is the same: the flavors somehow are magnified and thrown into relief. Saffron’s soups achieve a mingled simplicity and complexity of effects that keeps them interesting to the bottom of the bowl.
Stir-fried noodles similarly are offered with a variety of garnishes, and the Pad Thai, of which Su-Mei Yu is most proud, have savory qualities that make them a top favorite. Saffron also serves a fine selection of vegetarian noodles.
Desserts rarely are the long suit at Asian restaurants, but Saffron does well in this department. Sticky rice, usually dressed with mango, is in this season garnished with banana, and with unexpectedly delicious results. Even more appropriate to the moment is a cold, sweet tapioca soup in which lurk chunks of fresh pumpkin, which has a pumpkinish texture that some will relish, and others will find considerably scarier than a Jack O’Lantern.
