t snuck under the radar opening quietly last April. On the stretch of St. Catherine that is predominately a super noodle city from every part of Asia, priced cheap and made fast for the student-studded neighborhood, this relative newcomer called Saffron now adds some Persian pizzazz to the multicultural area.

Touted as authentic Fine Iranian Cuisine, this is not a fast food outlet. You’ll see the large golden dragons outside and palace painted murals through a big glass enclosed square on the corner of St. Mathieu. The décor is Spartan and the place settings standard, with all Iranian music all the time but it boasts a truly authentic selection of fare with reasonable lunch specials offered from Monday to Friday and nightly specials changing often. - S.C.