You may not have heard of baker Sally Krantz, but she has one hell of a story. Krantz is the owner of the now softly opened Saffron Colonial bakery and restaurant at 4120 N Williams. Her restaurant serves a menu of globally inspired dishes from the height of the British Empire, and Krantz now supplies Ristretto Roasters with its pastries, too. While Saffron Colonial is Krantz's first Portland restaurant, she's been lording over overseen a mini bakery empire in Hong Kong for years. [Update, March 17, 2016: Meanwhile, some Portlanders have already expressed outrage about the flawed implications of an imperialist concept in a neighborhood that's experienced a polarizing amount of gentrification.]
Krantz trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and then staged at L'Arpege, a Parisian restaurant that regularly makes the World's Best 50 Restaurants list and currently has three Michelin stars. She then moved to Hong Kong, where she opened three Saffron Bakery Cafes and lived for 20 years.
Now, having sold her Hong Kong bakeries, she's back, and she's brought with her all of the flavors, culinary habits, and other highlights—like huge pieces of wooden furniture from Sri Lanka—from her life abroad. As you can see from the gallery above, Saffron Colonial has a lounge area for sipping tea from a pot while eating crumpets (as well as bagels, scones, muffins, and cookies). The restaurant's dining room seats around 50, with more outdoor seating to be added summers. Two garage doors will let in the breeze.
Saffron Bakery is currently softly opened from breakfast and lunch, and Krantz tells Eater she has lots in store after her grand opening, including themed, multi-course brunches (one will be dedicated to Winston Churchill and will involve whiskey and a parting cigar) and, potentially, dinner. In upcoming coverage, we'll share her and chef Al Sedaghat's vision for the menu, and if you want to check it out for yourself now, the bakery and restaurant is open daily, from 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
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