Saffire Indian restaurant opens in Commack

A longtime fixture on the Long Island dining scene, Chani Singh is back after a 10-year absence. In June, his Saffire South Asian restaurant took over the Commack space that was most recently Il Toscano (and, before that, Hooks & Chops). "South Asian" is how he describes a repertoire that is mostly Indian and Pakistani, with a little Afghan and Nepali thrown in for good measure.

The venue, near the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Commack Road, is big enough to allow Singh to do à la carte dining as well as to host parties of up to 150 people. A rarity among local South Asian restaurants, it can also accommodate up to 100 diners outside. (Another rarity: A full bar.)

In 1996, Singh opened The Curry Club in East Setauket (now Taj Crown of India). He went on to operate Village Bistro in the adjacent property (now Bliss), Curry Club in Islip (which later became Chani’s Unique Indian and also spawned a satellite in Hicksville), a short-lived Tandoori Truck in Melville and Americana Prime Steakhouse in Port Jefferson, which closed in 2015.

At that point, Singh and his wife, Jasmine, were raising young children and he decided to take a "nine-to-five" job with a food wholesaler so he could spend more time with them. But the restaurant itch never went away. With his youngest child an independent 14 (and a budding cook), he dipped a toe back into the food-service waters and, in short order, a real estate broker brought him the property that Il Toscano had just vacated.

"As soon as he showed it to me, I took it," Singh said. "There’s nothing for South Asians in this area, and really very little fine-dining Indian anywhere."

Having experimented with fusion cuisine over the years, he’s gone back to basics at Saffire. There are some East-West mashups (duck breast with mixed-nut pilaf and orange gastrique, Punjabi hummus) and a few dishes from the Indo-Chinese Hakka repertoire (Manchurian cauliflower, Hakka noodles) but the menu comprises mostly traditional dishes: small plates such as samosas, paani puri and kathi rolls; curries such as tikka masala, korma, vindaloo and kadai (ginger, chilies and cilantro); kebabs such as seekh (minced lamb and chicken), lamb boti and paneer.

There are whole tandoori chickens, biryanis and other rice dishes and a full panoply of breads — including the best garlic naan I’ve had recently. I’ll be returning with a crowd for the sikandari raan, a whole roast leg of lamb $150) that feeds eight to 10 people and requires advance notice. There are also rib-eye, strip and filet steaks; all meat is zabiha halal. Most of Saffire’s starters range from $12 to $15, mains from $19 to $39. There’s a lunch buffet ($25) every day and a Sunday brunch featuring Indian breakfast specialties.

Saffire, 6330 Jericho Tpke., Commack, 631-486-2808, Instagram: @saffire.commack. Open every day from noon to 3 p.m., 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday to 11 p.m.