Saravanaa Bhavan - Lexington Avenue, NYC

Food Rating: 4/5

Service Level: 2.5/5

Attire: Casual

Cuisine: South Indian (Vegetarian)  

Review: Based on Brunch, Lunch and Dinner Menu.

Price Range: $$

Location: Curry Hill/ Kips Bay, NYC

Saravanaa Bhavan stands amongst a crowded block of underwhelming Indian restaurants on the corner of 26^th and Lexington Avenue in the Curry Hill area of New York City.

It all began with a bit of romance:

For those unfamiliar with the name, Saravanaa Bhavan is a South Indian restaurant in general, serving food from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in particular. The first Saravanaa Bhavan in New York opened in 2005, the same year that I began a romantic liaison with a South Indian boy I met at my office Christmas party.  This was my first interaction with a ‘Madrasi’, a colloquial and generic name given by North Indians to everyone hailing from the southern part of the country.

Needless to say that this Madrasi boy introduced me to the awesomeness of Saravanaa Bhavan.  In the years 06, 07, 08 and 09 this party of two went back to Saravanaa Bhavan several times. This review therefore is long overdue and to refresh my already over familiar memory of Saravanaa Bhavan, I went back last week to bring to you the latest updates via this review.

I am not a fan of chain restaurants but it’s true that I make an exception with Saravanaas. So, yes this is a chain restaurant, kick started by P. Rajagopal, a man with a long and interesting history. His introduction would require a separate article to introduce readers with his humble beginnings, the impetus behind his drive to make Saravanaas successful and how from a small cheap restaurant in KK Nagar that first opened in 1981, it transformed into a worldwide chain that it is now.

Chennai Express Service:  It’s hard to give a review of their service level. They are friendly people but in a supreme rush. When I think of the servers at Saravanaa Bhavan, they remind me of the servers at my favorite Chinese restaurant in China Town. They mean well but they always seem to be in a horrid rush. Ok, may be the staff at Saravanaa Bhavan is slightly better, and less in a hurry than the Chinese in China Town but let me sum up by saying there is no concept of “leisurely eating” in their books.  Let’s just focus on the food as that’s what the place is known for.  

So, What is Cooking at SaravanaaS – The menu  here is as overwhelming as the traffic in Chennai. But let me show you how to weave through it:

Steamed (s) and Fried (f) Appetizers: They make it like no one else does.

Idlis(s), Vadas(f), Bajjis(f) and Bondas(f).  

If you are used to South Indian food try whatever you like, you will not be disappointed.  If not, then go for the Idlis or the Idli & Vada combo (see picture below).

New to Idli? – No worries. Idli is a friendly staple south Indian breakfast and snack item and is made from fermented rice. It’s a steamed savory planet shaped cake either served with, or dipped in, spicy grounded thick lentil soup called Sambar, accompanied by variety of chutneys including course coconut (white), tomato (orange red) and mint (green) dips. Tri-colors of the Indian flag. You cannot go wrong with an Idli.

Vadas for the lack of a better word are crispy-like-hell, deep fried savory doughnuts, whereas Bondas are deep fried rice and gram flour balls filled with a medium spicy potato and/or onion filling.  

My favorite appetizer: Mini Idlis (they are served pre-dipped in Sambar).

Main Course: High on Rice

The main course boasts among other things of 26 types of Dosas, 8 different types of Uthappams, the famous and elaborate South Indian Thali, and variety of rice dishes.  

If this section appears too much for you to handle- cut the chase and go for a Dosa but if you have the appetite of a blue whale and patience of Buddha then let’s work the south Indian Thali (literal meaning- a dish plate).   

First the Dosas: Nobody can ever dislike a Dosa or the Dosai’s as the Tamilians call it. You either like it or you love it or you are crazy about it. Dosas are savory crispy golden crepes made from ground rice and lentil (or from rice and semolina), folded into a long tunnel like shape with masala (i.e potato and onion fillings) sitting in the middle of the tunnel. The fillings can differ depending on the type you get and I assure you the results are remarkably different each time depending on the filling and the batter you go for.  (Descriptions are given in the menu).

What can I say about Uthappams- I am totally wary of them. Don’t get me wrong. I used to love them when I was a kid. During my growing up years in Delhi, all birthday and anniversary dinners warranted a customary visit to a South Indian restaurant. South Indian food was a novelty; something my mother did not know how to make at home. I always ordered Uthappams. Now I can’t stand them, perhaps due to over exposure and over consumption.  I think its sufficient to know that these are made from the same batter as the Dosai’s but are thick pancake like and can be made with different garnishing’s on top, such as: tomatoes, onion, cheese or all of those together. They are yummy, just not the love of my life anymore.

The famous South Indian Thali is a more traditional dish to order. Served in a big round circular steel plate, (traditionally served over a banana leaf instead of a plate), it carries 8-10 small steel bowls each containing variety of numerous stews, vegetables, yoghurt, sweets and pickle. In the center is a bowl of rice and pieces of Indian bread, served with papadam, a crisp round disk like side item made of spiced lentil dough, cooked directly over the fire or fried in oil as an alternative. You can take a guess how the cooks at Saravanaas prefer to make their papadam’s?

If not too hungry, order the Ghee Pongal, a porridge of steamed rice mashed with lentils and spices and redolent with clarified butter, deeply soothing with its hot, comforting simplicity. Rava Khichdi similarly is a porridge like mish mash of semolina and vegetables, tempered with clarified butter, a bit grainier in taste than the Pongal.

Mini Tiffin is another good option for those who want to have it all. It consists of Mini Idlis, Rava Khichdi, sweet of the day and you also get a Mini Dosa on the side.

My favorite main course depends on my mood:

1. Masala Dosa (i.e regular Dosa);

2. Rava Onion Masala Dosa (made of rice and semolina batter); and

3. Mini Tiffin (see picture below)

The cold beverage menu is your average Indian drinks menu with the exception of Buttermilk- a salty yogurt drink for the summers, tempered with several Indian spices, ginger and asafetida for digestion and flavor, and garnished with cilantro.

Not many people are fond of Indian desserts due to their high sugar content. But if you would like to try, then Rava Kesari is my favorite, a delectable semolina based dessert cooked in sugar syrup and clarified butter with cardamom, raisins, nuts and red food coloring.

You cannot wrap this adventure with South Indian food, till you have tried their signature coffee.  Madras coffee or what’s also known as Filter Coffee. It is a notoriously potent brew served in a small stainless steel glass called tumbler and a mini bowl known as davara acting as the saucer to the tumbler. The coffee is premixed with milk and is frothy on top. It comes with sugar and rice on the side…… J (Alright, I am kidding about the rice).

Enjoy. Hope to someday bring to you the review of the S.B in Chennai.