Place: Arya Bhavan
Location: 22 Ealing Rd, Wembley
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with wifey and our lil one)
On: Thursday, 5 September 2024
We were in Wembley shopping for Vinayaka Chavithi (Ganesh Chaturthi) and, as it got late, decided to try the new restaurant that replaced Saravana Bhavan.. Though it had a similar layout, the décor had been refreshed, and the tables were spaced out more generously. We found a cozy sofa at one end of the restaurant, settled in, and got ready to order.
It took a while for the waiter to attend to our table, but when she finally did, we ordered an Idli Vada for the wifey, a Ghee Uthapam for the lil one, and a North Indian Thali for myself.
The Idli Vada was served in about five minutes, accompanied by three types of chutneys, podi, and sambar. The idli looked decent and tasted good, but we were surprised by the tiny portions of chutney — they weren’t even a spoonful. The vada, unfortunately, wasn’t freshly made; it was microwaved from earlier in the day, and we could clearly taste the oil. Thankfully, they refilled the chutneys, but we had to keep reminding them.
The Ghee Uthappam arrived next, and it was quite enjoyable. They also served a sweetcorn soup that came with my Thali, which was decent.
The Thali included Paneer Butter Masala, Aloo Palak, mixed vegetable curry, yellow dal, a small spring roll, three chapatis, a bowl of biryani, a Gulab Jamun, raita, pickle, and papad. The curries were decent overall, but nothing really stood out; I’d say the PBM was the best of the bunch. The chapatis were soft at first but quickly turned kadak. The biryani was extremely spicy and not particularly impressive.
Wifey was still a bit hungry after her Idli, so we decided to order the AB Special Dum Biryani, hoping it would offer something different from what was served with the Thali.
To our utter disappointment, it turned out to be the same biryani, just tossed with some mushrooms and paneer. It felt like we were eating the same rice with a few added mushroom and paneer pieces — a big letdown!
Overall, it was a mediocre meal. We came in expecting something similar to Saravana Bhavan, if not better, but it fell far short of those standards. To make matters worse, the service was incredibly slow; we had to keep turning around to get their attention, as they seemed least interested. Additionally, the prices were a wee bit higher than those at the predecessor. I’m not sure if we’ll return, especially with so many better options on Ealing Road.
Food: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Meal for 3: £41.14
Verdict: 6/10
PS: It turns out that Saravana Bhavan was replaced overnight by the franchise owners without any prior notice, and as a result, they are pursuing a court case over this sudden change.
