Author: Sasikanth

I'm Sasikanth Paturi, a movie buff, a big-time foodie and someone who loves sharing an honest opinion. Reviewing films and food since 2011, now with help from my lil one!

Restaurant Reviews by Sasikanth Paturi

Here’s a list of all the restaurant reviews! 🙂

London

Hyderabad 

RoW

Bombay Chow (Wembley) | Restaurant Review

Place: Bombay Chow Wembley
Location: 299 Harrow Rd., Wembley
Cuisine: Indian & Chinese
Meal: Dinner (with family)
On: Saturday, 24 October 2026

Bombay Chow Brasserie in Northwood happens to be one of our favourite restaurants in this part of town. So visiting their sister restaurant in Wembley seemed like a no-brainer. We first came here with family in October 2024 but had a mediocre experience. Giving it the benefit of the doubt, and not wanting to judge based on one such experience, we were back again, two years later, but it wasn’t any better.

We walked in as a group of 5 at around 8:00 PM. The restaurant in Wembley is divided into two parts, one under the Bombay Chow umbrella, and another with a lounge, called Station31. While there was seating available on the Bombay Chow side, we were led to Station31. The former was dimly lit and had a subdued ambience, whereas this side was brightly lit, with a sports bar kind of atmosphere. We didn’t ask to be moved, and in hindsight we should have, given how slow the service turned out to be. That said, the brighter setting actually suited our group, with more space to ourselves, as we were one of the few occupied tables in this part of the restaurant.

Their menu is more or less similar to their Northwood branch, and having liked their Lotus Root, we ordered a portion of it, along with Chilli Garlic Mushrooms and Tai Pai Paneer.

Lotus stem

The food was served in about 15 minutes. First came the Lotus Root, followed by the others, and this was as good as in our previous visits to Northwood. The root was well cooked, and the sauce was tangy, with a touch of spice.

Chilli Mushrooms

Their Chilli Garlic Mushrooms, unlike the fried mushrooms in sauce that you usually find in other restaurants, was breaded mushrooms fried and tossed in a chilli garlic sauce. While this sounds good on paper, the coating was so thin that the button mushroom separated from it upon digging in, and so you ended up eating the coating and the half-cooked mushroom separately. The taste was good, but this wasn’t a great dish for this reason. We couldn’t taste the garlic in the sauce either.

Lotus stem

The Tai Pai Paneer was decent, with paneer in the same tangy sauce used for the other two dishes. However, the paneer was a bit chewy for my liking.

What was surprising was that all three dishes had the same base sauce, so it felt like we were eating mushrooms, lotus root and paneer in the same sauce. Thankfully, the sauce tasted good!

For the mains, we ordered a portion each of Schezwan Noodles, Hakka Noodles and Mushroom Fried Rice, along with Cauliflower Manchurian.

Hakka Noodles

Without any change of plates, the mains started coming in, all at different times. First, the Hakka Noodles were served. The portion size was really small, and they looked and tasted more like chow mein, with a savoury Chinese profile rather than the tangy Indo-Chinese hakka noodles type. No one on the table was particularly impressed with them.

Szechuan Noodles

The Schezwan Noodles were similar, but thanks to the schezwan sauce, they tasted much better. They weren’t spicy as such, and definitely had more vegetables and bold flavour compared to the Hakka Noodles.

Mushroom Fried Rice

The Mushroom Fried Rice was the best of the mains. Again, the quantity was minimal, but the rice was well cooked and tasted good with the mushrooms.

Gobi Manchuria

The Manchurian was served last. Compared to the starters we ordered earlier, this looked much different, with a darker texture, thanks to the soy sauce. The outer layer was alright, but the cauliflower itself was undercooked, and this made the dish the least favourite on the table, with barely any takers.

Given the mediocre mains, our little one ate very little, and to make her happy, we decided to order two Sizzling Chocolate Brownies for dessert.

It took a while for this to come through, and it was well presented, with the chocolate sauce being poured at the table for the sizzling effect. However, the brownie itself tasted very stale, and the chocolate tasted more like caramel, making the dish very gooey. The small vanilla scoop didn’t help either, for it wasn’t enough ice cream for the brownie. We should have just ordered one!

Overall, a very mediocre meal. The starters were decent, albeit with the same sauce, but everything thereafter went downhill. With us sitting on the Station31 side, away from the main restaurant, the service wasn’t great either. We constantly had to wave to get the staff’s attention, even with so few tables occupied, and it’s hard to justify a 12.5% service charge when there was barely any proper service. The small portion sizes didn’t help either.

That said, there is potential here. The Lotus Root, Schezwan Noodles and Mushroom Fried Rice show the kitchen can get things right, and the sauce on the starters tasted good. A few changes would make a real difference: a bit more variety in the starter sauces, a fresher brownie, and a server assigned to the Station31 side. This was the second time in two years that we’ve had a bad experience here, and unless things change, I don’t think we’ll be coming back to Wembley. If you’re nearby, I’d suggest trying their Northwood branch instead.

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambience: 8/10
Meal for 5: £91.40

Verdict: 6.5/10

PS: Bombay Chow is part of the same group as Fatt Pundit, the well-known Indo-Chinese restaurant with several branches in Central London.

Movie Reviews by Sasikanth Paturi

Here’s a list of all the movie reviews, categorised by language 🙂

English

Hindi

Telugu

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend | Movie Review

Ramayana: Rise of a Legend

The Ramayana, alongside the Mahabharata, happens to one of the oldest and most significant foundational epics in sacred Hindu literature, and almost every Indian, irrespective of their religion, knows the story. I’ve personally watched numerous iterations of this epic for television and film since my childhood, some good, some bad, some enacted by kids, some animated, but nothing has been made on a scale of this big-screen version. It’s also one of the biggest attempts to take an Indian epic to a global audience, with the film releasing in about 40 languages worldwide. So was I looking forward to watching this film? Yes, big time. But does this version live up to the story we all grew up with?

Story, Screenplay and Direction

Director Nitesh Tiwari, reportedly started working on the adaptation back in 2019, alongside co-screenwriter Shridhar Raghavan. Thanks to the scale and production, they had everything in place to make this one of the best adaptations, and something India could genuinely showcase to the world. But while the film is officially titled Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, for a viewer unfamiliar with the story, they’ve made it surprisingly difficult to identify who the “legend” actually is, since so much of the runtime is devoted to Ravana.

Yes, it is important to establish Ravana’s character, but the context and details around everything else could have been better set up. The long prologue about Ravana left little room to properly cover key details about Vishwamitra, the Swayamvar, the Ikshvaku promise, and Dasharath’s curse. What little time they got felt rushed. There was so much they could have done instead of spending it on the long prologue, and close to 30 minutes in the second half on Vidyutjihva.

Because of this, the potential to develop Rama and Sita is lost entirely. There was so much more depth Tiwari could have added to their arcs. In Adipurush, Om Raut made a similar mistake, showcasing Ravana as menacing and great without ever establishing Rama’s greatness on screen, apart from elevating his character. Tiwari falls into the same trap here. What makes it worse is that, despite all that screen time, Ravana still ends up as the symbol of ultimate evil, even though he is not purely evil in a one-dimensional sense. Tiwari tried to touch on this in a brief episode, but by then, he’d already set the narrative.

Nevertheless, apart from the lack of emotional depth in a few episodes, Tiwari does a solid job with the direction. It takes courage to helm a film of such epic proportions, and he proves he’s a director with that calibre. Scene to scene, the screenplay by Tiwari and Raghavan is neat. The problem is what it chooses to spend its time on.

Acting

Ranbir Kapoor gives Rama his full effort, and you can see it, which is party the problem. He looked a touch too old for the role in places, and some of the early scenes felt like he was straining for gravitas rather than carrying it. Sai Pallavi, on the other hand, is perfect as Sita. She brings warmth and honesty to the role, but her wardrobe and sarees as the princess, didn’t match the grandeur around her.

Yash is menacing and magnetic, but the writing kept him in a fairly one-note “ultimate evil” lane, without giving him any opportunity to showcase his actual potential, beyond physical presence. Ravie Dubey brings welcome humor as Lakshmana, Rakul Preet Singh is neat as Surpanakha, and Shobhana was underutilised as Kaikasi. Rest of the cast is alright.

Technical Aspects

The best aspect of the film, however, is its technical side. Music and background score by A. R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer are definitely among the standouts. While there are not a lot of songs in the movie, the background score is on par with the best out there. I do think they should have come up with more standout tunes, as a single theme was used in multiple episodes.

Editing by Huzefa Lokhandwala is decent, but like I said earlier, some of the sequences showcasing Ravana’s might should have been trimmed. The film’s pacing was uneven at times. Cinematography by Pankaj Kumar and Mahesh Limaye is excellent. While most of the film relies on CGI and blue screens, they still do a remarkable job behind the camera. Production design, sets, and the VFX are all exceptional. Some of the sequences, especially the battle between Jatayu and Ravana, are visually breathtaking!

Is it worth your time and money?

Absolutely. I know that I went on a rant, but all qualms aside, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is a commendable effort to take this Indian epic onto the world stage. The film is delivered on a larger-than-life scale and is spectacular on screen. 

Worth mention: The visually stunning episodes and action sequences. 

Acting: 8/10 
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10 
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 8/10

PS: I watched it in 3D IMAX and wasn’t disappointed. The visual grandeur in particular works best on the biggest screen you can find.

On another note, I found Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey lacked the context needed to establish its characters. I actually had to Google who some of them were while watching. Is this becoming a theme with big epics, or am I the only one finding this odd? 🤔

Jailer 2 | Movie Review

Jailer 2

Credit where it is due! No one, and I mean no one can beat Rajni when it comes to the swag! This man is 75 years old but he still can swoon you with the magic he creates on screen. However, he needs a script and a level headed director to make sure you swoon. He made two movies since Jailer back in 2023, Vettaiyan and Coolie, but neither were able to create the magic that Jailer could. Can Jailer 2 deliver like its predecessor?

Story, Screenplay and Direction

I haven’t watched any of Nelson Dilipkumar’s movies other than Jailer, but that left me impressed. He has the craft to elevate the scene. While this is subtle in the first part, I thought he went a little overboard in this one. There are some genuinely good moments, but beyond a point, it’s just too much!

Jailer 2 starts off pretty much where Jailer ended, without much context if you haven’t watched the predecessor. Tiger (Rajni) is being hunted by the gangs for the stolen statues, while Tiger himself is planning to get to the big fish responsible for his son’s death. Nelson fills the first half with a lot of humour, with Tiger downplaying the character and giving more scope to Moorthi (Namo Narayana) and Vimal (Yogi Babu). The comedy is neat and generates laughs, and thanks to this, the first half goes through like a breeze. Come the second half, with the introduction of new villains, the story relies heavily on style and superstar moments rather than a deep narrative arc. The fact that Tiger wins every battle or mind games, apart from one emotional scene about his son’s death, makes the vicious and powerful antagonists look like puppets. 

While direction is neat, screenplay could have been better. What I didn’t particularly like was his rushing into the story in the first half without proper character development, be it Moorthi, his nephew, Vimal reappearing, or the number of villains. Yes, Moorthi generated laughs, but it would have been great if his role was well written and established. It all felt too rushed. I also felt that Kantha’s role (Vidya Balan) added no value to the story, and if anything, it was awkward to watch her interactions with Tiger or vice versa. This was probably the low point of the film. 

Acting

Rajni is at his usual best. He has the swag and it was nice to see him act his age, apart from the cringy scenes with Vidya Balan. Needless to say, Vidya Balan did well in her role, but her role was unnecessary (unless they plan to make her the main antagonist in Part 3). SJ Suryah did a good job and was menacing to begin with, but as mentioned earlier, turned into a caricature toward the climax. Namo Narayana deserves a special mention, he was brilliant as Moorthi. His confidence levels and comic timing were some of the best moments in the film. Rest of the cast, be it Ramya Krishna and recurring cast from first half, or the cameos, were just alright. Hrithik’s cameo didn’t really add anything either.

Technical Aspects

The biggest asset of the film, apart from Rajni, is Anirudh’s music and score. Yes, he has reused the same tunes from the first film, but they still are impactful on screen. The two new item songs don’t create the same impact as “Kaavaalaa” from the film, but kudos to their choreography. Editing by R. Nirmal is alright but I have a feeling he’s the one who chopped the initial bits that might have established the new characters better. Cinematography by Vijay Kartik Kannan is good, and so is the production by Sun Pictures.

Is it worth your time and money?

Jailer had a meaty and emotionally strong storyline, and this emotional turmoil was a great conflict point, rather than Tiger fighting the villains. Come Jailer 2, this emotional quotient is missing, making the film too predictable. Nevertheless, Nelson ensures that you stay engrossed, albeit the wafer-thin storyline. Thanks to the Superstar, you have a winner at hand!

Worth mention: Rajni’s swag and screen presence, and Anirudh’s music and background score.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 8.5/10

PS: Since my last review of Kabali back in 2016, Rajni has worked on 10 films, but only a couple of them (2.0 and Jailer) have actually worked well. This just shows that Rajni’s swag alone cannot pull audiences to theaters. You still need a good story and narrative.

Sakonis (Hatch End) | Restaurant Review

Place: Sakonis
Location: Uxbridge Rd, Pinner 
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with wifey and our lil one)
On: Thursday, 19 September 2024

To celebrate one of our many anniversaries, we decided to head out for an early dinner on a Thursday night. We drove to a new place called Vaaghar in Pinner, but it was crowded, and they didn’t have any tables available for the evening. Next, we went to Social Dhaba in Hatch End, but they were fully booked as well. Given that it was a weekday, we didn’t expect restaurants to be so busy, but it seems Thursday is the new Friday. Thankfully, Hatch End High Street has several options, and we finally found a table at Sakonis.

Sakonis has been on our list for a while, but since their menu options are quite limited, we had been avoiding it. Anyway, we settled into a corner and decided to order Kurkure Bhindi and Manchurian to start the meal, and for mains, we got the Aam Ras and Poori, Paneer Butter Masala with Naan, and a Triple Hakka. The service was a bit slow, so we had to wait a while to place our order.

The Bhindi was served in about 10 minutes, and I was quite impressed with the portion size. In terms of taste, they were excellent—perhaps even a bit better than the ones you get at Dishoom. Crunchy and perfectly seasoned, it was a great start to our meal.

The Manchurian came next, and again, the portion was generous. The Manchurian balls were a bit hard, but overall, the dish tasted good. It was quite spicy, by the way.

Aam Ras and Poori were for the little one, and she enjoyed them. The pooris were soft and nice, and the aam ras, although made from canned mango puree, tasted fresh. It wasn’t too sweet, either.

The Paneer Butter Masala was served with a portion of naan. The paneer was soft, and the gravy was rich with a pleasant flavor. While the naan tasted good, it seemed like it might have been a store-bought frozen variety. Also, one naan wasn’t sufficient for the amount of curry, so we ordered another.

I love the Triple Schezwan Noodles you typically find in Mumbai, so I was looking forward to this dish. Triple Schezwan is usually a combination of spicy noodles and rice, topped with crispy noodles and served alongside vegetable balls in Schezwan gravy. Unfortunately, their version, called the Triple Hakka, was quite different. While it did combine noodles and rice with fried noodles on top, it didn’t include the side dish. Additionally, they used vermicelli noodles, which didn’t quite complement the rice. Although it didn’t taste bad, it wasn’t great either.

Overall, it was a decent meal, offering a mix of highs and lows. The Bhindi and Paneer Butter Masala were the standout dishes, while the rest were rather meh. As mentioned earlier, the service wasn’t great—only two women were managing about six tables, and they seemed to be struggling to keep up. Additionally, their menu is quite limited and a bit expensive, making it challenging to find a variety of options that justify the cost. I’m not sure if we’d be returning.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Meal for 3: £66.76

Verdict: 7.5/10

Devara: Part 1 | Movie Review

Devara

After delivering four consecutive hits, Koratala Siva directed the ill-fated Acharya. Meanwhile, NTR Jr. returns to a solo film after six years, following his collaboration with Rajamouli, and confronts the long held belief in a post-movie curse. Does their combination after Janatha Garage work its magic again? Let’s find out!

Siva’s strength has always been his writing — creating strong protagonists and embedding meaningful messages in his films. However, with Devara, it seems he’s abandoned his usual logic, delivering a routine story presented in a conventional way. While the protagonist remains powerful, everything else falls apart.

The first half focuses on Devara (NTR Jr.). Alongside the chiefs of neighboring villages, he loots ships carrying weapons for Muruga (Murali Sharma), with Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan) being one of the chiefs. Everything seems fine until Devara realizes their actions aren’t benefiting the villages (or the country), prompting him to stop. This decision sparks conflict, and Devara instills fear in his opponents before going into exile.

Fast forward 12 years, and the shadow of fear still looms over everyone. Bhaira now commands an army, determined to eliminate Devara upon his return, while Vara (NTR Jr.), Devara’s son, remains a timid soul, eager to avoid conflict. With a desire to draw Devara out of hiding, Bhaira orchestrates a ship looting and deceives Vara into joining his crew. Will Devara allow this to happen? Will he be able to save his son or will he kill him for venturing into the sea? It wraps up with a seemingly predictable twist, but there’s more to it and we’ll have to wait for Part 2 to see where it leads.

Old wine in a new bottle, right? While it’s a routine story, Siva clearly tried to present it differently in the first half. Unfortunately, it falls flat due to a mediocre screenplay and sloppy writing. There’s no clear reason why Devara is considered unbeatable — it feels like Siva simply built the plot around NTR’s image. The entire ship episode and the Ayudha Pooja sequences come off as cringeworthy.

However, the second half is a significant improvement. The screenplay is tighter, and while not all new characters add value, they at least bring some variety. It’s a relief to see moments that move beyond the constant violence, with more purposeful action and a clearer sense of direction than the first half. Overall, it just felt like he made the movie to cater to NTR’s star power.

NTR as Devara is a mixed bag, with his character poorly written. He appears fierce without clear motivation, and his sudden change of heart feels forced. Though he tries to breathe life into the role, his efforts only skim the surface. He’s much better as Vara, where he shines in better-scripted scenes, but I’d still argue he’s been underutilized.

Janhvi’s debut in Telugu films is brief, as she appears for barely 15 minutes. She plays the typical village belle, and while her performance is decent, it feels like a missed opportunity for deeper character development.

Saif Ali Khan delivers a strong performance, but his character is also weakly written. It’s puzzling to see such a talented actor like Shine Tom Chacko wasted. Srikanth and Prakash Raj are decent, but the rest of the cast is alright.

I expected Anirudh’s music to be a major asset, but it turned out to be a disappointment. While the Fear song is catchy, it didn’t fit the movie, and the background score was poorly mixed. Editing by Sreekar Prasad could have been much sharper, especially in the first half — scenes like the 10-minute ship loot could’ve been trimmed to avoid unnecessary cringe. Rathnavelu’s cinematography is solid, effectively showcasing Sabu Cyril’s production design, but at times, it was obvious we were looking at a set.

Is it worth your time and money?: Whether Devara is worth watching depends on your expectations. If you’re a fan of NTR Jr. and enjoy action-packed, larger-than-life dramas with star power, it might be an entertaining watch. However, if you’re looking for a fresh, well-crafted story with strong writing and character development, you may leave feeling underwhelmed.

Worth mention: NTR’s screen presence. 
 
Acting: 8/10

Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 6.5/10

Verdict: 7/10

I know I’ve complained quite a bit, but I’m giving it a 7 because, despite my disappointment with the overall package and its wasted potential, it wasn’t a truly bad film.

PS: Daavudi song isn’t there in the movie. 

Dishoom Canary Wharf | Restaurant Review

Place: Dishoom Canary Wharf
Location: 13 Water St, Food Wharf
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with wifey and our lil one)
On: Sunday, 18 August 2024

After a lovely summer day at Greenwich Park, we passed through Canary Wharf and decided to try Dishoom. Wifey had been to this location before and had great things to say, but I was a bit apprehensive, as I’ve always felt Dishoom is somewhat overhyped. To our surprise, we were seated in about ten minutes, despite expecting a long wait.

The restaurant is expansive, featuring two floors of seating overlooking the water. It boasts a warm, fine dining ambiance designed to evoke Bombay. We were seated on the ground floor, right in the center. I asked if we could sit on one of the sofas, but they informed us the table was reserved (though no one showed up the entire time we were there). I’m not sure if it was intentional, but there were many waiters moving around, and we couldn’t quite tell who was responsible for our table.

Wifey noted that the waiters usually ask if it’s your first time at Dishoom and provide an overview of the menu. I saw this happening at the next table, but not at ours. We went straight to ordering: we started with a Bun Maska Chai for Wifey, a portion of Okra Fries, and Grilled Malai Mushrooms, along with a Virgin Piña Colada for myself.

Hyderabad, the city we’re from, is famous for its Bun Maska Chai, so I was eager to try this one. The bun was soft with just the right amount of butter, though I found it a bit dry. The chai didn’t suit my taste, but wifey enjoyed it.

The service was quick, and the Piña Colada arrived shortly after — it was quite decent.

Wifey recommended the Okra Fries. The okra was fried to perfection and tasted great, though I thought it had a bit too much chaat masala. I was also unimpressed with the portion size.

Next came the mushrooms, which tasted good. I would have preferred a bit more malai, as some pieces were a little too dry, but overall, it was the best dish of the evening so far.

At this point, we weren’t very hungry, so we decided to order just two main courses: a portion of Paneer Tikka from the children’s menu for the lil one, and an Awadhi Jackfruit Biryani.

The Paneer Tikka, served with potatoes, slaw, and a glass of fruit juice, looked promising. However, it was very dry, and none of the condiments added enough moisture. The lil one had a couple of paneer pieces and called it a day!

We received a portion of fryums, though I wasn’t sure what they accompanied. I initially thought they were part of the biryani, but I noticed the table next to us ordered the same biryani and didn’t get any. We’re not ones to say no to fryums, so we enjoyed them anyway!

This was our first time trying Jackfruit Biryani, and it turned out to be really good. The jackfruit pieces were juicy, and the rice was perfectly cooked with a lovely flavor. A slight sweetness from the raisins and jackfruit added to the dish, which I really liked. While it was served with raita, I would have preferred a subtle gravy as an accompaniment.

Overall, it was a decent meal. While the mushrooms and biryani were good, the other dishes were forgettable. Additionally, the service felt chaotic at best, and it didn’t have the refined atmosphere of a fine dining restaurant. In summary, I still believe Dishoom is overhyped, especially considering there are many other restaurants in London offering better-tasting food. For one, I’d recommend Farzi London.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: £63

Verdict: 7/10

Saravana Bhavan – Harrow | Restaurant Review

Place: Saravana Bhavan
Location: 403 Alexandra Ave, Rayners Lane
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with wifey and our lil one)
On: Friday, 13 September 2024

Saravana Bhavan in Rayners Lane is a restaurant we visit quite often, and I’m surprised I haven’t written a review for it until now! On weekday evenings, we usually face a toss-up between this place, A2B, or MTR for dinner. Last weekend, on Friday, we found the restaurant packed around 7:00 PM. The waiting area was well managed, and it took about 15 minutes before we settled into our booth.

Saravana Bhavan offers the same menu across all their London branches, though prices vary. I typically choose the North Indian Thali, but this time wifey decided to try it while I ordered a Channa Batura. Our lil one, being five and having her unique tastes, wanted a Butter Naan with Mushroom-65 — a quirky combination, but we went with it.

Saravana Bhavan - Harrow | Channa Batura

The Channa Batura arrived first, in about ten minutes. It differs from the Chole Batura found in North Indian restaurants; the batura isn’t as puffy, and the channa has a distinct South Indian flavor that’s absolutely delicious. My only qualm is that the quantity of channa isn’t quite enough for two baturas, especially for someone like me who likes more curry with each bite.

We were informed that the mushroom and naan would take a while, so our lil one finished one of the baturas.

Saravana Bhavan - Harrow | North Indian Thali

The soup and spring roll for the Thali came shortly after. The soup was a vegetable broth with nice spice, while the spring rolls were crunchy and quite decent.

Saravana Bhavan - Harrow | North Indian Thali

Next came the Thali, which included Paneer Butter Masala, Channa Masala, Aloo Palak, and Kala Channa, accompanied by two chapathis, a bowl of biryani, Gulab Jamun, raita, salad, and papad (very similar to what Arya Bhavan offers, but at a lower price). The PBM had a lovely flavor, while the Channa Masala was milder than the one served with the Channa Batura. The other curries were decent, and the biryani was good as well.

Saravana Bhavan - Harrow | Butter Naan

The Butter Naan was soft and perfectly cooked, pairing wonderfully with the curries in the Thali.

Saravana Bhavan - Harrow | Mushroom-65

The Mushroom-65 arrived shortly after, and it was quite good. Deep-fried mushrooms tossed in spicy masala — what’s not to like?

Saravana Bhavan - Harrow | Cashew Pulao

Still feeling a bit hungry, we decided to order the Cashew Pulao. It arrived quickly and, in my opinion, was the best dish of the evening. The rice was perfectly seasoned and filled with just the right amount of cashews, making it incredibly flavorful. It even reminded me of my childhood favorite, Ghee Rice from Shanbhag in India.

Overall, it was a very good meal. Wifey prefers Saravana Bhavan over A2B, but I’m not particularly keen, as our previous experiences haven’t met my expectations. However, I must say that today was the best meal we’ve had during all our visits. The service is usually quick and friendly, and the prices are affordable. As the largest Indian restaurant chain in the world, franchises can make it challenging to maintain consistent taste, but this branch in Rayners Lane typically doesn’t disappoint.

Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: £33.15

Verdict: 8.5/10

Arya Bhavan – Wembley | Restaurant Review

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.

Arya Bhavan Wembley - Idli Vada

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.

Arya Bhavan Wembley - Ghee Uthapam

The Ghee Uthappam arrived next, and it was quite enjoyable. They also served a sweetcorn soup that came with my Thali, which was decent.

Arya Bhavan Wembley - North Indian Thali

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.

Arya Bhavan Wembley - Special Biryani

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.