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.
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.
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.
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.
The Butter Naan was soft and perfectly cooked, pairing wonderfully with the curries in the Thali.
The Mushroom-65 arrived shortly after, and it was quite good. Deep-fried mushrooms tossed in spicy masala — what’s not to like?
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
