Casual South Indian vegetarian dining at Saravanaa Bhavan
Date of visit: 10 February 2025
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Eating at a vegetarian chain restaurant might not sound like a very exciting prospect, but Saravanaa Bhavan serves some pretty decent South Indian food, at several locations in KL.
My first visit was a couple of years ago, shortly after arriving in town. My sister and her friend were over from Vancouver and we were walking around the Masjid Jamek area, hot and hungry. Saravanaa Bhavan was the first place that looked decent and had air-conditioning, so we gave it go.
My parotta - two very flaky flatbreads served with curried mashed potatoes and chickpeas, and a rich, creamy kurma - was delicious. I was less keen on the onion bajii, but the garlicky white sauce and dal that came with it were pretty good. My companions, meanwhile, were lapping up their dosas - massive, stuffed rice-and-lentil crepes served with a variety of chutneys.
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| Parotta |
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| Onion Bajii |
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| Dosa |
Service was friendly and they happily split the bill for us (a rarity in Malaysia). Mine came to RM25 (£4.18), including a freshly squeezed juice and service charge. Not the cheapest by local standards but not bank-breaking. Prices have, however, gone up a fair bit since then - more on that later. Our main quibbles were the wait times for the food and the lack of loo roll and soap in the bathroom.
We later discovered that Saravanaa Bhavan was a global franchise spanning 21 countries (with openings planned in five more countries, as of 2025). There were even branches in Surrey, British Columbia - my home province! - and London. (A friend in London reminded me that he had once suggested visiting the restaurant but I vetoed the idea because I didn't like South Indian food. Well, I've changed my mind about that!)
I recently returned to Saravanaa Bhavan with another Canadian in tow - my friend Trine, who lives in Japan. This time it was Brickfields we were wandering around in, hot and hungry.
After an eon perusing the massive menu, I settled on a Palak Paneer (RM21/£3.80) - fresh, soft cheese cooked with seasoned, puréed spinach. To accompany it I asked our waiter if they had 'roti canai', a popular Malaysian flatbread, even though it wasn't on the menu. He said yes - and brought the same flatbread I'd had two years ago, the Parotta (now RM1.50 more, at RM8/£1.45). Turns out that parotta arrived in Malaysia in the 19th century with Indian immigrants and became roti canai. The bread was as excellent as before and I enjoyed the paneer too, but the spinach tasted a bit funky.
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| Palak Paneer with Parotta |
I also had a Special Madras Coffee (RM7.20/£1.30). The waiter said it was just a normal filter coffee but it was so delicious I had two. They added sugar even though I hadn't asked for it, but it wasn't too sweet.
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| Special Madras Coffee |
Trine had a craving for aubergine but we couldn't find it on the menu, despite also searching for 'eggplant' and 'brinjal' (the Indian English term). Thinking this odd for a South Indian vegetarian restaurant, we consulted our waiter, who pointed to a dish called Baingan Bartha (RM17/£3.08) - minced, roasted aubergine sautéed with vegetables and herbs.
Keen to know what other aubergine dishes might be lurking in the menu, Trine probed for more information, at which point the waiter, English exhausted, roped in someone we supposed was the manager. But he too puzzled over the question. A couple of customers joined the fray, translating back and forth. After this lively interlude, the question was at last settled: there was only one aubergine dish on the menu after all.
Along with the baingan bartha, Trine ordered a Paneer Naan (RM14/£2.54), which had an unexpectedly mushy, orange filling, and a Watermelon Juice (RM11.50/£2.08) - all of which she pronounced to be delicious.
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| Baingan Bartha and Paneer Naan |
Our total bill came to RM83.42 (£15.11), including 6% service charge, which it was definitely on the expensive side for a casual dining experience, even in central KL. But the food was very satisfactory and the service good, despite the difficulties in communication. I would certainly come back if I was in the area and looking for a quick bite.
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