Reviewer's Summary: Careless Service; Good Food; Excellent Badam Halwa
After decades of playing second fiddle to North Indian cuisine, South Indian cuisine is now starting to flex its muscles in the New York/Queens/Long Island region.
This trend can be seen in the profusion of new South Indian restaurants in Manhattan, Queens and Long Island lately.
New South Indian restaurants in the New York region include Sai Bhavan in Queens, Chennai and Tiffin Wallah in Manhattan and Vasanta Bhavan in Long Island.
Run by Tamilians from Mylapore (from the city of Chennai in South India), Vasanta Bhavan in Hicksville is the latest South Indian Restaurant we've visited.
Located near Delco Plaza on Broadway (Rt 107), Vasanta Bhavan is primarily a South Indian Vegetarian restaurant although its menu lists a few North Indian curries like Aloo Mutter, Mutter Paneer and Palak Paneer.
During our recent visit to this two-month old restaurant, we let our taste buds roam across a variety of South Indian specialities such as Idli, Vada, Mysore Masala Dosa, Bisebela Bath, Vegetable Chettinad, Masala Vada, Chakkarai Pongal, Badam Halwa and Filter Coffee.
Our perennial favorite Mysore Masala Dosa ($6.95) came with Mint, Tomato and Coconut Chutneys and Sambar made from Drumstick, Carrot and Eggplant.
Vasanta Bhavan's Mysore Masala Dosa was big, crisp and tasty with a large onion-potato curry filling and evenly smeared masala paste inside. The potato filling was a little bland but the spicy masala paste amply compensated for it.
Mint and Tomato Chutneys were fresh and spicy. Coconut Chutney although fresh was rather bland. Sambar that accompanied the Mysore Masala Dosa was heavenly with nice aroma and taste. However, the quantity of Sambar was too little for the big Mysore Masala Dosa.
Our order of Idli-Vada combo ($3.95) came with one Idli and one Vada besides Mint, Tomato and Coconut Chutneys and that same fine Sambar. Idli was light, hot and tasty with Chutneys as well as with Sambar. Crisp and yummy, Medhu Vada with black pepper seeds and green chillies was a sheer delight to these tired travelers.
Bisibela Bath ($6.95) was served with one crisp fried papadum and onion-tomato raita. A speciality from the South Indian state of Karnataka, Bisibela Bath - a combination of rice, lentils, vegetables, tamarind and spices - was just awesome. Vasanta Bhavan's Bisibela Bath is perhaps one of the best in the New York/New Jersey area.
We hit another jackpot with Vegetable Chettinad ($7.95), a curry we've had at several restaurants, both in the U.S. and India. With just the right proportion of black pepper and other spices, Vasanta Bhavan's Vegetable Chettinad bestows intense flavors and lavish favors on diners.
One irritating note was that the quantity of rice accompanying Vegetable Chettinad was way too little.
That Vasanta Bhavan's kitchen wasn't flop-proof was cruelly demonstrated by its Masala Vada ($3.95).
You see, Masala Vada is an item that is seldom part of an Indian restaurant's menu in the U.S. Most restaurants offer Medu Vada. So when we saw Masala Vada listed on Vasanta Bhavan's menu, we ordered it pronto. Little did we know the disappointment awaiting us.
Slightly salty and way too crispy, Vasanta Bhavan's Masala Vada was a caricature of the real Masala Vada. It was so crispy that it started breaking into tiny pieces when we tried a bite. Masala Vada like Idli-Vada combo and Dosa came with Sambar, Mint, Tomato and Coconut Chutneys.
Vasanta Bhavan's Filter Coffee dealt us another nasty blow. It had too little decoction and too much milk. The sprinkling of Instant Coffee powder on top of the Coffee did not add to the flavor. For extraordinary South Indian Coffee, visit Madras Cafe in Manhattan's East Village.
Our choice of desserts included Badam Halwa ($4.95) and Chakkarai Pongal ($4.95). While Vasanta Bhavan's Badam Halwa was gorgeous with right amount of ghee and almonds, Chakkarai Pongal was a bit high on both cardamom flavor and sweetness. If you are clamoring for good Chakkarai Pongal you might want to visit Tanjore on Rt 1 in North Brunswick, NJ.
While Vasanta Bhavan gets mostly high marks for its food, service at this Hicksville restaurant could be a lot better.
Our waiter Joseph, who hails from Bombay, was careless.
When we walked in, the restaurant was empty but Joseph didn't notice us at all until we repeatedly made a loud noise because he was seated facing the kitchen rather than the restaurant entrance. Although, Joseph filled the water glasses promptly and removed the used plates quickly, he made several mistakes in our bill.
We were charged for Gobi Manchurian ($5.95) which we never ordered but not charged for Bisibela Bath ($6.95) or Filter Coffee ($2.95). Of course mistakes happen when there is a crowd, but mistakes that occur when we are the sole diners in the restaurant suggest carelessness.
Also, there was no toilet paper roll in the restaurant's restroom. Maybe, Vasanta Bhavan is pioneering a new trend called BYOT - Bring Your Own Toilet-Paper!
Although it serves decent food, Vasanta Bhavan is not likely to find the going easy. Besides the service issues, the restaurant faces stiff competition not only from established South Indian restaurants like Dosa Diner but also from new restaurants like Diwan, which is less than a mile down the road.
Also, absence of a Lunch Buffet on weekdays at Vasanta Bhavan may hurt it because both Dosa Diner and Diwan offer Lunch Buffets every day. - © Rekha Inc.
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Vasanta Bhavan responds on April 10, 2008 to NYIndia.us review:
Hello,
I am writing to you regarding a review of Vasanta Bhavan, Hicksville that I read on your website.
My name is Viji, and I own the restaurant with my husband Ravi. First of all, I wanted to thank you for your honest feedback about your visit to my restaurant. You have mentioned many good things about our food, and this definitely helps a new business. Especially given the competition in the area by restaurants that have been in the industry for many, many years.
Like any new business, we have made mistakes in the past, and any positive criticism is always something we take into consideration and improve upon. Your feedback on some of our menu items, as well as the place have been duly noted by us.
It's going to be a year in June since we started the restaurant. For computer professionals like us, and with no background in the food industry, to start this place has been quite an experience, where we learn something new everyday. We would love for you to come back and try our restaurant again. I am forwarding this invitation, not for you to change your review, but to give us a feedback on what you think of my restaurant now.
Please feel free to contact me directly at this email address with your feedback.
Thanks
Viji
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