Saravana Bhavan, New York

In continuation of my previous post on Saravana Bhavan dinner yesterday, i should admit that the taste was authentic south Indian and it just transported me to Chennai for those 30 minutes that it took to finish my dinner. It was a typical Saravana's style dinner with items such as Sambar, Rasam, Kootu, Vatha Kuzhambu, Appalam, Payasam and rice. It was just about 8:30 PM when i opened the pack with lot of fondness, i realized that the quantity of rice was less. Especially for a south Indian like me whose staple diet is Rice in different forms for BreakFast, Lunch and Dinner, the quantity i felt was just peanuts. Also, the rice had become cold and hardened. So, i made rice myself and consumed all the items given with a reasonably large quantity of rice. The taste of the items was just the same as what you would expect in any of the Saravana restaurants back in Chennai. In Chennai, they have a centralised kitched from where most of the items (At least for a meal) would get transported from. I was wondering as to how these guys manage to bring their authentic Saravana taste to all the places they go, be it Singapore or New York. Myself and my daughter have always been a fan of Saravana. My daughter will not agree for a lunch or dinner in any of the hotels other than the HSB, Like wise, most of my cousins have tuned their taste buds to the taste of the HSB Masala Dosa and Sambar. When i called my cousin today to tell him about my tryst with the HSB in New York, he asked me to call later. The reason was that he was in Saravana Bhavan having a Masala Dosa in  and wanted to enjoy the Savor of the moment. Chennai or New York, that's the magic of HSB. I am sure you would agree.

Saravana Bhavan, New York

I have been trying out different restaurants in the last couple of weeks, here in New York. But none could satisfy the taste buds of a person who has been eating authentic south Indian food at Home and  restaurants like Saravana Bhavan   and Annalakshmi, back in Chennai. So today, i was determined to have my dinner in Saravana Bhavan. I had called my friend yesterday and had asked him the way to one of my favorite restaurants, the HSB. I was also longing for a good Filter Coffee so much last couple of weeks which was a granted back home. The Saravana's or HSB for short is located at the begining of the 28th Street in the Lexington Avenue, New York. I have got used to the concept of Avenues and Streets of Manhattan due to my commute to the Park Avenue office every day. But otherwise too, there should not be a problem finding a spot in New York with a bit of a direction sense, for the reason that Manhattan is very neatly divided into Avenues and Streets. If you know the Number, Street and Avenue, you can reach your destination without much help from others. I set out for my dinner errand at about 5 PM and headed straight to the 33rd street. From there, it was about a 20 minute walk to the HSB. The ambience was great with tamil songs being played to give a feel that you are in a hotel which is a hallmark in Chennai, though the place right now was New York. The place was clean and well organized except that the waiters could have been a bit more friendly rather than being mechanical, according to my judgement. I ordered a coffee as soon as i entered and could not have my dinner there as it was just quarter to six which is too early for my dinner. So, i ordered a takeway of a South Indian Meal to be consumed at home later. I then took a walk back to the subway station on Lexington to head back to my Hotel. I will post again about the taste of the food items. I plan to go there whenever possible, but will take a bit of time and effort. But anyway, Saravana Bhavan is a name thats worth the money and effort whether its Chennai or New York.

New York Times

I am once again (and again) in the US, this time in New York to work for a banking giant. But this seems to be an entirely different experience, No cars to travel, lot of walking on the roads and commuting by the Path and the subway. Its has been an tiring but exciting 3 weeks till now. New York is outright pacy and different than the other cities i have seen in the US. I stay in a place called Journal Square in Jersey City and travel to Mid Town Manhattan, where my office is. The commute takes about an hour and i change 3 trains to reach my office. Its Path which carries me from Journal Square to the 33rd Street. From there, i take the N or the R subway uptown trains headed for Queens to get down at Times Square. From Times Square, there are shuttles every minute to the Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. From the Grand Central Terminal, its a  five minute walk to the Lexington Avenue to reach my office in the Park Avenue. The significance of this journey i described is that the most visited tourist locations of the world are on my way. The empire state building is in the 34th street and sometimes in the evening back home from office, i take a walk back to 33rd street from my office only to see this engineering marvel. Grand Central is again a spot that you cannot miss for its architectural beauty. Thousands of people throng New York to see the places that i just mentioned, but it has turned out to be a visit to these place everyday for me. Its turning out to be a new and enriching experience for me here. Will keep you posted more on my life here as i experience.