Adyar Ananda Bhavan Melbourne (A2B Melbourne) — Restaurant in Melbourne

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Visit 3 to A2B Springvale/Melbourne

I visited A2B Springvale for the third time, and once again, it was an experience that left my heart full and taste buds dancing.

By 11:15am, the place was packed. I felt truly blessed when a table for four opened up just as I walked in—with no one ahead of me, I got lucky.

Then, as if guided by the universe, I was greeted by the ever-familiar face of Ms. Saraswathi—her radiant smile, her pottu (bindi), and that divine presence that makes her feel like a Goddess straight from a serene town in South India. She recognised me immediately and, with the warmth and authority of someone from my own family, exclaimed it had been a couple of years since I last visited. “So good to see you,” she said—and I truly felt seen.

If only she knew what I had endured over the past couple of years. In truth, I almost cancelled the catch-up with my friends today, but I couldn’t bring myself to break their heart by cancelling. So I went with a heavy heart while holding back my tears. Now, I’m so thankful I came.

From the moment I sat down until the moment we left, Ms. Saraswathi and the incredible team in their signature blue uniforms (the same wonderful women I’ve seen during my previous visits) provided the kind of customer service that is increasingly rare: attentive, thoughtful, and genuinely heartfelt. They remembered me—and made me feel like I was coming home (or home away from home).They constantly checked on our table and refilled as we finished our curries and rice.

One of my friends is vegan, and while the staff in yellow and black uniforms (they appear to be new and in training) were the ones taking orders with tablets, they weren’t able to assist with my questions about vegan options or help with my takeaway order. However, Ms. Saraswathi stepped in each time, noticed when I needed clarification, gently corrected the trainee, and ensured everything was perfect and assisted with my takeaway order—even though the place was absolutely heaving with customers and people queuing for tables.

Despite the crowd, we were never rushed. We were cared for.

Ms. Saraswathi also mentioned that A2B has opened a new branch in Clyde and invited me to visit—but I had to honestly tell her: “Thanks, but no thanks.” I would rather drive all the way from Lilydale to Springvale because of how deeply welcomed and at home I was made to feel here.

And the food? As always—absolutely divine. I had the South Indian Thali, which has been different every time I’ve visited over the years. Each curry had its own texture, taste, and use of fresh, authentic ingredients. It felt like a home-cooked meal lovingly prepared in a traditional kitchen. I didn’t miss meat at all—it was beyond satisfying.

I want to express my gratitude to the entire team (including the chef's), especially the hardworking ladies in blue who kept pace with younger staff on a bustling Saturday afternoon. If I had a million dollars, I would have tipped Ms. Saraswathi and the team without a second thought.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I received a warm, heartfelt hug from Ms. Saraswathi before I left. If only she knew was that one innocent hug meant to me, especially today.

This—this is what true hospitality looks like.

If I could, I’d award a gold star and the highest recognition for excellence to Ms. Saraswathi for her leadership, grace, customer service, and unwavering patience.

🙏 Thank you for the food. 🙏 Thank you for making me feel welcome. 🙏 Thank you for your kindness, generous time, and genuine care.

Thank you...

Let me preface this review with some well-deserved praise. The variety offered here is truly commendable. A veritable symphony of Indian cuisine and sweets, beautifully laid out, almost as if the buffet itself were auditioning for a magazine cover. From laddus to jalebis, from dosas to gravies, the sheer range is enough to make the average indecisive diner freeze like a Windows 95 computer on low RAM. So yes, credit where credit is due , your menu design team has excelled.

Now, I ordered the North Indian Meal. What arrived was a modest yet serviceable platter. One slice of naan, preemptively cut into three smaller pieces. Possibly to create the illusion of quantity through geometry. One fair portion of rice, neither overwhelming nor underwhelming. One spherical unit of gulab jamun, which I must admit was pleasant, albeit gone in three seconds. The three included curries were palak mushroom, paneer butter masala, and dal. All three were acceptable. None offended me, none astonished me. Functional. Edible. Safe.

However, the elephant in the dining room was the absence of customer choice. Why, in the name of democracy and digestive autonomy, can diners not choose their own curries? This is not an exam. I did not come here to accept whatever is handed out like mystery meat at a 1950s boarding school. What if someone has allergies? Or a deeply rooted hatred of mushrooms that stems from a traumatic childhood garden incident? When I raised this very reasonable question to the manager, he responded with a level of evasiveness rivaled only by politicians under oath. Then he left. Not metaphorically. Literally. He walked away, possibly to escape the gravitational pull of accountability.

Let us now discuss the rose milk. I was optimistic. Rose milk is meant to evoke nostalgia, calm the senses, and ideally not taste like perfumed water filtered through despair. This version was weak in both flavor and authenticity. And six dollars for that quantity? Let us just say I have seen more generous pours in overpriced airport lounges.

Now, to be clear, this restaurant is not bad. It is mediocre. A middle-of-the-road venue still figuring itself out. Like a sitcom in season one before the writers decide which character becomes the breakout star. There is nothing catastrophically wrong. But there is a great deal of room for improvement, particularly in customer flexibility, beverage quality, and response to dietary needs.

That being said, I am not banishing this place from my orbit. I would visit again perhaps occasionally, ideally when I have time to spare, and the patience to accept preset curries without protest. The filter coffee, by the way, was excellent. A rare moment of triumph. If that coffee were a person, I would invite it to sit with me and discuss my phd research.

In conclusion, A2B, you are not a disaster. You are a work in progress. Keep the sweets, polish the mains, empower your customers, and please train your manager to engage in verbal communication before teleporting away...

We have South Indian (Telugu) roots, and we were told about this Tamil institution's opening by friends who have traditional Tamilian tastes in food. We arrived with high expectations... In short, i's better than Sara Vana Bhavan, so perhaps it's one of the best south Indian restaurants in Melbourne. But, overall it falls short of the true Indian experience (in Tamil Nadu).

Perhaps we are flawed for having expectations that a restaurant in Melbourne could match Tamil Nadu in flavours. This is disappointing because other international cities have excellent South Indian fare (e.g. London or NYC).

Of the dishes we tried, we liked the ghee podi Idli (gun powder tasty, yet not fiery; generous slathering of ghee) and the onion rava dosa. Most dishes came with 3 chutneys (coconut, tomato and mint). Only the coconut was tasty, although even this was on the sweeter side. The tomato was a little bitter and the mint was more of a nod to a nth Indian mint chutney than one from Sth India. Condiments are very important to Sth Indian food where they deserve almost as much attention as the main courses as they significantly elevated humble idlis and plain dosas...and here they felt like an after thought.

They are settling in and have a few teething problems. E.g. we ordered a rava dosa as a part of our order. Everything else arrived swiftly within minutes of the order. We enquired 20-30mins after with a waiter who went to check...and she never communicated back to us re: whether it's on its way or not. Another 10-15 mins went by with us sitting idle where we asked another waiter who advised that the chef was about to start preparing the dosa. Nevertheless, it arrived and it was tasty.

The other thing that bothers me with the current dire state of Sth Indian restaurants in Melbourne is the utter lack of style. There are many reminders of it at A2B whether it's in the decor or use of melamine tableware (why not stick to more hard wearing and sustainable stainless steel?!) Or neon colouring or the 2-3m posters advertising poori or jalebi?🤷🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

I would give them a 3.5, and I am hopeful that they will improve their service and...