Sri Vasantha Bhavan, now Raya — Restaurant in Dublin

EDIT: My previous 5 start rating was from 2019. The place today has gone downhill. I was reluctant to believe the poor reviews and I must say they are true.

I placed a pick up order of four items and here is how every 3 out of the 4 item were terrible.

PANIYARAM: Made will stale old oil, the strong of bad oil was strong - this made the dish both unappetizing and extremely unhealthy FILTER COFFEE: Wasnt part of my pick up, I had to come back and remind them that they missed it and they gave it to me with zero apology for their behaviour IDIYAPAM: Highlight of the day. This is the one I was most looking forward too. The dish is supposed to be brown rice idiyappam with coconut milk. I particularly got it to try the brown rice version, what I received was plain regular white rice. Being diabetic, I couldnt have it so I called them about it the next day. The person was absolutely hilarious in his levels of customer service - he was rude, interrogative, acted as if brown and white rice are the same and these differences will happen and I shouldnt ask for a refund. He finally did after I stood my ground, but it was terrible to see how they deal with such situations.

I think management has changed, I used to adore this place, we travelled from San Jose on several occasions to dine here. I enjoyed meeting the owners back then and loved the quality they maintained. Its a pathetic shell of what it was. STAY AWAY! There are better places in the area.

2019:

Amazing South Indian food in a super hygienic and extremely friendly atmosphere.

We have been coming from San Jose several times just to dine here. The variety and quality of food has consistently been fantastic.

Highly recommend the...

Today we visited Sri Vasantha Bhavan in Dublin. It is a pure vegetarian restaurant located in a small strip mall. Parking is adequate.

We ordered Mini Tiffin and Thali.

It is a travesty to call call it Mini tiffin as it is more like a Mega tiffin consisting of small Masala Dosa, One idly, One Medu vada, One bowl of Upma, Pongal and sweet and having sambar, Coconut and Onion Chutney as accompaniment. The mini dosa is also a very decent size and can be called mini only in comparison with regular size order of dosa. I have posted photo and you can see for yourself. Idly, Upma and Pongal are very good and dosa is excellent. Medu Vada, I prefer it more crispier, but then it is an individual taste. Sambar and Coconut chutney are good, but it is worth mentioning that I have had better. Upma was very soft and well cooked and dripped with ghee, just the way I like it. The sweet dish was excellent. The quantity is more than enough for one person. We could not finish and had to take home few of the dishes.

Thali is a grand accompaniment of 12 dishes that make it a grand feast. Sweet, sambar, rasam, avial, poriyal, kara kuzhambu, veg kurma, Puri, steamed white rice, yogurt, papad & pickle . Here everything is A grade and if you like traditional simple South Indian meal, you will love this. While the meal is limited, but they will ask you if you need anything else and will happily serve you extra with a smile on their face.

Service is outstanding, They go out of their way to make you feel great.

We would visit again here. Our best wishes for the...

Giveaway Alert Sri Vasantha Bhavan is celebrating Women's History Month this March. Friday breakfast is FREE for all women and 20% off on all menu items during weekdays!

Edit: They have a $5 Dosa and Idli offer going on until end of December 2024. Complimentary Chai is included. Grab this fantastic offer now!

We visited for Sunday brunch and discovered this offer. Food was exceptionally good, with a wide variety of items on the after-breakfast menu starting from 11.30 am.

• In Dosas we tried Onion Rava Dosa, Ghee Roast Dosa and Gongura Spicy Dosa. All recommended. Loved the crispiness and size of the offerings.

• Gongura Dosa has a layer of green paste generously smeared inside, which is a bit salty. Check with them before you order. Otherwise, delicious if you want to try something different!

• Kaima Idly was another interesting find. These are fried idly pieces sautèd in a tomato gravy with onions and capsicum pieces. Served with dahi raita to balance the spicyness. Give it a try.

• Thali was one of the best we tried. Every item was cooked to perfection and left us licking our fingers.

• Don't miss the delicious filter coffee served in beautiful looking glasses.

• Chutneys and Sambhar have a very inviting taste.

We got a chance to chat with the owner, and we absolutely loved his dedication to serve the customers.

The food quality has improved a lot compared to the covid phase. I very much recommend visiting this restaurant.

Check out the posted pictures and reels on my Instagram page...