When planning our holiday to
Fuerteventura and London in January/February 2016 we wanted to try a Michelin
stared restaurant during our full day in London. We had three favorites and had
to make a decision. We studied the menus and decided to book a table for lunch
at Benares.
The chef patron is Atul Kochhar and his
restaurant Benares holds 1* Michelin star.
The restaurant is named after the
spiritual capital of India, Varanasi, which was also called Benares.
Benares is located at Berkeley Square in
the Berkeley Square House which offers an unassuming façade for this grand
restaurant.
Reception is located on the ground floor
as well as the cloak room. We were greeted with a warm Namaste and brought
upstairs to the dining room. It was divided into a larger space with a bar,
private dining and a smaller, quieter room. We were in the furthest most
private section and appreciated it.
At first there weren’t many fellow
diners. It picked up and by the time we left each table was taken in the
restaurant which created a good buzz.
The design was sultry with low lightning
and photographs of Varanasi on the walls which added a touch of originality and
authenticity.
One waiter was designated to us. He took
our order and also made recommendations.
We decided to have a three course meal
with Jing Tea Pairing, a bottle of water and two cocktails.
A greeting from the kitchen were mini
poppadoms with different chutneys. We liked the slightly spicy one best out of
the three on offer.
The first tea was a Jing Jasmine Silver
Needle Cold Infusion. As the description implied it was served cold and was
nicely refreshing.
Our starters were Paneer and Black
Quinoa Croquettes with a Walnut Sesame Chutney and the Tandoori Lemongrass
Infused Corn Fed Poussin with a Young Leafy Salad.
The textures of the croquettes were
interesting and the chutney added nice flavors. The poussin was an excellent
choice with the flavors very subtle, but satisfying.
The tea served was a Lemongrass and
Ginger Hot Infusion. It was one of our favorites and paired perfectly well with
the appetizers. It reminded us of teas we have enjoyed in Thailand for example.
Our main courses were chargrilled
Cauliflower and Broccoli with Tomato, Fenugreek Gravy. The cauliflower and
broccoli were on the one side tender, but had a good bite too. The spice mix
made it exciting.
The matching tea and our favorite was
the Nilgiri Frost and was a black tea. It had very good flavors and rounded up
our meal to wonderful effect.
Our desserts were Rose Panna Cotta with
Peppered Strawberry and Carrot Halwa and Cake with Mandarin Ice Cream. It was
accompanied by Masala Chai. The chai was a surprise. We had previous
experiences with chai and they came normally with milk. This one didn’t. The
spices were subtle and it was very enjoyable.
The desserts were colorful, lavish and
light. Our waiter was very well aware of our allergies and dietary requirements
and advised us, that my fiancé shouldn’t try my dessert because it contained
raisins. We had been in e-mail contact before about our needs, so we didn’t
have to mention them during our meal again. This was very impressive in our
eyes.
Our cocktails (one alcoholic, the other
non-alcoholic) were served after our meal. He had the Cherry Kiss containing
Wyborowa Vodka shaken with muddled Maraschino cherries, Visciolata Cherry Wine,
Paan Liquor, Passion fruit Puree and Gomme Syrup. My Winter’s Dream included
lemon grass, lemon juice, rose syrup, lychee juice and homemade orange bitters.
We liked the presentation and flavors of the cocktails. We would want them to
try again, they’re superb.
An older gentleman from the neighboring
table was intrigued and wanted to know about the cocktails we enjoyed. He also
ordered my fiancé’s poussin and when it arrived the waiter told him: “Here is
your chicken.” We were a bit surprised by the visit and the “chicken”.
Before it was time for the invoice we
received petite fours. They were inspired by Valentine’s Day, since it was the
next day and our lunch visit was part of the Valentine’s weekend. We loved
them.
The bill was 140.57 GBP (ca. 177.90 Euro
or ca. 199.70 USD).
Our meal exceeded our expectations and
was totally different from the Indian cuisine we are normally used to. We would
return again.
©2016
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