Benares

We met Atul Kochhar over a year ago at his book signing. We loved the food from his cookbook, and wanted to see if the food lived up to its reputation. I am please to report that I am pleased indeed.

Food

We had the pre-theatre menu, which was perfect as there were three of us and three choices for each course. We started off with some mini papadoms and chutneys, which were very mild. The amuse was Potato and Leek Soup, and while not spectacular, it did demonstrate the blending of Eastern and Western influences in the food. For the main event:

• Beetroot Carpaccio with Cranberry Foam and Mixed Fruit Jelly - looked spectacular, with its bright orange and purple juxtaposition. The sauce was subtle and paired nicely with the beetroot, with a delicate salad on top.
• Pepper and Fennel Crusted Squid Salad - the squid was lightly coated and cooked well, with the flesh accentuated by the bitey salad.
• Tandoor Cooked Salmon Fillets with Spiced Gazpacho Salsa - you can definitely taste the smoked tandoor flavour. Simple and fresh.
• Savoy Dolmas with a Fenugreek Flavoured Concasse and Sour Cream - I love the sauce of this dish. It is perhaps the most “Indian” of the dish. It demonstrates the ingenious use of spices. The potato mixture underneath the cabbage shows that the kitchen can do the basics well.
• Pan Fried King Fish Steaks with Chilly-Garlic Mash and Nilgiri Sauce - they ran out of kingfish so we got sea bass instead – and had to endure the mushy tastelessness of the flesh. At least the coconuty sauce made it bearable.
• Saffron Scented Chicken Supremes with a Leek Risotto and Makhani Sauce - again, nicely smoked chicken, but the risotto lacked any sort of oomph.
• Naan - very nice…not much else to say really.
• White Chocolate Mousse with Banana Basil Sorbet - I didn’t enjoy this at all. The white chocolate was too sweet, and how that went with the banana sorbet beats me.
• Allspice Poached Winter Fruits with Vanilla Ice Cream - my favourite dessert by a mile, the poached fruit benefited immensely with the beautiful, slightly spicy sauce.
• Mango Kulfi - not that much mango flavour, otherwise very standard kulfi

We ended the meal with some Fresh Mint Tea and also a standard showing of Petit Fours, which included Cinnamon Biscuit, Jelly, Banana Éclair, Chocolate Pistachio Fudge.

Rating - 7.5

Atmosphere

The décor is very posh – and certainly much nicer than Tamarind’s, dark walls with intricate wood panels. The space is huge, with a main dining hall and also several sections that would be great for large groups. We dined at 6pm for the pre-theatre menu offer, and there were quite a few tables celebrating birthdays. At 7pm exactly they dimmed the lights, and people who were fancily dressed started arriving.

Rating - 2

Service

Cordial and polite, not quite the attentiveness you usually get at a Michelin Star place. At least they actually empty a whole bottle of still water before they remove it from the table.

Rating - 3.5

C-factor

£24.95 for three courses, a glass of wine, tea and petit fours, not bad if you can get it.

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 14

Info

12A Berkeley Square House
Berkeley Square
London
W1J 6BS
Phone +44 (0) 20 7629 8886
Website