benares

recently i visited benaras for dinner with a few friends. i was really excited as i had heard a lot about the place, and how amazing it is. upon entering, you are greeted by the hostess and are taken to your table. they serve papodoms with three sweet chutneys and gave us a complimentary khamand dish. we ordered paneer makhani, choley and baingan na bharta as side orders. the baingan ka bharta is delicious and so was the cheddar cheese kulcha. the presentation of the food is decent however the portions are very small. overall, theservicewas very good, the food was nice but slightly hyped and the ambience was really nice.

great tasting indian food in a fine dining space. the place is very posh and theserviceis of highest level. food is excellent but not your typical indian cuisine. very balanced dishes with nice plating. felt that the dishes are a bit overpriced though.

oh well, i always wanted to go here and finally i did. great location, average ambience, music is okay too. greatservicethough. very limited option if you are a chicken eater but you can ask for chicken tikka masala. they will make for you even though it’s not on the menu. go for good wine, but be prepared to be disappointed if you are an ardent indian food fan!

i went their and the overall experience was very warm and calm. i enjoyed my time with my family. i really loved theirserviceand ambiance.

indian/english infused cuisine. michelin star food, never had lobster biryani but now in love with it. this place isn’t obviously cheap but worth a go for a special occasion,servicewas good and the food was even better. we ended up spending around £86 per head with starter and mains, they offered complementary finger foods and even a some sweets at the end. again recommended for special occasions.

excellent food, greatserviceby lucy (she was very warm/ cheerful), great ambience and hospitable manager. all in all, benares isn’t just a restaurant but an experience, must visit for some of the best indian food in london.

i have been to benares twice and the level of consistency is accurate. the decor is basic. food andserviceare very good. they have two menus; a classic one and a fusion one. both are equally good. very good taste but nothing wow. does it worth a michelin star? i am not sure. probably it is the fusion part the got it the star.

fine dining indian fusion food
lovelyserviceand ambience of course
most authentic - chanas
butter chicken was exquisite and so was the lamb jus dish
awesome stuffed naan
daal was disappointing
desserts .. nothing exquisite except mango kulfi

cannot begin to explain how wonderful this restaurant is! a combination of great food, wonderfulserviceand a lovely ambiance creates possibly the most wonderful meal out ever. yes, it's not cheap but once you've been here, indian food will never be the same again. i've been here twice now, the first time i was suffering from the remnants of a cold so couldn't truly appreciate the delicious food. my boyfriend and i decided to pay benares a visit and i promise you, if you did the same, you would have such a happy tummy! my boyfriend has never been keen on indian food partially because the only indian food he's ever known is a greasy chicken korma and a piece of floppy naan. but benares is a different and more modern approach on the flavoursome spicy indian cuisine. i've been to india once a while ago and really enjoyed the food and have never found something in london that replicates those flavours and feelings. i highly doubted benares would, being a modern restaurant, yet something about the potato and pea samosa chaat took me back to eating samosas in paper in rajkot. call me crazy, i know. the food was very clever and i can't imagine ever being able to pair foods like that myself, who would've thought of mushrooms and kedgeree? not me! but it tasted so good! the wine pairings complimented the food wonderfully which made the experience much more enjoyable. we all know bad wine spoils a good evening. can't say i was a fan of the carrot and raisin halwa however. personally, i wasn't a fan of the pairing of the two ingredients especially with the mandarin ice cream. it just didn't work. but that's just me. i loved everything else and would highly recommend this restaurant! so much love benares x x x

benares is the brain child of celebrity chef, atul kochhar, the first indian chef to be awarded a coveted michelin star, whilst head chef at tamarind, and is located in the heart of mayfair. he's renowned for combining his heritage with his love for traditional british ingredients in order to create a unique and interesting indian cuisine.

on arrival, we were greeted by the doormen who opened the doors into a dimly lit reception area which was more reminiscent of a spa than a restaurant. the maitre d' took my name and a hostess led us upstairs to the restaurant, passing a beautiful, calming still water pond filled with exotic flowers at the top of the stairs. whilst the low-lit bar area was vibrant and stylish, the square shaped dining room itself was rather minimalist and lacked personality. our table was located in a smaller dining area towards the back of the larger dining room and unfortunately lacked any sort of atmosphere.

we were asked if we'd like to have a drink at the bar first, but given we were both famished, opted to have drinks at our table instead. as it was a night of celebrating, we headed straight for the drinks' menus so we could get to toasting my good news. the cocktail menu at benares is truly tantalising, taking inspiration from chef kochhar's innovative cuisine. indy ordered a rendezvous, a delicious blend of coconut cream, fresh passion fruit and lychee juice (he's tee-total at the mo!), whilst i went for a glass of one of my favourite champagnes, laurent perrier brut. we were also presented with a box of crispy poppadoms and a trio of dips, followed by an amuse bouche of cauliflower fritters and spicy mint sauce; a nice touch but a bit bland for our tastes.

as mentioned, atul kochhar's take on indian cuisine is a combination of his indian heritage and british ingredients and at benares he has created a menu marrying indian tastes with traditional english fare. opting to dine from the a la carte menu, we headed straight to the starters and were impressed with the variety on offer, ranging from pan-roasted scallops (we don't cook these at home!) to aloo chaat.

we decided to keep starters simple and started with the aloo kachaloo chaat, a warm salad of potatoes, crispy sweet potatoes and yoghurt foam. aloo chaat is one our favourite savoury snacks and we were looking forward to seeing kochhar's take on this traditional dish but unfortunately, we were left underwhelmed due to a lack of flavour and spice.

starters devoured we moved onto ordering our main course dishes. again we were impressed with the variety on offer which ranged from innovative seafood dishes to traditional tandoori chicken. as soon as indy spotted the tandoori murg, nothing else got a look in. an old classic, the tandoori murg was cooked to perfection; the chicken was succulent and the portion size was good. the mint chutney and summer salad were the perfect accompaniments to counter the spice.

also wanting something tandoori based, i went down the seafood route and ordered the tandoori macchi aur kekda, a dish comprising of baked organic salmon, scottish crab croquette, spiced vermicelli topped with a coconut and curry leaf sauce. the salmon was so tender and literally melted in my mouth with every bite. the coconut and curry leaf sauce was flavourful but not overbearing and didn't detract from the salmon's taste. i wasn't a fan of the croquette and found the flavours to be quite overpowering, but overall i really enjoyed my food.

we also ordered a side dish of punjabi chole - chickpeas cooked a spicy, tomato based sauce which was rich - and a side of garlic naan. in hindsight, given how the cuisine is contemporary indian, we didn't really need the naan as an accompaniment to our dishes and it ultimately went to waste.

by the end of mains we were well and truly stuffed with absolutely no intention of ordering dessert...until we saw the dessert menu that is. my eyes were immediately drawn to the dark chocolate mousse with passion fruit and hot chocolate sauce and having eyed it up on our neighbour's table, i knew exactly what i was ordering. not wanting to share with indy, i coaxed him into ordering the guanaja truffle with eve strawberry ice cream, another chocolate based dessert which i was convinced he'd enjoy.

the desserts arrived and i was presented with a plate of chocolate truffles with a congratulations message and a congratulations from our waitress - a really nice touch from the restaurant. the presentation of the other desserts was immaculate. the dark chocolate mousse was essentially a chocolate bomb which melted away when our waitress poured the hot chocolate sauce over it to reveal vanilla ice cream inside. the chocolate was deliciously rich and the strawberries and passion fruit jelly cubes helped to counter the richness. indy and i were literally fighting over this dessert and it was most certainly the highlight of our evening! (you can see a video of this dessert over on my instagram). the guanaja truffle with eve strawberry ice cream was also delicious. a truffle cake, made using guanaja, a dark, aromatic chocolate with a subtle coffee taste. the strawberry ice cream was a great accompaniment and helped to balance the cake's richness.

it's easy to see why atul kochhar maintained his michelin star when he opened benares. the cuisine is a blend of traditional indian flavours, anglicized to create unique tastes. however, i'm inclined to say that in some instances, the strength of the indian flavours are unfortunately lost.

the a la carte menu itself is quite pricey, with starters ranging from £13 - £23 and mains from £24 - £36. however, the restaurant does have a variety of dining options, including a two course (£29) and a three course (£39) set menu, giving you the chance to experience michelin starred dining for a fraction of the price. various other dining options include the chef's table, which gives an intimate view of the chefs and kitchen during theserviceand the sommelier's table, where guests are surrounded by some of the world's finest wines and champagnes.

whilst we really enjoyed our food and felt theservicefrom our waitress roxanne was impeccable, the atmosphere of the restaurant was really lacking for a mayfair restaurant on a friday evening. it was great that we managed to snag a last minute booking, but somewhere more upbeat may have been more suited to the occasion. that said, i'm happy we've ticked benares off our restaurant bucket list and recommend it to those who like contemporary and innovative indian cuisine.

the £35 set menu

benares is one of a handful of michelin stated indian restaurants that serve halal chicken and lamb. 

i ate from the set menu, available from certain times only. the 2 courses is £29. 
i choices where limited, me and my friend went for starters - mini lamb spiced cutlet and samosa, mint chutney. main course we both opted for the same thing - chargrilled chicken supreme, tikka masala sauce, spinach pulao and for deserts, we had rasmalai and chocolate and classic faluda kulfi, rose and mango. 

the lamb cutlet was tender, soft and lean. it was fused with deep tandoori flavours and spice. it also had a nice texture to it, with some nice burnt edges. it could of been a bit juicier and fattier. 

the main course was the chicken, the tikka masala sauce was rich in flavours and had a strong tomato undercurrent with a sweet after taste.

for drinks we both had a mojtio at £8.50.

all together the bill came to just under £100. 

theservicewas efficient but not as attentive as it could have been. we had to wait for 20mims after our drinks came before our food order was taken. im lost with why everyone is giving this place such high reviews - i was expecting better from the food, it was too simple. also theservicewas below par, slow and waiters very inattentive.  

it was an expensive meal and didn't really fill me up. there was certainly space for more. i've definitely had better indian food and a lot cheaper price. but you pay for the experience of eating at a michelin stated restaurant. 
it's worth a visit for a special occasion. 

food - 4
value - 2
service - 3.5
atmosphere - 3.5

my wife and i ate here and loved it.  theservicewas impeccable, the ambiance was delightful and the food was excellent.  my wife had the palak paneer and the samosas were delightful as well.

simply outstanding! everything was 10/10 -from location to presentation of food to decor.

all of the food was really lovely, beautifully served, subtly spiced and cooked to perfection.

i would recommend you try the tasting menu. it’s a fabulous way of tasting a wide range of indian dishes.

the restaurant decor is stunning and theserviceexceptional.

food is expensive you will be looking at approx 70 pounds per head but in my opinion worth every penny.

overall- a fantastic experience . 5* food and ambiance. yes, it is expensive, but it has a michelin star! can’t wait to go back.

fine dining in mayfair – curry for change at benares: my guilty secret – when i was first asked to get involved with curry for change, the restaurant that i really wanted to visit was benares.  i have been before, several years ago and loved it then.  now, with a slightly better understanding of indian fine dining, i really wanted to return and try some of the dishes.  and, since atul kochar is one of the longest standing supporters of curry for change, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.  if you chose to go during june you’ll be invited to leave a donation to curry for change.  and, if you want arriving in the lounge bar, everything seemed very familiar.  although benares is a michelin star restaurant it manages to seamlessly blend excellentservicewith a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.  i probably shouldn’t have tried one of their cocktails, but i have absolutely no regrets   in the main dining room we started to look through the menu.  as my companion, simon from by-invitation

firstly, i'm a huge fan of atul kutchar! this is the most inspiring indian food i have ever experienced - better than some of the special places i have experienced in mumbai and udaipur. theservicewe experienced was exceptional, while you never quite know who "your waiter" is, it really doesn't matter as the servers on hand anticipate your every need. their knowledge of the menu is world-class, telling you every ingredient, method used and the inspiration for each dish. my choice for starter was the soft-shell crab - the combination of flavours and textures were quite simply amazing. for main, the king prawn was beautifully spiced and left you with a lingering smokey flavour - my only wish would be for king prawns to be plated up. dessert was phenomenal ... in future, all my travel to london will be geared on ensuring there's time to visit benares again.