Benares

Before we first went to Benares, nearly a year ago, I did some research, looking at user review sites, to see what other people thought. Mostly they seemed to be impressed, but I did notice a few bad reviews. Obviously I paid special attention to these, but I soon realised that they weren’t applicable to me. I’ll explain why.

The bad reviews came into two categories. The first category, was “people who were comparing Benares to other top class Michelin star restaurants in London or otherwise”, and thought that Benares was not as good as Tamarind, or Claridges, or The Ivy. This gave me my first reference point. The opinions of people who are able to compare between such venues are of no interest to me, as their expectations will be so much higher than my own, and their desire to put down what others deem to be of a quality, too great. I read them with interest, but didn’t let them sway my judgement.

The second category was “people who are so up themselves, they are not my sort of people”. It’s not so much a category, as a single review, where their entire enjoyment of a meal appeared to be dependant on the fact that when they asked for finger bowls, they were given hot towels! The opinion of people, who would complain about such a thing (in person at the time, and on the review site afterwards,) is of little interest to me, other than to satisfy my own sense of being a normal and rational member of society, who although appreciative of the ability to clean one’s hands is not going to get upset over the manner in which they are cleaned.

I fall into a third category, and I think you should know about this prior to reading my review, so you know if my judgement is of any interest to you. If you would insist on finger bowls, then enjoy my prose, but possibly don’t blame me if I recommend you give Benares your patronage, and they don’t meet your expectations.

My normal eating out is certainly of a higher class than many. I can’t remember the last time McDonalds, KFC, or Burger King (or their poor imitations) passed my lips, but the wife and I will often go to Wagamama, Pizza Express, or if we are in the vicinity, the excellent Mangosteen off Carnaby St is a veritable favourite. The curry houses of Brick Lane and our local Italian restaurants in Tooting have also never so far let us down. If we spend £40 between us on dinner for two, it was because we were really hungry, or shared a bottle of wine, or occasionally both. It is not unknown for our bill to be under £15 if we just want a main and a glass of water.

The occasion for our first visit to Benares was our first wedding anniversary. In April last year, Atul Kutcher had received his Michelin Star, his recipes in the Great British Menu and on Saturday Kitchen had got us excited, and his ability and willingness to make vegetarian food and put it on the menu sealed the deal. What helped too was a superb looking set menu, available lunchtimes and early dinner (until 18.30 I believe) which comprised of 3 courses, various extras, and a glass of wine for £29.99 each. The addition of two glasses of champagne, and the ubiquitous service charge left our final bill just short of 3 figures, but worth every penny.

We returned to celebrate my 31st birthday, although that was just an excuse to go back once they (finally) changed the set menu. I’m guessing it is an attempt to lure people back in following the new year lull, but the changes to the menu meant the price had dropped to £24.99 for the 3 courses, and the only thing apparently missing was that mineral water wasn’t included, where it was before.

I’ll take you through the food, translating the menu from its original menuspeak (I’m not a professional at this…) into Davespeak.

We arrived at about 5 to 12, and the restaurant was still being prepared. We were sat down in the bar, given a bowl of complementary spicy nuts, and asked if we wanted drinks (we declined, knowing the wine with the meal would suffice).

Soon enough we were seated in the corner of the restaurant, and provided with menus, wine list and mini poppadoms and chutneys (tomato, gooseberry, chilli, and lime). I won’t repeat myself too much, but I’ll tell you now – everything we ate was the finest example of such a thing we’d ever had. My starter was Lemon Thyme Infused Pollack Cakes with Cucumber Pachadi. Lisa’s Grilled Artichoke Salad with Chat Masala Vinaigrette was amazing too. A generous glass of white wine arrived at this point too (red and sparkling were options).

Main courses of Tandoor Cooked Chicken Supreme with Chestnut Kedegree (rice) for me, and Pickled Pumpkin Risotto with Grilled Portobello Mushroom for Lisa, with a tikka type sauce on both, was accompanied by the lightest, tastiest naan bread.

The most spectacular hot towels we had ever seen arrived once we’d finished our mains, looking like two breath mints on a double tea light holder, the waiter poured boiling water over them, and they expanded upwards to about 3 times their original height into perfect hot damp towels. (Seeing our delight the maitre d’ slipped us a couple as we left!)

Our desserts were worthy of photography, however my telephone’s photography was not worthy of our desserts – see below for the pictures I took. Lisa’s Assortment of Kulfis – mango, pistachio and lychee, complete with flower petals, and my Star Anise Scented Orange Jelly with French Meringue, were almost too beautiful to demolish with spoons, but we did anyway.

Coffee and petit fours followed, (tea would have been allowed) and the meal was complete. Total bill, £60 (we forgot that mineral water wasn’t included) including service charge, which was a delight to pay, as the staff were perfect – attentive without being oppressive, there when you needed them, and invisible when you didn’t, and able to answer important questions (is there gelatine in Dave’s dessert, or will Lisa expect him to share it?) when required.

Obviously, it was all of an extremely high standard, but we were only eating off the set menu, we didn’t explore the £32 Lobster tails, or the £400 bottles of Krystal and Krug, but we left perfectly full (dinner in the evening was cheese on toast!) and certainly satisfied. The nature of the meal got me thinking about value for money, as I often do, so I’ve done some research into what the equivalent courses would have cost at Pizza Express – size of stomach not being a factor – I doubt I’d be able to eat all the below at one sitting.

    Pizza Express    Price    Benares

Intro    Noci        1.95    poppadoms/chutneys

Starter    Bruschetta        3.65    Fish Cakes

Main    American Pizza    7.70     Chicken Curry

Side    Garlic Bread    2.10    Nan

Dessert    Toffee fudge glory    4.35    Orange Jelly

Coffee    Filter coffee        1.75    Coffee

Wine    175ml Chardonnay    3.80    Glass Sauvignon Blanc

Total             25.30

It kind of makes eating at the best restaurant I’ve ever eaten at seem a totally sensible and reasonably priced thing to do. Next time you are in Mayfair (Maybe browsing the Rolls Royce dealership next door) and you want a £25quid lunch – see if Benares has a table available…
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evergrowingbrain
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Me and my partner decided to go down to Benares recently as a treat as we had seen Atul Kocher on the TV and was very impressed by the look of his food.

The setting itself was small yet very cosy, the modern decor looked good although we did feel a little cramped.

We were sat near the bar to wait for our dinner and decided to try cocktails from the impressive cocktail menu, they were delicious and reasonably priced (I chose the elderflower marguerita and it was delicious).

We opted for the grazing menu at £65 per head, you can pay extra if you wish to have a selection of wines included to compliment the set menu but as we were on a budget we decided to opt for a less pricey bottle of wine from the drinks menu. The food itself was stunning, small portions but I found myself savouring every morsel of food. Highlights for me included the rump of lamb on a bed of chickpeas (tender and succulent), the crab rillet (mmm) and the unusual lavender yoghurt cake (different and delicious).

Now to the negatives. We were booked in at 9pm and did not leave till way past midnight. Between the first course and second we were left waiting almost an hour, staff were apologetic but for a michelin star eaterie I expect perfection. I was offered no compensation and took my own initiative and infomed them I would not be paying the whopping 12.5% dicretional gratuity which they seemed to be fine about.

Overall I would reccomend this resturant, the quality of the food is worth the eperience alone.

I do think it needs to tighten up on the service received if it is to retain its michelin star. Compared to the Savoy who also has a single michelin star, it is lagging way behind and mr Kocher should really take note of this...
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Ms C Pullen
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, January 20, 2008

Me and my husband went to Benares at the weekend for what we thought would be a treat. Unfortunately, we were both utterly disappointed.

Although the location and decor were nice, the food (which is the most important part) was an absolute let down. We had the mixed grill and potato cakes for starters. The mixed grill was nice but no different to a mixed grill anywhere else. The potato cakes were distinctly bland and incredibly flavourless. The only bit of flavour came from the two dabbles of sauce on the side.

This was followed by the Chicken Stew and Roe Deer for mains. What can I say? Bland, bland, bland. The chicken stew was basically boiled chicken with coconut sauce and boiled rice. No stew in sight. And absolutely flavourless. It was so bad my husband had to request some salt from the waiter just to give it some taste.

I had the roe deer. I had asked for Medium but ended up with Medium-rare. Again, the deer was without flavour. The only taste came from the sauce underneath the deer, but the deer itself had been cooked without any marinade at all. The risotto was equally as bland.

The food was so bad that neither of us could bear to finish it. In fact, we noticed that the man sitting next to us had also ordered the chicken 'stew' and he also left half of it in the plate.

The staff were not of a standard expected from a Michelin-starred restaurant. At no point after any of our meals were served did anyone approach us and ask if everything was fine. Nobody asked us if the food was ok or if we needed anything else. Even after taking away our half full plates, nobody asked us if we had enjoyed the meal.

We then had to wait over half an hour to get someone's attention to ask for the bill. We even knocked off half the service charge and still, nobody asked us what the problem was.

Considering the price, the food was awful. How on earth did this restaurant get a Michelin-Star? Compared to other Micheline-starred restaurants, this fairs very lowly indeed.

As for being an Indian restaurant - well, me and my husband are both Asians and having eaten Indian food most of our lives, we can safely state that the food served here is not at all Indian in anyway - ingredients, taste or even the way it looks.

Our advice is to stay away unless you want to pay ALOT for really bland food.
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N Akhtar
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, January 08, 2008

I recently moved down to London and Benares was top of my 'Restaurants I must try' list. My husband and I went for a special dinner before Christmas and we were very disappointed. The service was not as good as I expected of a restaurant of that standard. I ordered champagne when I sat down at the table and was still waiting for it 15 mins later - when I asked about it I was told it hadn't been ordered by the waiter. We were only given the a la carte menu, there was no mention of the Christmas menus that was on their web site or any tasting menu. Starters: scallops were well cooked but the grape and ginger dressing really didn't add much to the scallops, the dish was nothing special. I had the spring rolls with lamb salad, the salad was good, the filling for the spring rolls was a strange consistancy and not a nice taste. I did enjoy my main course of grouper, it was moist and the marinade was delicious and, although spicy, didn't drown the taste of the fish. My husband had the lamb chops which he said were very good. I had bread and butter pud which was ok. As I say the whole experience left me disappointed it is certainly not 'one of the finest restaurants in London', if you go there expecting that I think you may also be disappointed but you will still have to pay the finest prices!!
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Deirdre
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Thursday, December 27, 2007

A meal for two on a return visit to Benares lived up to expectations in 99% of respects lat Friday evening.

We were warmly welcomed at reception, our coats and parcels were stowed away efficiently and courteously, and we were warned that the bar was very busy, so given the choice of whether to go straight to our table. In the event there was a table available in the bar, and we started with a Margharita and a bottle of Billecart-Salmon NV.

I was interested in purchasing some of the Benares candles and was given plenty of assistance with smelling and choosing (decided on Mimosa and Basil) We were also given lots of time and assistance with our menu choices by the Manager who took our order. We opted to share the prawn main course as a starter between us. and both felt this worked very well, absolutely huge prawns, with complex, but not overpowering spicing. We accompanied this with a basket of breads.

My main of Bass with ginger and coconut came with an aubergine accompaniment, and was delicious. My partner's lobster was fine, but didn't quite live up to expectations, perhaps because the yoghurt rice that comes with it is served cold, which seemed odd, and although he enjoyed it, he wouldn't choose the same again.

As we're not big eaters, we'd had enough food, and so retired back to the bar to linger over another bottle of Billecart....obviously this bumped the bill up significantly, but was worth it!

The bar and restaurant were buzzing, very busy, but not cramped or rushed. Service was efficient, polite and friendly, nothing was too much trouble - it was a great atmosphere and we will be planning to go back again.
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GL - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 13, 2007

A few friends and myself went to Benares on a Saturday night in mid November, and all I can say is that we were very dissapointed.

There was no room to sit and have a drink prior to the meal, the wine waiter forgot to take everyones drink orders. The waiter who served us was rude and arrogant and didnt seam to appreciate that one of the party had an allergy to a food substance and therefore didnt want it in their food! Some items that were on the menu were not available.

Unfortunately it went on, the meals came out, which were warm, not hot and they had forgotten to cook one main course (they did however knock the price of the meal off the bill) When it came to paying the bill, we didnt pay the service charge. This was noted by the staff who could be seen to be muttering to each other. Not one of them came over to ask what the problem had been with the meal.

The food itself although nice was not exceptional by any standard. I had booked the restaurant on the beleif that I would get the same quality of food and service I have had from other Michelin Stared Restaurants. This was definately not the case on this occasion.

I dont know if we just went on a bad night, but I certainly wouldnt recommend this restaurant to anyone, and I certainly will not be returning, there are other Michelin stared restaurants in the rest of the UK that offer exceptional food and service for the same price that Benares charge.
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Duncan
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 0
Friday, December 07, 2007

My partner and I had a lovely evening at Benares Restaurant last night. Staff were very attentive and the flavor combination of the food fantastic! I would definitely recommend Benares to anyone.
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Mary Jane - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, November 08, 2007

I went to Benares last night; it was a very enjoyable experience. The food was great particularly the roasted spiced Roe Deer with the pumpkin risotto. The waiting staff was lovely and professional.

Benares is expensive but it is the price for the top quality. A great location and a perfect evening out.

I find some of the reviewers very nasty and clueless about good Indian food.
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Juliana
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, November 08, 2007

Last week I took a friend to Benares. Here are my comments.

Door man was polite and reception was extremely efficient. They were impressive in dealing with us. We were smoothly escorted to the bar, greeted and seated. Bar has fantastic atmosphere. Drink was very good and cocktails are inventive and creative - but spot on - when it comes to impress people.

We were moved to our table after are pre-dinner drinks - transition was smooth. Staff looked happy and comfortable. Food was very impressive. It was not what I had expected - Curry. Food was creative and very artistic in presentations and flavours. We had threee course meal and each course was better than last one. Desserts were very impressive. Wine waitress was very helpful - she guided us through the new Indian food to help us on our selection. At no point she was overbearing or trying to sell expensive wine to us- that was very refreshing.

Lady Manager on duty was very courteous and polite. She kept a keen eye on the tables and the place was very busy.

All I can say, we paid £148 for two with service - it was worth my money. The place is not overbearing, its relaxed and it has its own pace. For me - this has been a great experience.
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smithpaulamit - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

I connot believe all the bad reviews Benares is getting. I have been going there with my husband for the past four years and we have always had fantastic service and wonderful food.

Sure their menu has changed a fair bit in recent months, but if you have watched Chef Atul Kochhar rise in the cullinary world you would see that he has become more and more british in his thinking and style and he is great at creating a fusion between his tradtional indian style and modern british ingredients.

You can go have a curry at so many local places any day of the week but you dont get to have this kind of food and flavours anywhere else. (I am shocked to read that people compare this place to a local curry house, its a far cry!)

Yes, i agree its expensive, but the decor is opulent, relaxing and beautiful. When will people understand that in london restaurants of this standard you pay not only for food and service but also for the whole experience or package?

I love Atul's food and what he has done for Indian cuisine in this country and will defintely keep on going back as often as i can afford to.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, November 06, 2007