It’s hard to know where to begin with Benares. This iconic, Michelin starred restaurant in London's Berkeley Square has remained one of my personal favourites for many years. With Indian cuisine being my one of my most desired cuisines, I am certainly not easy to impress when it comes to Indian food; however Benares really does fail to disappoint. With continued innovation over the years, I was thrilled to be visiting again to indulge in their current menu; with the only challenge being deciding what to order from the menu, as so many of their dishes are so tempting! We did, however, eventually managed to decide after much thought and debate.
To begin our evening, we started with an aperitif. My partner enjoyed a glass of the Thiénot Rosé Brut, whilst I chose the Passion Fruit Chutney Martini, which is a combination of house made passion fruit chutney, Wyborowa vodka, fresh lemon juice and sugar, finished with a dash of passion fruit juice. This cocktail was sharp and fruity and incredibly moreish, I was suitably impressed.
For our appetisers, I opted for the Tandoori Ratan, which is a fine selection of chargrilled sea bass, chicken tikka, ajwaini king prawn and lamb seekh kebab. This selection was perfectly cooked, wonderfully presented and each mouthful was full of the most beautiful rich flavours. My partner chose the Chana Pakodi Chaat to start, which saw black fried chickpea dumplings served with textures of chickpeas. The textures and flavours were intricate and complemented each other very well, making for a wonderful dish.
“I am certainly not easy to impress when it comes to Indian food; however Benares really does fail to disappoint.”
For our main courses, my partner chose the Hiran Ke Pasande, which saw New Forest venison served with kale and chestnut mushrooms in a biryani and chocolate curry. This dish was actually featured on Masterchef, and we realised very quickly why - it’s a triumph of flavours which we are only too happy to enjoy. I chose the Changezi Chaapein, which is three of the most succulent smoked tandoori lamb cutlets, served with sautéed autumnal vegetables, complete with Rogan jus. As side dishes, we chose the Benares signature dal makhani, the palak paneer, spinach puree with paneer, and the pulao aromatic spiced rice which complimented our choices wonderfully well.
During our meal, we also decided to sample a couple of cocktails from Benares’ impressive cocktail menu. I chose the Bollywood, which is mixed with Wyborowa Vodka shaken with fresh raspberries, Aperol, vanilla and freshly squeezed lemon juice, topped with Champagne; and my partner decided on the Green Spice Martini, which saw Wyborowa vodka shaken over a coriander and cumin syrup, fresh root ginger, fresh lemon juice and elderflower cordial, garnished with a piquant dehydrated red chilli, ginger and coriander leaves. These cocktails were wonderfully crafted and absolutely divine.
Sadly we couldn't manage dessert, as we couldn't hold ourselves back from over indulging. This is a mistake we regret, however we will certainly be back and will not make this mistake again. We couldn’t recommend Benares highly enough to anyone with a penchant for Indian cuisine. We simply cannot wait to return.
The Bill: £125 per head
