Benares
12a Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, W1J 6BS
Telephone: 020 7629 8886
Mayfair is, as everybody knows, one of the more exclusive areas of London, and within Mayfair, one of the more exclusive areas is Berkeley Square. This exclusivity dates back to the 18th Century, when the influential Kent family had their London house in the square, and other famous residents included Winston Churchill and Charles Rolls, the co-founder of Rolls Royce, and for those fans of Jeeves and Wooster, Bertie Wooster. In addition, it has one of the most exclusive private members clubs, Morton’s Club, reportedly the most haunted building in London. I am not so sure of the existence of ghosts, but one place that spirits are abound however, is at No.12a, where you will find Benares, the well deserved Michelin starred restaurant.
The front entrance is not flashy, in fact it is rather understated, but you feel a sense of elegancy which is enhanced once you scale the stairs to a low lit bar which wouldn’t be out of place in many of the slick and exclusive nightclubs in the area. The bar flanks the far wall, and there was a pleasant buzz of patrons happily partaking of a variety of cocktails before moving into the full restaurant for the main course. As I said there is a wide choice of cocktails, but Helen plumped for a Mumbai Martini, which incorporated vodka, ginger and curry leaves which gave an Indian twist to a global favourite, and I decided to try and revisit my travels around India when I was a student, and plumped for a Coconut and Pineapple Lassie (the ‘Indian Pina Colada’) which was as refreshing as it was flavoursome.
Having started the Indian theme, we mulled over the fact that Benares, under Atul Kotchar’s skilful guidance, had not just sailed in the London restaurant waters for over 10 years, it has thrived, and in this tough environment that is a notable achievement. It also points to a set up that moves with the times and continually updates its premises and also its menus. Here, Atul has looked to change the way people feel about Indian cuisine, from the garish patterned carpets and Chicken Tikka Masala and Pilao rice after a night out in the pub, to a fine dining experience where your taste buds are continually being challenged by the subtle spicing of varied and fresh ingredients. At Benares, there is a fusion of regional Indian flavours and spices and British ingredients that create a unique modern cuisine which, from hence forth, I will refer to as Brindian!
The menu, as in all good restaurants, concentrates on quality rather than quantity, so there are 9 appetisers and the same number of main dishes, but what caught my eye was the tasting menu of 7 dishes for £82 per person, which was showcasing dishes from the last 10 years. Perfect.
Before we set off on this tribute to 10 years, we happily made our way through some delightfully light and crispy popadums, ably complimented by Pineapple, Gooseberry and Tomato chutneys providing that sweet and sour contrast. The amuse bouche of Spinach and Apricot Tikki, was almost meaty, and was served with a slightly sweet pomegranate sauce which continued the explosions of tastes ably started by the variety of Chutneys. The next course is one of Atul’s signature dishes, the Karara Kekda Aur Seb, which is the Crispy Soft Shell Crab, Apple Relish, Scottish White Crab Meat and Coronation Slaw. The Crab fried in crispy batter was light and tasty, with just enough spice to enhance the crab taste rather than overpower it. The third dish was Murg Tiranga, consisting of three types of chicken,a chutney grilled fillet, a Tandoori Spring Onion and Saffron Supreme, and a Crispy Wing. This is where the true talents of a chef and their ingenuity comes in, as this dish is just perfectly set up. Firstly, there are the different textures of the chicken, one clean and light with a hint of spice, another harder and crispy. Then you have the ingenuity with a pipette sticking out of the chicken full of chutney to be squeezed into the centre so when you bite through the shell the flavours burst out, and finally, if that wasn’t enough, the dish is made up of the colours of the flag of India, with the Saffron, the white of the chicken, and the green chutney. Wow, and for the record it tasted amazing too!
It is truly hard to imagine how to follow this, but the treats just kept coming, especially in the form of the Tandoori Macchi. The Baked Salmon was soft and light resting on a bed of Spiced Vermicelli with a Hand picked Crab Croquette, (this is a new one on me too), and the most delightfully creamy smooth coconut sauce which worked so well with the spice of the vermicelli and the sweetness of the beetroot chutney accompanying it. It was about this time that I realised just why this restaurant has gone from strength to strength - it is the attention to detail and the marvellous combinations which you may not have thought of, but they just go together so well.
To cleanse the palate before the‘main course’ we received Nimbu Pani Sorbet, which was like having a frozen mohito with the mint, cumin and black salt combining perfectly to cleanse, not overpower. The main dish was Gosht Aur Keema Samosa, which consisted of generous slices of delightfully pink lamb in baby Spinach and Chickpea Masala with a Minced Shoulder Samosa. This was accompanied by Dahl Makhani, a lovely rich textured Dahl of black lentils, kidney beans and roti. Dessert was Bhapa Doi, which was a Rose and Raspberry Steamed Natural Yoghurt and Pistachio Burfi which was a perfect end to a true culinary journey through India.
We also chose the Captivating Wine Flight to accompany our meal ( £55 per person), which consisted of 5 glasses of wine that perfectly complimented the dishes served, and there is also a Prestigious Selection (£81) for those celebrating a special occasion.
I had heard Kochar’s reputation was based on his style being from North Western India, which is renown for its fierce flavours, and so I was concerned that I may be overwhelmed, but here he has created dishes of high quality and ingenuity with just enough heat to accompany and enhance the main ingredient rather than dominate it, and that is a true talent which I for one would return again and again for, and if you like Indian food then this is a must visit.
