Benares

Unfortunately my experience last night was bery disappointing.

We were left waiting until 10pm for our table. When the food did arrive it was not what we ordered and was not very good.
The staff was rude and disrespectful.

I took my staff out for a christmas. One of my staff is a white middle-aged male. The manager assumed that he was the boss and proceeded to discuss the bill with him. Also we had ordered Dhal which never appeared.

Despite it not being served it was on the bill when I inspoected it.
After enquiring I was told “my staff had left it on the bench and forgot to serve. I did not bring it because I saw you were already nearly finished…”

Very disappointing evening. This is one restaurant which I thought would be really good. However I left with the impression of being ripped off after having paid nearly £600 for a very mediocre standard of food and unfriendly service.

Unfortunately a friend and I did not enjoy the experience. We went there for a weekday lunch with a time slot of 2.5hrs. However it took 45 mins between the staff seating us and getting the drinks, and may I add, none too pleasantly. We stuck to the ‘platter’ menu as we were now short on time, and we finally did get to the food about 25mins before we had to leave, and had no time for desert. Food itself was a huge disappointment, fusion attempt was amateurish. May have been an offer but as a result will not go back for the tasting menu.
Excellent cocktails however.

Lunch at Benares was a very enjoyable experience. It began with the welcome on the ground floor. I have had better welcomes on previous visits but this went the through the processes, although the usual warmth was sadly lacking. We were shown to our table in the corner, which gave a very good view of the restaurant. The decor is very restful and the use of dark wood and light walls makes it feel very homely and relaxing. We chose to have the platter menu. My meat platter offered 3 different types of meat. An excellent soup served along with pilau rice and naan. It was very good and quite filling. My partner chose the fish platter and I am told that of the 3 different fish offerings the sea bass was quite wonderful. We both enjoyed a rose petal flavoured desert. It was very subtle in flavour, light and delicious. The bill with the addition of a very good mango lassi and mineral water was less than £40 each, including service. Overall a very good experience to be repeated before too long. They just need to fix the welcoming.

Simply quite incredible food and service. A definite must!

After watching Atul Kochhar on Saturday Live many times and liking what he does, I snapped up an offer of a 3-course (starter, side, and main picked from a la carte menu), coffee and petit fours for £40. Sometimes special offers can fall flat, particularly in restaurants who secretly feel they are below doing ‘offers’. But not so Benares. Only the lobster was excluded or available for a £10 supplement. Based on special offer I was on, value is 10/10. At a la carte prices, I would probably give it 8 out of 10.

The service was excellent. Staff was exceedingly polite and informed. My companion felt that the place lacked atmosphere, but I didn't agree though granted the ambience was not striking. The decor is modern and gently luxurious. Though it was only about 20% full when we ate (special offers eat early!), I didn't feel that it was clinical. Had nice gentle buzz and NO horrible loud music drowning out conversation.

We ordered the crisp soft shell crab, spring roll, apple & peanut salad; and fennel lamb chop, chicken tikka and mustard king prawn platter to start. I had the crab, which was delicately spiced and delicious. Tried piece of my friend's chicken and it was moist and equally tasty.

For mains and sides we had beetroot marinated tandoori king prawn, celeriac puree, pickled red cabbage; braised lamb shank, punjabi chickpea, gold leaf; courgettes tossed in Goan spice; and yellow lentil. Again, everything was well spiced and cooked with good, fresh ingredients. The portions were good size. Not so much king prawns as giant prawns and the lamb shanks was falling off the bone. We also had a side of rice. Everything was polished off.

If you go scanning for the usual chicken vindaloo variety, you will be disappointed. The spicing is not over-powering, so if you want a chilli kick, this is not the place for you. If you want to enjoy modern Indian food in a contemporary environment then this is the place for you.

So would I go back and pay full price? Yes, I think I would.

As you enter the restaurant we were greeted in Hindi by no less than 3 people! The restaurant was modern in theme yet retained a traditional Indian feel, with a pond feature in the bar area and good use of wood and stonework on the walls. Service started well with an offering of mini popadoms and a selection of sauces, all quite tasty. For starters we had Lamb cutlets and swordfish, both were well cooked and delicately seasoned unlike traditional Indian cooking. This for me was a positive as this modern take on Indian cuisine shows the versatility that food from this region offers. For mains we had pan fried cod accompanied by cabbage with a mango sauce and pan fried chicken with a kind of chick pea salad. Both again were very tasty and well executed. Presentation was excellent and again the flavours were there without being overpowering. To round the meal off we had Kulfi and a raspberry éclair served with a ginger basil sorbet. The kulfi was creamy and full of flavour, quite a simple and traditional desert, however was done really well. The éclair was fine but didn’t excite. The sorbet shot was clever but didn’t quite work as it was very sweet and was unnecessary. Overall, a fabulous experience from start to finish. Having sampled the best Indian/Pakistani cuisine has to offer around the country, I felt Benares did not fail to impress. Some would argue this is not Indian cooking but I would disagree giving Benares two thumbs up!

Could Atul Kochhar match the subtle spicing of a lamb cutlet second time around, I wondered after booking a table at Benares? Most definitely….and not just spices were clever but textures too.

Softshell crab was a superb opening dish for me, as was rabbit which both I and my co-diner thought divine. Although lamb wasn’t chosen this time, Monkfish was recommended without falter and I was utterly pleased that it had been – the flavours lived on in my memory for longer than average. Steamed basmati rice separated like grains of sand running through fingers and was the best I had encountered. Duck main didn’t quite do it for me, but then that wasn’t my main course choice.

Décor was slightly suspect with plaster-of-paris panel design on walls, but otherwise a pleasant space, and with food this good, surroundings were of little consequence. Showing an interest in the food and the chef’s skill, we were asked if we would like to meet Mr Kochhar, which marked the occasion neatly. Compliments about his food were met with humble response and in that short encounter, he seemed like a pretty decent person who deserves the recognition he gets.

In 2010, considering we were in a Michelin starred Mayfair restaurant on a Tuesday evening, £120 (a la carte) for two people including a couple of glasses of wine, water and beer seemed pretty good value to me.

The welcome at Benares is warm, you are escorted from the ground floor to take a drink in their very cool bar with excellent cocktails and then handed over to the restaurant where you are yet again, very well looked after. The menu is very interesting with a ‘Classics’ section – Rogan Josh, Chicken Makhani and marinated Lamb Chops, to European dishes such as Roast Lamb on Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas and the more contemporary Indian dishes for which it fames. It has a comprehensive Wine list, helpful Sommelier and incredibly attentive, friendly service. Nothing wrong, except for the prices. Main courses at £45 and tasting menus up to £143 would make even a Hedge Fund manager's eyes water. These are Mayfair expense account prices and if you are fortunate enough to have one then go, however, despite the unquestionably good food you can get a lot more bang for your buck elsewhere.

save your money and go to your local tandori!! its ok but not worth the money, i had deep fried soft shell crab to start which had been overcooked, and just dumped on some salade. so instead of being a nice brown crispy colour was near black, tasted horrible and the chicken curry i had was no better than my local, i dont know what all the fuss is about …£150 for a curry, no thanks, i'll stick to my local for £30!! service was good, restuarant is nothing special, has no wow factor and for that money it should!

my husband and i really enjoyed this place. we had pre dinner cocktails that were lovely and the bar staff were very friendly. we even had a platter with our cocktail which small but yummy. we sat down for dinner chose our wine and meal everything came out on time we weren't interupted for too long. the food was all to die for. it was a little cramped and i would have liked to have a bit more space – however my husband and i could have a conversation with the food and drink flowing without feeling rushed or having to wait.

22/02/09. So I had to go to London again , this time for a Monday meeting . I took the opportunity to go early on Sunday in my own time, allowing me again to sample a nice lunch. I opted for Benares, the One Michelin starred restaurant of Atol Kochhar, the Indian chef you may well have seen on tv (Great British Menu & Saturday Kitchen) . (It has 2 "h"s on his website!) (note: this was not a claimable work expense!) & (my collection of stars is growing)
Sunday Lunch booking 13:30 hours – train was 9 mins late into Kings Cross giving me 23 mins to get to Green Park on the tube including 5 minutes walk. I arrived 13:28.
With a prestigious Mayfair location on Berkeley Square, (didn't hear the nightingale!) it promises much. The slick entrance (Next to a Rolls Royce and Bentley Showroom – no prices = can't afford) sees you greeted pleasantly, (coats and bags taken to cloakroom & ticketed), before being led up the stairs to the bar, past the pond with floating flowers, and to the restaurant (both windowless) , the lighting is subdued and subtle in the bar, where, if you arrived in good time, you can relax with a cocktail or two. I declined and was shown to my table. The restaurant also has subdued lighting but “spots” over each table enable you to see well enough. Most of the staff appear to be from the sub-continent, dressed in black, with seniority seeming to be indicated by an orange tie. Although the Maitre D' seemed French, with jacket too. The menus (A la carte, prix fixe and wine) were presented, and a quartered open box with mini poppadums and square plate with four square pots of homemade chutneys, (tomato, cucumber, apple and I can't remember the other). A la carte dishes range starters 6 to 12 pounds, mains 12 to 24 pounds, desserts as starters. I opted for the prix fixe at £24.95 three courses including a glass of house wine, I chose a glass of red. .(at time of writing last week of February 09 the menu was as displayed on the website) Though it didn't mention the “extras” as detailed below.
An “amuse bouche” arrived, a gram flour mousse with balsamic vinegar (1cm orangey coloured cube of something so subtly spiced I couldn't detect a flavour, drizzled with a drop of balsamic and topped with a small herb leaf and not very light anyway) It didn't amuse my bouche and the plate was only moved aside to accommodate my starter! Next my starter of choice, semolina crusted chicken fillets, with a tomato/chilli dressing, garlic oil and wild rocket (arugala). Hot and tasty, though nothing too outstanding , something any quality restaurant could do! Although the menu said slow cooked lamb breast ( I chose this to compare with my previous review of Arbutus) but my main course plate arrived with a good slice and a half of leg joint (can't compare) sauced with a masala, with a prefecly cooked large brightly green floret of brocolli, and “ROGAN” ? fettucini (this had slivers of red & green pepper, onion, a tomato based sauce, flavoured with fenugreek and sesame oil i think). This did slightly take over the delicate masala flavour of the sauce on the lamb, but was overall very good and good sized portion, especially as a light and crisp fresh naan bread (approx 6inch diameter) was served alongside.
a “dried” hot towel pellet is presented on a small slate plate, hot water poured over so it expands ( I refrain from comparisons!)
A “pre-dessert” arrived. I'm unsure if this would have arrived if I hadn't ordered dessert, but it was a shot glass with a delicious mango sorbet, topped with a yoghurt foam, swiftly followed by Raspberry Cheesecake, with a lime and cardomom sorbet (couldn't taste the cardomom and the sorbet was melting as I watched) – Nice creamy with a sharp jelly top, base average, but it had a side of pistachio crumb, and a small raspberry jelly too No problem really. My individual cafetiere arrived with four “petit fours” (I could have had tea), enough for two good cups of coffee to finish.
Overall this was a different Sunday lunch, spiced. If you want to have something more akin to the Indian roots then go for the a la carte menu, but quality, service, surroundings and atmosphere are top notch. (Compare what you pay for your bog standard local carvery for just a main plate – approx 6.95 – 12-95 estimate – add a starter, dessert and a few drinks and then £28 for top quality is not unreasonable)
Foe me, no real problems with the service , I would have been happy refilling my own glass but may have had to wait too long if I relied on the staff, and my starter arrived so quickly it seemed they had one ready, and they neglected to clear the amuse bouche plate from the side , (restaurant was half full when I left – approx 30 customers and a private party of approx ten in a side room) but a table near me didn't get their drinks in time, and another wasn't too happy with a biryani but the matter was swiftly rectified and all happy.
My bill including 12.5% service was £28.12. Excellent value for a different Michelin starred lunch. Oh – my tap water was free but bottled water is £4.25 for 750ml of something from Kent.

Any restaurant that has a doorman is taking itself quite seriously and Benares certainly takes what it does very seriously. Serious and well dressed staff are there to check you have a reservation, relieve you of unwanted coats and baggage and give your dress code the once over. The entrance up a wide staircase into a large lounge and bar is very dramatic. Its a big restaurant that doesn't feel big, and the atmostphere is buzzy but noise levels are not intrusive. The food was uniformely good, fabulous big fresh flavours. The mark ups on the wine list are a bit eye watering and its a bit tradional. The service was courteous and attentive, personally I am not a fan of the “ I will just remind you what you have ordered, run through the key ingredients and how its all been put together ” school of service but hey.
Good for times when you want to be taken seriously and are prepared to pay the price, bad for if you want plate sized popadoms and chicken tikka masala.

After all of Atul's TV coverage I was expecting this to be an excellent experience, but unfortunately it was a big dissapointment. The service was fairly slapdash and we had a particularly bad sommelier. The food was variable and the maincourse portions were too big. I was expecting big things but in the end I wish I'd gone Whitechapel for a curry.

I've been to Benares twice now, with a friend and with my parents and both times, its not displeased me at all. Service is well timed and pleasant and there is an air of groomed professionalism about the staff that is quite refreshing. With delicious fish dishes such as the coconut seabass, you can see why in such a short time it has gained Michellin star status. The menu does let down a little on desserts but by the time you have gone through your tasty starter and main course it is a small if not unoticed complaint. the staff also go the extra mile to explain dishes carefully and pick up on reasons for dining. We were rather surprised when the waiter came out with a dessert finished with a sparkler, during my visit with my parents, only to learn he had overheard it was their anniversary. Rather sweet. The decor and style of the restaurant is quite glamorous too in black and white and although stark at first grows on you. Only little snag I noticed is the noise levels do get a little high at times, something to do with the acoustics but by no means a limiter to your experience.