A true culinary fusion, Milaanj at The Beehive has something delicious to satisfy everyone's appetite, specialising in contemporary British Indian fusion. There are unique flavour pairings with bright colours and fresh flowers, British staples, Indian dishes and comforting classics. Milaanj, the word itself, is a fusion of two words that both mean to meet and mix – taking Hindi and French words.
At the helm is owner Ruchi, whose career spans a wealth of experience covering the catering industry, live cooking workshops, teaching, and a renowned luxury spa resort. Naturally, chefs pride themselves on using the freshest ingredients that they can muster, with a focus on using the very best cooking techniques.
First on the menu are the small bites, including homemade samosas with a mix of fillings, a nargisi kofta, which is Milaanj's take on a Scotch egg, and gram flour battered and fried fish. Elsewhere, starters offer the likes of coriander and caraway cured trout gravlax cured with caviar and pickled cucumber, hand-dived Orkney scallops in balchao sauce, and Awadhi lamb kebabs with saffron yoghurt and sago crackers.
Elsewhere, main courses offer up cornfed chicken royale with beetroot chutney and curry veloute, Indo-Chinese soy and ginger glazed cauliflower, and day boat Cornish whiting fish and chips with curry sauce. We also like the look of the chef specials. Think silky and creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup with Granny Smith apple and onion pakoda, moilee Cornish cod with onion bhaji crisp and rice noodles, and six hour slow cooked lamb shank. As for pudding, there's a CocoPine delight which is made with sous vide spiced ananas, crumble, yuzu and berry gel and coconut kulfi, a traditional sticky toffee pudding, pumpkin and orange baked Alaska, and a chocolate marquise with honeycomb, black soil, kirsch cherries and orange sorbet.