To be fair, I'm in no gastronomical position to review this Michelin starred restaurant. I would call this more of an appreciation post, and if you ever do have a spare £200 or so, you could spend it here, if you are persuaded (invite me along please) . I doubt I'll ever get to go to Benares again, let alone afford it, but for sure I will always remember the quality of the service and the food. It was due to this reason I didn't take any pictures, this is not a picture-taking restaurant. We were greeted at the restaurant by a very attentive staff, offering water (£4 a bottle yikes) and mini-poppadoms with ginger, pineapple and tomato chutneys. Once we decided on our drinks; I had a passion fruit martini, we chose our courses for the evening. To start I had a what I can only describe as mackerel disguised as a piece of art; laying on a crisp naan, with fried onion and radish slices, a free range spiced scrambled egg and a coriander puree. This was followed by 'lamb rogan josh' with a lamb samosa, PURPLE crushed potatoes with peas and broad beans. I then had a cheeky dessert; rose and raspberry bhapa doi (like a creamier panna cotta) with pistachio burfi (marzipan-esque). All this was finished off with a selection of Indian sweets, which I LOVED and I wish I could have taken a bag full home; rice flour cookies, chocolate pistachio nougat and a raspberry jelly.
Some reviews have not been so kind to Benares, but for me, this was an absolute treat. My lamb was cooked to perfection and the balance of spices in each dish were perfect. My only criticism is that I didn't enjoy the pickled artichoke in my main course, it was much to salty, but that may be down to personal choice. Overall, I highly enjoyed this meal, despite it's pricey standards and I wish I could go again. Maybe some day...
No comments:
Post a Comment