Benares

For my birthday, PJ took me to Benares. I have wanted to come here for ages as I had heard very good things about this upscale modern Indian restaurant from Atul Kochhar. It's in Berkeley square in Green Park (one of London's most exclusive areas) and you immediately know it, with door porters and a posh members' club type atmosphere on entry (I hope our names are on the list...).

We started with a cocktail in the bar. As you would expect, most of the cocktails are Asian twists on classics such as Martini with cardamon etc. Drinks we about £13 each, not cheap but we were in one of the most expensive areas of the world and they were good and strong.

We opted for the Grazing menu as we wanted to try as many different things as possible (£75 each).

Amuse Bouche was a deep fried, well spiced potato ball. It was very light and served with a coriander chutney. I could eat ten of these with a couple of beers.

Each course was a trio of little bites. First up was Prawns Pickled with Indian Five Spice, Curry Leaf and Tarragon Infused Lobster Rillet, Confit Duck Terrine with Orange Jelly. My favourite was the picked prawn. I finished it quickly but found myself going back to crunch on the prawn tail to extract every last little bit of flavour.  Everything is expertly spiced and nothing overpowers the main ingredient. A real eye opener to how spices should be used.

Tandoori Monkfish Tail with Squid Ink Mayonnaise. Juicy, meaty and as always perfectly spiced.

Chilli and Garlic Marinated Chicken Tikka. The chicken was the most tender chicken I have ever tasted. I am not sure how they did this (maybe the chicken is cooked in a gentle water bath before being pummelled in the intense heat of the tandoor?).

Tandoor Roasted Pidgeon with Vanilla Beetroot. This was a little tough after eating the chicken and the fish but still delicious.

Naan bread with sweet honey. PJ raved about these. 

Between each course of three dishes you get given some hand towels. These ones are pretty cool though and come to the table in a dish, looking like antacids. The waiter then pours water over the top and the hot towel uncurls in front of you. Novel and amusing. A nice touch.

Pan Fried Sea Bass with Kadhai Mushrooms. Oh yes this dish was fantastic.  It was served with a spiced potato mash which mopped up the sweet chutney. A real treat.

Seared Tiger Prawn with Celeriac Puree. Again I have nothing but praise. The prawn was big and juicy with the crust gave a spicy charred flavour which worked well with the sweet celeriac. Who knew curry and celeriac worked?

Spiced Lamb Kofta with Punjabi Chickpeas, Rogan  Jus. The lamb I think had been passed through a sieve which gave it an odd, extreme softness. I think this dish would be better by keeping the texture more in line with what the diner would expect from lamb.

I am not a huge dessert man and you can tell from the fact that I forgot to take pictures!  We had Pear Sorbet, Star Anise Infused Dark Chocolate Mousse and a Poached William Pear. We liked the poached pear the best. In general though we felt that the dessert and the petit four (which I managed to remember to take a picture of below) lacked the Asian influence we wanted. Don't get me wrong they were good, but were in my opinion not in the same league as the savouries.

Benares is everything I expected with a small note to work on the desserts (why not serve up a mini jalabi for example?). An elegant atmosphere and eye opening delicious Indian food. I felt very spoiled. Thanks PJ.

Monster Munch Rating: 85%

Benares
12 a Berkeley Square House
Berkeley Square
London
W1J 6BS

0207 629 8886
http://www.benaresrestaurant.com/

Fish Fragrant Aubergine

This is a recipe I got from the excellent Fuchsia Dunlop - land of plenty. If you are into Sichuan food I thoroughly recommend this book. I have tweaked a few bits to my liking. Enjoy.

2 x aubergines, regular i.e. non Asian ones are fine
1.5 x table spoons of Pixian Chilli Bean Paste
3 x table spoons minced ginger
3 x table spoons minced garlic
0.5 x cup of chicken stock
3 x teaspoons of white sugar
2 x teaspoons of light soy sauce
1.5 x teaspoons corn flour mixed with 1 x tablespoon of cold water
3 x teaspoons Chinese black rice vinegar
4 x spring onions
3 x teaspoons of sesame oil

1. Cut the aubergines lengthways in half and then half these lengthways again. Then cut into small slices about 1cm thick
2. Heat up a wok with vegetable oil until good and hot. It needs to be deep enough to fully submerge the aubergines
3. Deep fry for a few minutes in batches. Do not overcrowd the wok or the oil will cool down too much and the end result will be too greasy
4. Remove the aubergines from the oil and drain onto kitchen towel
5. Discard the frying oil or set aside for some other frying use
6. Clean the wok and put in 2 x table spoons of fresh vegetable oil. Heat to a medium heat and add the chilli bean paste and stir fry for 20 seconds
7. Add the ginger and garlic to the bean paste and fry for 10 seconds
8. Add the stock, sugar, soy sauce and mix
9. Add the aubergines back and simmer gently for a few minutes
10. Add the corn flour mixture and cook out for a minute
11. Stir in the vinegar, spring onions and sesame oil
12. Serve

A note about Chilli Bean Paste: there are a few different widely available varieties in London. Mainly, Lee Kum Kee which seems to be everywhere. Fuschia Dunlop advises that for the authentic Sichuan dish, you should use fava bean (broad bean) chili paste. The good stuff comes from the Pixian Chili Bean Factory. I searched for this in London's China town and found it in the small Chinese super market opposite Baozi Inn just off Charing Cross Road. More info from Fuchsia Dunlop.