Hakkasan Restaurant and Nightclub at MGM Grand, Las Vegas - USA

We never thought of having chinese food in Las Vegas until, Juan - barman at Javier's recommended Hakkasan Restaurant and Nightclub at MGM Grand. He told us how amazingly delicious the peking duck at Hakkasan. The best peking duck in town, he claimed. Well.. that's something for us to check out. You know how much we love good peking duck :)

We went to Hakkasan on Thursday evening without a reservation and we could not get a table straight away. So, we had to wait about half an hour at the bar, which is not too bad considering they make good cosmopolitan. And just before we were about to finish our cocktails, a very friendly waitress , Marina, came to inform us that our table is ready. Great!

Bear in mind that the interior of Hakkasan is dark, it's designed to be a club like. It's open yet it feels private and intimate. Though, we could just imagine that after a couple of drinks, some customers here might find the restaurant looks like an endless maze. But no worries, the staff will show you the way.

Without looking at the menu, we made our order straight away, crispy duck salad and selection of dim sum to start with and the famous peking duck with caviar and beef in black pepper sauce to follow with egg fried rice on the side. The peking duck will be presented in two ways, the crispy skin on the pancakes with a dollop of caviar and the meat will be cooked in either spicy sichuan sauce or black bean sauce. We chose the black bean sauce. Yes, that's a lot of food for just three of us! Not to forget a bottle of chardonnay grgich 2010 from napa valley to accompany those dishes. We believe a good food deserves a good wine :)

When the crispy duck salad arrived, we wasted no time get stuck in. Then we realized that we haven't taken any picture for our reader to see. Apologies. But we could tell you how good it was though. The crispy duck was mixed with pea shoots, pomegranate and pine nuts with slightly sweet dressing, that we guessed it's a mixture of sweet soya sauce, sesame oil and maybe a little bit of tamarind. It's a great combination indeed, but we think it would be even better if we add some thinly sliced bird eye chili to give it a kick. And it worked!! Perfect! For you who are not a big fan of fresh chili could replace it with thinly sliced ginger, we think it would do the trick. 

As we finished with the salad, piping hot prawn, scallops and pork dimsum served in bamboo basket arrived to our table. The steam brings out the scent of seafood really entice us to devour selection of freshly made dim sum. Yummy!

First round of duck skin on pancakes with a dollop of caviar served. Out of one whole duck we get four plates, with four pieces of pancakes on each. It's like a sandwich of pancake, spring onion, cucumber, crispy duck skin and caviar. Oh that was good!!! The pancake is slightly sweet, contrast the saltiness of the caviar. The duck skin, spring onion and the cucumber balance it all. Divine!!

Okay, first part of the duck done, now we got to the main course. The rest of the duck meat cooked in black bean sauce, beef in black pepper sauce and egg fried rice. Both meat dishes were so delicious. Melting in the mouth and full of flavor. The beef has a little bit more heat due to the black pepper but nothing over the top spicy. If there was a flaw, we would say it would be the fried rice. Taste wise it was perfect, but texture wise, it was dry. We expected the rice to be fluffy and moist. 

Time for desserts! Yes, we were already full by the time end of the main courses, but the desserts selections sounds so enticing, we simply could not resist. And it was hard to make our choices. We liked every single dessert available. We finally decided to have the Coconut pudding and Strawberries & Champagne. 

The coconut pudding was a star. It's a mix of coconut pearl pudding, lime financier and caramelized spiced pineapple. Sweet, sour, creamy but very light, just the perfect subtle ending to a delectable dinner. For you who prefer refreshing and slight sharpness dessert, should go for the strawberry & champagne. It's simply a beautiful collaboration of fresh strawberries, creamy panna cotta, rhubarb and champagne foam. Delightful!

To sum it all, we are so pleased to have dined at Hakkasan. It has the best quality of asian food and consistency, good standard of service and excellent venue.  We could just go back there over and over again. The Hakkasan night club is just next door of the restaurant, hosting famous DJs such as Tiesto, Calvin Harris and many more. What are you waiting for?? 

Hakkasan Restaurant and Nightclub

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino

3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South,  Las Vegas - NV 89109

Phone: +1 702 891 7888

Website: www.hakkasan.com

Opening hours: Monday to Wednesday from 5 PM - 11 PM,  Thursday to Sunday from 5 PM - 12 PM

Zeffirino Italian Restaurant at The Venetian, Las Vegas, USA

Italy is one of our favourite countries around world. We love the history, the people, the countryside and of course, the food! Too bad we haven't had the chance to revisit it recently. Therefor, while we are in Las Vegas, we're taking the opportunity to pop in to the Venetian, the only hotel and resort in Las Vegas where the whole set up is inspired by the beautiful city of water, Venice. It brings us back a fond memory of Italy. 

Along the Canal Shoppes of the Venetian, we come across to Zeffirino Italian Restaurant. And we are eager to try. It may seem small from outside, but as we come inside, the restaurant is actually very spacious. It has rather impressive high ceiling with wooden beams and decorated in rich red, green and 

terracota. 

                                                

The dining area is divided into two levels. Ground floor is both bar and casual dining, while upstairs is  more formal dining area. Don't get put off by the amount of steps on the staircase, there is a lift tucked  away behind the wall that will take you up with no effort. 

Not wasting anymore time we take a quick look through the special aperitif menu and our choice goes to basil and grapefruit cocktail with lime juice and belvedere. Refreshing drink that is equally measured sweet and sour with a hint of fresh basil. We barely taste the vodka, but trust us, it's there..  :)

We know, it may sound boring, as yet again we are having calamari fritti. It is not because we are not adventurous, but we are intrigued by how each restaurant served its version of calamari. It's such a simple dish, but not every restaurant gets it right. We had calamari that is tasteless and rubbery in the past. Fortunately it doesn't happen at Zeffirino. Although we must admit it's not the best we ever had. Zeffirino's style of calamari is mixed with battered zucchini sticks, which is not bad at all, but it was under seasoned. 

Next to the calamari, we also having prosciutto di San Daniele served with cantaloupe melon and parmigiano - reggiano chunks. The melon is beautiful, very sweet and juicy, goes nicely with thin sliced of good quality ham, but we are not too keen on the cheese, though the idea is great. Just the quality of the cheese isn't up to the standard that we normally get. Quite tasteless in fact. We wonder why.

We are not having our normal 3-courses meal routine this time, but instead, we're having several appetizers. And following the calamari and prosciutto, we're having bruschetta - toasted bread with tomato salsa topping. On the scale of 1-10, we would score bruschetta at Zaffirino as 6. We have our own version of  it, which we don't mind sharing with our readers. 

We make our bruschetta using a baguette, cut open in the middle so you can take out the soft part of the bread and it leave you with two pieces of bread in the shape of boat. Use the soft bread crumble and mix it with small diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and then season it with salt and pepper. Stuff the mix to fill in the bread and add mozzarella cheese on top and bake in preheated oven until the cheese melt and turn slightly brown. Easy, yet very tasty. Tell us what you think about our recipe. We like to put a lot of garlic into our bruschetta. Yes, we know it smells, but hey.. garlic is good for you and keeps the vampire away...:)

As we already suspected, three appetizers to share between the two of us is adequate. And we still have  some space for tiramisu. Nice home-made tiramisu too... Just missing out the coffee liquor. Maybe so it can be served to young customers too.. But, to keep everybody happy, it should be made optional. That's just an idea.. 

At Zaffirino, there's a live piano entertainment starts at 6 PM daily. The piano player plays and sing his own chosen numbers such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, but he takes requests too.. Pass on a note to him so you can sing along. 

Quality of service at Zaffirino like their food and prices, are average. Waiting staff is reasonably friendly but not very informative or engaged with their customers although we came during a quite afternoon. In our opinion, the main unique selling point of this restaurant is the ambiance, the fact that you can take your time to enjoy your meal or socializing. Next time we revisit Zaffirino, we will try their selection of entrees and we will let you know how they are like. 

Zeffirino Italian Restaurant at the Venetian Las Vegas

3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas - NV 89109

Phone: + 1 702 414 3500

Website: http://www.zeffirinolasvegas.com

Opening hours: Daily at 11.30 AM - 12 AM

Javier's Finest Foods of Mexico at Aria, Las Vegas - USA

After spending hours in front of the machines and roulette table and keep losing, we just had to put a stop to it. We knew we had to stick what we are good at, yes, it's eating!!! Too hot to venture out, we looked around what's available at the Casino floor of Aria. Within seconds, our eyes caught the sign for Javier's - Finest Foods of Mexico. We didn't need to think twice, so went straight away to get ourselves a cosy booth to start our ritual of long lunches. 

The waiter offered Javier's Signature margarita while going through the menu. An offer that's obviously hard for us to resist. Within few minutes hand shaken margaritas arrived to our table. Lovely! Well balanced of sweetness and sourness, very refreshing indeed, great choice of an aperitif to wake up the taste buds. With a bowl of crispy tortilla with spicy salsa on the side, we're set to go. 

Javier's has a large menu that offers mouth watering authentic taste of Mexico. Since we already have something to nibble, we skipped the starter and went straight to the main course. We chose Callito Mazatlan - fresh scallops sauteed in garlic, butter and cipotle sauce served with rice, black beans and avocado slices and Filete Ladrillo - 16 oz rib eye bone-in prime centre cut beef steak with grilled poblano chile stuffed with cotija cheese served with refritos and guacamole. To accompany those dishes we chose a good bottle of chilled Castello Banfi Pinot Grigio. Nice and light. 

After a short wait, our food were served to our table. Nothing fancy or pretentious about the presentation but the smell sent us to heaven. We could not wait to get stuck in. And as we have expected, the scallops and the steak were cooked to perfection. They were both tender, succulent and well seasoned. Flawless. 

We would normally have a good red wine to go with the steak, but the pinot grigio actually wasn't a bad choice at all... Or even the margarita. The fruitiness from the drinks and combination of herbs mingling beautifully together. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. 

But, no meal is complete without a sweet ending. We decided to have the fried ice cream, which is vanilla ice cream rolled in corn flakes, nut and honey, deep fried. Warm, cold, creamy, crunchy, nutty and sweet.. delightful! Certainly not to be missed!!

Finished with the lunch, we moved slightly to Javier's bar. We love its unusual setting. A touch of Aztec rustic influence put together elegantly and so cozy. The bar staff not only good in making cocktails they are very friendly too. We had a long chat with one of them, Juan. He told us the history behind Javier's that started originally in San Diego, California. Very interesting. 

While enjoying a few more margaritas at the bar, we could not help to have something savoury to munch. So, we ordered Nacho de la Casa with shredded beef covered in Monterey Jack cheese, refritos, guacamole and sour cream. Never mind the calories, this house special is worth trying. 

Javier's Finest Foods of Mexico at Aria - Casino Level

3730 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas - NV 89149

USA

Phone: +1 866 590 3637

Website: http://www.arialasvegas.com/dining/restaurants/javiers

Opening hours: Daily from 11.30 - Midnight

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York - USA

Out of several restaurants that we have been to during our last visit to USA, we chose McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York as the most consistent in presenting their good food and the prices did not cost us an arm and a leg. We had long lunches three days in a row and we left very content each time. Located in midtown of New York and within walking distance from the Central Park. 

On the first lunch we had calamari 'fritto misto' and lump blue crab cake to start with. Calamari was very well seasoned, tender and tasty with crispy coatings served with lemon aioli. Lovely! Portion is rather generous, so if you are not very hungry, you would find it's plenty to share between two persons. But the star of the meal was the crab cake. We could safely say, it was the best crab cake we ever had. So good, we had it on each lunch. And again, the portion is rather large so it's quite filling. We would suggest you to share so you don't spoil the main course unless of course you are a big fan of crab, then you should have one just for yourself. You would not be disappointed. Well balanced crab dressed with corn salsa and butter sauce. Delicious!

As main course, we both had grilled alaska salmon with sauteed courgette and haricot beans accompanied by holandaise sauce. Simple yet very flavorful. The salmon was cooked in perfection with a mild seasoning so it retains its taste of the sea. The sweetness of the haricot beans and the juiciness of the courgette really compliment the fish. That's what we call a proper healthy and tasty dish.  Portion is ideal too, together with the crab cake or calamari as an appetizer we had very nutritious meals that produce adequate energy, if not more, to continue your hectic day. 

As we were on holiday, we treat ourselves for a slice of carrot cake. When the waiter warned us how big the cake is, we did not believe him entirely, until we see it ourselves. He was not kidding, the size of the carrot cake was enormous. It's basically enough for four people. But it tasted so good..

Moist, sweet but not too sweet, nutty and complimented by light buttercream and cheese cream icing on top. True heavenly. A big pot of green tea would be required soon after we finished the last bite of the cake to wash down a few thousand of calories we just indulged. 

On the second day lunch, we had the same appetizers, but we had a steak as entree for a change. We had the NY strip cooked medium. Ah... this time we would not complain when the americans boast about their steak. We will admit, they are the best! It was melting the mouth, full of flavor, so succulent. No need for a sauce to have this steak as it's already juicy and seasoned very well. We had it with mixed green salad wrapped in cucumber with heirloom tomatoes, very good combination. We also ordered two of their signatures sides, lobster mashed potato and pan roasted mushroom, but we soon found out they were good but well too much for us to handle :)

Still had the imagination of the carrot cake that we had the day previously and how big it was, we decided to have something that's a little bit sensible this time, the creme brûlée. And it was a good choice indeed. Light textured but very creamy and with generous touch of vanilla. It would have been perfect had the sugar coating was blowtorched just before serving to give a slight warm crispness. Such a treat!

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York offers happy hour from 5 PM daily, try their cocktails, they are good! We tried the cosmopolitan and we could not have enough of it. No wonder it always packed as soon as the happy hour starts.

We found the service at McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks New York was reasonably good. The waiting staff are attentive and informative. They would ensure that you enjoy the meal at your own time. No rushing about to turn more tables. Sign up for Landry's membership card for free, so you can collect points on every visit and get priority booking. 

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood and Steaks

1285 Avenue of the Americas

On the corner of 52nd St & 6th Ave.

New York, NY 10019

Phone: +1 212 459 1222

            +1 212 459 2474 (Banquets)

Website:

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 11.30 AM - 11 PM

                          Saturday 12 PM - 11 PM

                          Sunday 12 PM - 10 PM

Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas - USA

We do have a lot to say about this place and unfortunately it is not totally positive. We find Gordon Ramsay label that we often see either in London, Versaille and Las Vegas is not a guarantee of quality. It's basically a license to charge people more using his popularity. Which is a shame, as we thought that a genuine chef, especially the one who was awarded with Michelin stars would be concern about maintaining quality of food that is produced in all establishments that has his name on to retain his reputation. We failed to see that on our visit to Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. 

The set up is quite attractive though, not exactly authentic English Pub sort of style but a modern bar with a little rustic scottish touch to it. Seats seemed to be quite comfortable, though not sure about the bar stools. We could not find any enjoyment in having a meal in a high chair. It would be ok if let's say we were having burger or some snacks, definitely not to go through 3-courses meal. 

We were having a negative vibe from the very start. We arrived at Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace at 4.40 PM, we wanted to eat straight away, but we were told half heartedly by a hostess at the premises that dinner menu will be served from 5 PM and all tables with lower chairs have been reserved, so we have to eat at the bar. Not to keen but we book it anyways. We came back at 5 PM, greeted by different hostess slightly more friendly, who actually gave us a table with lower chairs. And until the end of our meal most of the tables were unoccupied, so what's with the fully reserved excuses that was given to us?? We're baffled. 

Let's talk about food. As soon as we sat down, the waiter brought us pretzel like stick bread in different flavours and dippings. A bit stodgy but it's different and we are open to new things. The menu itself is standard pub food, so we decided to try yorkshire ale batter fish and chips and mushy peas and fillet mixed grill. Nothing complicated, but we were curious how Gordon Ramsay with his expertise has redesign those two simple dishes into something that will blow our mind in amazement. 

Certainly no amazement found there. The fish was tasteless and mushy peas and the chips were cold. The mixed grill were just as bad. Apart from the prawn, both meat beef and pork belly were overcooked and dry. And as you can see on the picture, the presentation was very poor too. You would not believe this dish came out of Gordon Ramsay's kitchen, considering in every tv show he is on he always make a big deal about quality and presentation. Too bad he did not put that into practice at this particular restaurant.

We were so disappointed. We did not come with high expectation, although we should, as on the website it's stated clearly that the chef is Gordon Ramsay which is very misleading as he was not even there and instead they have Ja'nele Witt - winner of Hell's Kitchen, but even that, the quality was not up to the standard, very regrettable. 

And just a few days ago it was announced in the media that Ja'nele Witt is no longer the head chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace due to failure in drug test. So, maybe that's why she could not deliver the quality as expected. Let's hope the current successor could do a better job. 

They could improve the waiting staff's attitude too. Restaurant is part of service industry, so show us what service is all about, then customers like us will be happy to leave a well earned tips, not doing it because they're pressurized to do so.

There are several Gordon Ramsay restaurants in Las Vegas, but unfortunately we are losing excitements to try them, at least for now.

Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace

3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

USA

Phone: +1 877 346 4642

Website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/us-restaurants/las-vegas-restaurants/gordon-ramsay-pub-grill/

Opening hours: Sunday - Thursday 11 AM - 11 PM

                          Friday and Saturday 11 AM - Midnight

                          Lunch: Daily 11 AM - 3 PM

Scotts's Mayfair London - Revisited

It has been a while since our last visit to Scott's and this was not exactly planned. It was one of those afternoons that simply too cold to walk about and we happened to be in the neighbourhood of Mount Street. We made a quick phone call to make sure they have an availability, then there we were in a matter of minutes.

Welcomed by friendly doorman then by smiley cloak attendant ready to assist with our coat, hat and all those wintery essentials. And finally, we entered the main dining area. We normally would prefer a table at the rear area rather than the front as it offers more space and privacy. But as we made a last minute reservation during a busy afternoon, a table at the front was what available for us. Slightly over crowded with a small group right next to us, but at least the seat was comfortable.

The menu was handed over to us, we noticed there are new and interesting dishes being introduced combined with Scott's signature dishes. And after a lot of consideration, we decided to start with a simple Smoked Salmon and Manx Kipper Pate served with toast and pickled cucumber. Safe choices indeed. 

The smoked salmon was melting in the mouth as expected, went well with capers and freshly squeezed lemon. A delectable yet light starter. The Manx Kipper Pate was equally satisfying too, it was our first time trying it and we gladly to tell you it was rather unusual but certainly delicious. Delicate smokey taste of the kipper combined with butter and seasonings was a great companion to warm brown toast. We must warn you, the kipper pate is very more-ish, so don't get too carried away as there more tasty dishes to experience :)

Pleased with the starters we moved to the classic dishes, Lobster Thermidor and Sole Meuniere. Again, not a very adventurous options but very comforting. The Lobster Thermidor can be a little bit challenging though, as we noticed some inconsistency on flavour from our previous visits. But we were glad that this time the Chef executed the dish exceptionally well. The lobster was tender and juicy, the sauce was creamy and well balanced. We could taste the hint of mustard and parsley, great to dunk the chips into!!

The Dover Sole that we chose was 22 oz, we did not realize how big it was until it arrived. And at that point we wished we order the smaller one. Especially when it actually came with good size fish roe on top and we ordered a plate of green salad on the side. Seemed a lot of food to handle, though taste wise there was nothing that we could criticize. The fish was cooked to perfection, drizzled with butter sauce that was seasoned really well plus the green salad tossed in tasty mustard vinaigrette. Really flavorful. The fish roe itself was simply pan fried to retain its natural flavour. A real treat!

Overall it was a very pleasant late lunch at Scott's. No wonder this restaurant often visited by celebrities and dignitaries such as Nigella Lawson, Kevin Spacey and Bill Clinton to name a few. The only criticism we had on that particular visit was rather stern looking waiting staff. They were accommodating and efficient but did not seem friendly or happy. We wonder why.. 

Scott's Restaurant
20 Mount Street
Mayfair London W1K 2HE

Phone: +44 20 7495 7309
Website: http://www.scotts-restaurant.com

Tempo Restaurant and Bar, London - Revisited

It's been a while since our last visit to Tempo Restaurant and Bar Mayfair. We arrived minutes past noon and we were their first customers to serve. Great! We got to choose our table. And a nice table by the window it was. It's kind of fascinating to watch people passing by, especially few days before Christmas. Everybody seemed to be in a rush, struggling with bags of shopping in a pouring rain. Just to fulfill the thought of making others 'happy' for one particular day in the year. All that hassle, pressure and stress.. 

Anyways, let's get back to our favourite subject, food. Tempo has new menu this time and we were eager to try as many as possible. As starters we have decided to have Polipo - Warm octopus, saffron potato, olives and pesto and Bruschetta di Burrata - Mozzarella and sun-dried tomato accompanied by Sicilian Vermentino, perfectly chilled. 

The warm polipo was delicious, melt in the mouth. The flavour between pesto, tomato, parsley, olives and saffron potato mingled with the octopus delicately and nothing was too overpowering. Perfect. The bruschetta was lovely too! Unlike the traditional one with garlic and basil, Tempo's style of bruschetta is more a light version. The mozzarella that they used was very milky and creamy topped with sweet sun-dried tomato and contrast with tanginess of balsamic vinegar. Nice!

Pasta Course. It's kind of a ritual of ours to have pasta course in between the starter and the main course since we were told that's the traditional Italian way of dining. Well, we can tell you we would not complain about that, apart from having to struggle to get off of the dining chair at the end :)) 

And that's why we like to dine at Tempo, as they provide the option to have the pasta course as a half or full portion, so we can spare some space for meat/fish course and of course the dessert. So, for the pasta course we chose, Ravioli Verdi - ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives and Tagliatelle with creamy wild mushroom, parsley and parmesan cheese. We could tell that both pastas were home made and fresh, though the tagliatelle was a bit heavy than we have anticipated but taste wise we have nothing to complain. 

Moving to the main courses, we chose Ipploglosso - halibut served with savoy cabbage, puree of garden peas and diced panchetta topped with crunchy bacon and a dish out of the daily special, Pheasant served with polenta and spinach dressed in jus. 

What could we say about both dishes?? 'Scrumptious' would be the answer! The halibut was well seasoned and moist, definitely cooked in perfection. The vegetables that came with it was well portioned, just enough to accompany and compliment the fish. 

The pheasant was fresh and flavoursome, ideally matched with polenta and spinach. The jus finished the dish pleasantly, though, it was slightly too rich to our taste. But overall opinion from the starters to the  point of main courses we were well pleased. 

The only part that we were a little bit disappointed was the dessert. We chose the classic Italian dessert -  Tiramisu. It presented nicely, looked very appetizing, mascarpone was very light and creamy but lacking the taste of coffee liqueur and replaced by chocolate sauce instead. We found it rather unusual. 

Tempo Restaurant and Bar, to us, is still a pleasant place to dine. Friendly and accommodating staff, comfortable seats, nice ambiance, good food and good value for money. They change the menu regularly which add the attractions to the restaurant. Tempo also has private dining area upstairs, ideal for business lunch or dinner. We would gladly recommend Tempo Restaurant and Bar to our readers. 

Tempo Restaurant and Bar

54 Curzon Street, London W1J 8PG

Phone: +44 20 7629 2742

Email: info@tempomayfair.co.uk

Website: http://www.tempomayfair.co.uk/#home

Benares Indian Restaurant and Bar, London

The best part of being foodie in central London, in particular, we never run out of places to go to indulge ourselves. Envy?? Well... Don't be.. We didn't always have a great experience in every visit, so let us do the sorting out and safe you from unpleasant part of it. 

Our most recent visit was Benares - Indian Restaurant and Bar in Mayfair, London. Swanky restaurant by twice Michelin starred Chef Atul Kochhar, offers a new concept of fine Indian Cuisine. Set in bustling Berkeley Square slightly over shadowed by corporate offices and luxurious car showrooms, Benares entrance can easily be missed. Practical tip from us, look for Rolls Royce showroom, move few steps to the right and there it is. 

Namaste! Greeted the receptionist staff with a friendly smile made us immediately feeling so welcomed. She then took us upstairs to the bar and restaurant and handed over us to a charming hostess in beautiful golden saree who then accompanied us to our table. From there there rest of service handled by a team of waiting staff. The attentions given were rather overwhelming to be honest, in a positive way, of course. We certainly impressed by it.. 

As you can see from the images below, the lay out of Benares is neat, simple, tasteful and definitely comfortable. We could easily spend hours indulging ourselves going through mouthwatering dishes carefully chosen by the Chef Atul Kochhar. We couldn't wait to get the taste of it.

As the menu arrived, the mini papadums and three different chutneys served to the table. Sweet, sour with a little heat from the spice. Gentle kick to get our taste buds going. 

Just like the lay out of the restaurant itself, the choices on the menu are simple, to the point, yet fulfilling. Even let's say, we happened to be picky eaters, we would not have any problem finding what we fancy. There are seafood dishes, chicken, lamb, you name it and even vegetarian options. What not to like?

Well... we are definitely not picky eaters (we think you have figured that out), we simply love good and honest food prepared with fresh ingredients. And we sincerely appreciate the effort that have been put into the every dish served. Our reviews definitely described that. 

Starters, we have chosen, Tandoori Ratan - Fennel lamb chop, chicken seekh kebab and basil marinated king prawn and Karara Kekda Aur Salad - Crispy soft shell crab, handpicked crab salad, apple chutney and coconut mayonnaise. The word delicious would be an understatement. The lamb chop was succulent, chicken kebab was flavoursome and the king prawn was tasteful although slightly over cooked to our palate. But the main star was the soft shell crab. It was so beautiful we would have another one had we forgot that we still have main courses to go through. The crab salad, apple chutney and the coconut mayonnaise on the side were really compliment one to another. 

Main courses, our first choice went for the Batak Falliyan - Seared Gressingham duck breast, three beans stew, crispy duck skin. We requested to be cooked medium and it was cooked to perfection, melt in the mouth. Not forgetting the Pulao rice and Indian fried bread that we could not remember the name of it. We will get back to you for that. The bread is perfect to soak up the sauce, though it was good even to have it on its own.. 

Our second main course was Tawa Gosht Aur Sunhari Kahsta - Locally farmed cannon of lamb, umbles samosa, purple crushed potatoes and pickled baby artichoke served with Rogan Josh sauce. Another dish that blown us away. Tender and juice lamb, seasoned thoroughly without overpowering the natural flavour of the meat itself, accompanied with luscious crushed potatoes and artichoke. The samosa was simply an additional treat. A dish to die for! Such celebration of beautiful food really deserves a good bottle of Ruinart Rose Champagne. 

Suggested by the waiting staff, we agreed to have the Trio of Kulfi to share to end our Indian fine dining exploration. Creamy yet refreshing Lychee, Pistachio and Mango flavoured ice cream served with chunks of pickled peaches and coulis. Delightful!

To sum it all up, Benares is a fantastic Indian Restaurant and Bar that will change most people perception of Indian cuisine. Not necessarily head blowing spicy too, so it will suit to anybody's palate.  From the receptionist to the wine sommelier and waiting staff, they are very attentive and accommodating to ensure you have the best dining experience from the start to the end.. 
Highly recommended!


Benares by Atul Kochhar
12, Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square
London W1J 6BS

Phone: +44 20 7629 8886
Website: www.benaresrestaurant.com