Taking its name from India’s holy city, Benares is a Mayfair institution that has undergone a metamorphosis since the 2018 departure of pioneering chef and restauranteur Atul Kochhur who originally opened the restaurant in 2003 and received his second Michelin star here in 2007. He was replaced by Sameer Taneja as Executive Chef who, having previously worked as Head Chef under Kochhur, returned after a six year absence and lost no time in redesigning the menu in order to regain the restaurant’s lost Michelin star which he achieved in 2021 and has held ever since – thereby restoring Benares to its rightful position as one of the capital’s leading lights in contemporary fine dining Indian cuisine.
There are just 7 Michelin starred Indian restaurant’s in the city, but few have the reputation of Benares, something Taneja, who was raised in Delhi, has been careful to uphold without any sign of timidity. A magician at combining his classical French training (having worked with French culinary giants Pascal Proyart, Alain Roux, Joel Antunes and Pierre Koffmann) with his expertise in India’s culinary heritage, the menu is a roll call of exciting seasonal dishes which marry the finest British ingredients with vibrant Indian flavours and cooking techniques and prompting Benares to welcome a new clientele and delight patrons who have called the iconic Berkeley Square establishment their favourite London Indian restaurant for twenty years.
The team and menu isn’t all that’s changed, the atmosphere in the windowless first floor dining room with surround banquette seating and red and black accents is one of celebration rather than the dress code oppressed formality guests used to expect. The only thing not permitted is shorts and flip-flops, which sounds reasonable enough, and the restaurant has a lively, weekend-feel every night with large family groups dining alongside couples out for a special treat – including us. It was for this reason, and the fact that it seemed a great way of sampling a range of Taneja’s signature dishes that we opted for the tasting menu.
Course after course, delivered by the efficient yet charming front of house who describe each dish as if they haven’t done so thousands of times previously, were immaculately presented, beginning with snacks paying tribute to India’s street food heritage; a small bonsai tree placed on the table featured spicy bread pakoras hanging from its branches, representing (so a handwritten note informed us) the shady trees which the street vendors shelter under during the long hot Indian summer. This was accompanied by a delicious puri cone, shortly followed by an intense truffle shorba (a creamy velouté) with crispy crouton that was nothing short of divine.
A Carlingford oyster and cured sea bream chaat was presented in the shell over pebbles and dry ice which the host poured water onto to create a theatrical ‘sea’ mist, heralding what proved to be a sensational cold and refreshing fish course balancing sweet, salty and sharp with added texture from tiny puffed balls. The sensational baked hand-dived Malabar-style scallop was also served in the shell, the flesh perfectly tender and sweet with an unctuously rich and fairly fierce curry leaf and coconut rich sauce topped with breadcrumbs and served with crispy bread podi.
I’ve always been a fan of a sweet and coconutty fish moilee and the pan-fried tawa masala wild halibut with Portsmouth clams and crispy curry leaf was both authentic and brilliantly refined in its execution. But it was the first meat course of the evening, tandoori muntjac marinaded in curry leaf and coriander, cooked and presented on a skewer that secured our admiration for the new Benares. This was served with a garlic yoghurt and sweet chilli chutney to elevate the gaminess of the melt-in-the-mouth, pink and juicy deer, and yet again you think you’ve discovered your favourite course of the evening. Most of all, I like the fact that Taneja’s obvious passion for authentic Indian flavours and cooking techniques hasn’t been compromised by elevating them to a fine dining setting. If anything, it feels like he’s flying the flag for a cuisine that has taken too many years to receive the recognition it deserves.
A fruit soda arrives as a palate cleanser before we brace ourselves for the main event, a tribute to the British love affair with tikka masala; a delectable and highly flavoured baby poussin served with sharing bowls of a sumptuous black lentil dahl simmered overnight, rice and buttery paratha bread – perfect for eating with your hands and using to scoop up the dahl. The ‘textures of mango’ vaguely described on the menu was an exotic finale indeed – wittily concealed beneath the colourful lid of the cardboard box in which the mangoes had first arrived before being transformed Benares-style. A layered dessert with a sponge base, topped with kesar mango mousse and mango sorbet, it managed to be both fragrant and refreshing whilst ticking the indulgent ‘box’. The petit fours, including French macaron, were an exquisite treat to conclude a perfect tasting menu combining the best Indian cuisine with the finesse of Chef Taneja’s classical training.
My husband, who isn’t a fan of stiff and starchy Michelin restaurants and was lucky enough to dine at Benares several times when it first opened, assured me that it’s better than ever, and indeed I could hardly see how a celebration of Indian food could ever be surpassed. If, like me, it’s taking you until now to get around to visiting Benares, it’s a very good time to try it – but please opt for the tasting menu! As one who usually dreads them for their operatic length and pomp, which all too often feels more like an egotistical journey than a culinary one, Benares offers the most exciting example of gourmet Indian food you’re likely to find in London right now.
Benares, 12a Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6BS. Tasting menu £132. Vegetarian Tasting Menu £121. For more information and reservations please visit the website.
