One of London’s finest Indian restaurants, Atul Kochhar’s Benares will launch a new ‘street food’ styled menu in September.
A playful nod to the street food favourites from five Indian culinary hotspots, the Michelin-starred restaurant will offer a selection of new dishes, each of which will be created by one of the kitchen’s chefs, inspired by the street food speciality of their hometown. Paying homage to these regional Indian dishes, the time-honoured recipes and methods will be accompanied by the modern flair that the restaurant has become so well renowned for, and will be served in the restaurant’s more informal lounge area.
Designed to be eaten by hand, as originally intended, dishes will include Chicken Tikka Crispy Naan with Smoked Tomato Dressing (inspired by the Punjab region of North West India); Lamb Kofta Roll with Mint and Coriander Salad (typically found in Lucknow, North East India); Grilled Curry Leaf Seabass and Seasonal Salad (a classic Southern Indian dish found in Goa); Quinoa Salad, Samphire and Red Onion Bhajia (from the East Indian region of Kolkata); and Pickled Prawn with Crispy Rice Pani Puri (a speciality from Mumbai, West India).
These dishes will be available from a menu that acts as an illustrated map of India, accompanying guests on a ‘Culinary Journey Through India’ and highlighting the regions that each of the dishes originate from, as well staple ingredients and spices.
Speaking on the new street food menu, Atul Kochhar – Chef Patron of Benares – says: “Our kitchen team at Benares are very creative, and love experimenting with new dishes and inventing twists on beloved classics. We are very excited to launch our street food-style menu; it will be the first time that Benares has served these well known and more casual-style dishes, and we look forward to the challenge of developing and refining them. We aim to create an authentic, fast and easy dining experience – but one that is still of Michelin-starred standard.”
Benares’ new street food menu will be served at lunch and dinner from 12th September until Christmas, priced at £30 for all 5 dishes. Individual dishes will be priced at £7.50 per dish, or at £5.50 per vegetarian dish.
Further information can be found online at benaresrestaurant.com.
