With Benihana you’re not going out for food, you’re going out for a theatrical experience. The Teppan hot-plate is the stage and the chef your star. You sit around this hot-plate, next to strangers (if you’re not part of an adequately large group), and watch as the highly skilled chef makes music with the salt and pepper shakers, banging, knocking and throwing them in the air until they finally season your Miso Cod (£38), Hibachi Steak and Chicken (£37) etc… NB: all proteins come with sides such as rice, salad and veg (mind you I was given 2 bits of courgette and a few red peppers, so not really a side in my opinion).
The experience is where you spend your money at this chain because the food is average at best. I’ve had far better take-aways. The portions are also relatively small and for all his efforts our star chef was far better at providing a show than taste. £38 for a small bit of sickly sweet Miso Cod? If you weren’t so entertaining chef I’d stick you on that Hibachi myself to bulk up our portions.
I felt that the service was lacking too. Not in the sense they were inattentive but you got a real feeling that they were working on a schedule. I looked away for a minute and my Onion Soup starter had been whisked away. A ‘hurry up, we have to crack on’ feeling ensued.
The bill came to a whopping £115 for 2. If you want to go out for dinner and a show then you could couple them together and go here. Just be aware that the show is better than the food.
Benihana
6/10
77 Kings Road
London, SW3 4NX
Tel: 0207 376 7799
www.benihana.co.uk
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