Review: Benihana, Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi, Piccadilly London
Style Points: 4/5
Price: ££
Overall: 5/5
Benihana promises an experience at every table, and with a personal teppanyaki chef allocated to every table this definitely is the case. The meals at Benihana are theatrically prepared by a knife-wielding, joke-telling teppanyaki chef at every table, and when I visited the Piccadilly branch of this Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi I knew I was in for a treat.
Would I Want Seconds?
When we arrived at Benihana we were greeted with our welcome cocktails as we took our seats around the table which incorporates a hibachi grill in the centre.
The first courses are not cooked at the table by the chef but come from the kitchen instead. This include the signature onion soup a la Benihana and salad with home-made ginger dressing. Next came the sushi with a collection of salmon and tuna, as well prawn appetisers all of which whet our appetites for more.
Once we had made sampled the first courses our personal teppanyaki chef arrived and introduced himself to us, also checking any dietary requirements. He then began to cook our main courses which involved a sheer amount of amazing knife skills and some storytelling mixed with a healthy assortment of jokes too!
In this skilled manner our chef prepared for us black cod with miso sauce, teriyaki chicken, aged filet mignon and hibachi rice. Once our plates were laden with this freshly cooked delights our chef bade farewell and left us to devour the food.
I particularly enjoyed the black cod as this was so well cooked and the flavours combined with the miso sauce very well.
Finally came our dessert and it was one I hadn’t tried before. We were served ice cream tempura which was ice cream wrapped in a batter, our waiter explained that this was an extremely popular street food dish in Japan. Although the idea of it sounds strange, the dessert itself was actually delicious, and the warm batter tasted great combined with the cold ice cream - I was really impressed with this dessert!
Could I Afford Seconds?
Benihana served quality dishes and the meat cuts the restaurant uses are also the best quality meaning that this is also reflected in the price. However Benihana isn’t an extremely expensive restaurant to dine at especially considering that diners get a performance with their food.
Overall?
I really enjoyed my meal at Benihana in Piccadilly and I’m already planning to head back with a large group, as this would make a perfect venue for a group meal.
Benihana will be celebrating it’s 30th anniversary in London this year and it is evident that the years of serving high quality food and an immensely enjoyable dining experience have paid off.
Visit the Benihana London website
Address: 37 Sackville St, London W1S 3EH
Tube: Piccadilly Circus
