The courtyard of Benares: its star.
Opened in 2015, as the little brother of the original restaurant in London, located in the premises previously **occupied by one of the most classic Indians in Madrid (Annapurna)**, benares has completely transformed its gastronomic proposal thanks to the stoves of Diego Garcia Fernandez.
"The Benares Madrid concept is to offer quality Indian cuisine adapted to the gastronomic offer of the capital," says García Fernández, whose resume includes ** Coque , The Library of the Hotel Santo Mauro or the Londoners Zuma, Santini or Barrafina **. "We try to do an exhaustive review of the Indian cookbook, adapting it in a personal way to what we believe would be an attractive offer for the city without losing the Indian background."
Thali, the complete Indian dish.
Translation: familiar dishes for those initiated in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, such as chicken tikka masala, curries and, of course, the tandoor. And also popular ingredients today in Madrid cooked with spices and Indian methods: like octopus or trout.
"The starting point for all the dishes are always the classic Indian recipes, but we do take into account the current trend of cuisine in Madrid to renew these classics", confirms the chef. For example, he knows very well that the Madrid palate is less accustomed, in general, to spicy . "We are quite restrained when it comes to using it in our preparations," he says. “Just as we are restrained in the use of spices so that those used in each dish are perfectly distinguishable and do not hide the main elements ”.
Quality product and service are the maxims of this updated Benares. The venue, designed by Cousi Interior Design , already conveys that idea. Wood, velvet, latticework, colors ranging from pink to blue. A sophisticated yet informal setting: tables without tablecloths, dishes to share. And going to the back, the great surprise of the place: its interior garden, tables around a small pond: a perfect place for a romantic dinner or, simply, **in peace and in the heart of Madrid**.
BY SEASONS
The seasonality of the products is an important point in the cuisine of Benares . “We try, to the best of our ability, to import all the indigenous products from India that we can, in addition to selecting the best national seasonal products,” explains the chef. "We perform different menu changes throughout the year and for this we take into account the different climates of the Indian subcontinent. In the colder seasons, we focus the chart towards the northern areas of India, and in the hot seasons it focuses towards the south”.
Thali, a tasting menu in a single dish.
In addition to being able to order a la carte, they have a tasting menu, lunch menus that change monthly , menus exclusively vegetarian (vegetables, in fact, are an important part of the menu prepared by Diego) and a very unique proposal here: the Thalis, “a complete meal served in a single pass”. “It translates into a main element that can be meat, fish or vegetables accompanied by different types of legumes or vegetable preparations that complement. And it is always accompanied by Tandoor-roasted bread, basmati rice and dessert”, he tells us. “ In India it would be the most everyday way of eating.
WHY GO
For having one foot here and one there. For the tikka masala, the curries, the Tandoor vegetables marinated in mango and tamarind.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
The cocktail menu. And, of course, that inner courtyard.
Benares, renewed Indian classics in Madrid
Address: Calle Zurbano, 5 See map
Telephone: 91 319 87 16
Schedule: Monday to Saturday from 13:30 to 16 and from 20:00 to 00H. Bar from 13 to 1H.
Half price: €35-40