Atul Kochhar moved to the UK almost three decades ago and in that time he has put two Michelin stars to his name.
After ventures in Marlow and Amersham, the celebrity chef has turned his attention to Beaconsfield as he opens up ‘Riwaz’ in the heart of the old town.
Beaconsfield already has a host of Indian restaurants in the town but this one brings a fine-style dining experience that would be hard to find anywhere else.
LOOK INSIDE: Michelin-star chef Atul Kochhar OPENS new restaurant 'Riwaz'
Atul Kochhar said: "Our intention is to make Riwaz the place to go for an exhilarating Indian meal that is adventurous and yet remains true to tradition.
A menu inspired by Kochhar’s experiences growing up in different parts of India and his grandmother’s cooking, the dishes tasted as good as they sounded.
An a la carte menu offers a range of vegetables, starters, curries and side dishes. There is also a lunch menu and a Jugalbandi menu – a set menu for two with Jugalbandi meaning “entwined twins”.
We went for the recommended tasting menu. The restaurant caters for a variety of diets with a vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian tasting menu all available to choose from.
I went for the original tasting menu whilst my partner tried the vegetarian option, allowing us to compare.
Both menus start with ‘Rampuri Dall Palak Kebab’, a potato and spinach lentil cake served with a tomato and raisin chutney. A tasty bitesize start packed with flavour which foretold the food to come. Atul Kochhar’s own Prosecco was paired with this dish providing a bubbly start.
Next up was ‘Jal Pari’, a Tandoor search Scottish scallop, lentil salad with a spiced broccoli puree. This was one of the best scallops I’ve ever had. It was cooked perfectly and went wonderfully with the lentil and puree.
The vegetarian option was ‘Dili Ki Aloo Kachaloo Shakarkandi Chaat’, described as Delhi street food of crisp fried salad of potatoes, taro and sweet potatoes.
A mango wine was served with this course, and it was the highlight of the drinks. A sweet Indian wine that brought the flavours of the plate together. Not something I have tried before but I will be definitely have again.
The third course ‘Hare Masale Ki Machhi’ was another fish plate. John Dory fish served with spinach crisps in a Neelgiri korma. This was a surprise dish for me, it was one I wasn’t expecting to love but I did. The fish fell apart with every bit and the mint and coriander stood out from the Neelgiri korma which add its signature green colour. On the vegetarian menu was ‘Bharwan Baigan’, which consisted of roasted aubergine, miso butter and Bhafhar gravy. This was the best of the vegetarian menu and we enjoyed it so much we have attempted to make our own at home. Needless to say, it didn’t quite live up to Kochhar’s plate.
Up next was ‘Malai Chandi Tikka’, grilled marinated chicken with silver leaf and a beetroot salad. The chicken was tender and packed with flavour alongside a bull’s blood salad with fresh beetroot. On the vegetarian menu, the fourth course was ‘Paneer Anjeer Pudhina Tikka’ which came with the same salad. The paneer cheese was a fantastic substitute for the chicken which also went great with the beetroot.
A quick palette cleaner of ‘Peach Granita’ prepared us for the main course of ‘Champein Aur Rogan Boti’, grilled Lake District lamp chop and rump. Lamb is my go-to when ordering an Indian so I was very excited to try this. It didn’t disappoint either. The lamb was slightly pink in the middle and each bite was a delight. Served with potato aloo, daal, pulao rice and naan bread, this was Indian in its finest form. The lamb was served with a dark red wine which accompanied the meal perfectly. The vegetarian option came as ‘Akkhi Gobi’, roasted cauliflower served with a yellow onion gravy and almond brittles. An alternative that tasted terrific and also brought the fine dining.
If you like chocolate then the dessert is for you, ‘Textures of Chocolate', a chocolate mousse with white chocolate ganache, chocolate soil and a passion fruit flavour running through it. This came with a dessert wine that helped end the night with a course as good as the rest.
Overall, the food was amazing, the service was superb and if you're looking for Indian food with a Michelin star touch then I would recommend booking a spot at Atul Kochhar's newest restaurant.
5/5.
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