Eat & Drink
Originally published on Thursday, 8th November 2012
BUDDHA BAR LONDON
An international fave sets up in Knightsbridge
145 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7PA
@BuddhaBarLondon | 0203 667 5222
Location
Round the corner from Harrods, down the road from Harvey Nichols: this is the place to come for a mid-shop refuel or a post-shop wind down.
Vibe
As it states on the website, it’s a place for “the busy socialites and business people of Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Kensington [and] The City”, and that’s it down to a tee. There were businessmen wining and dining mummy and daddy, and we saw a lot of Anya Hindmarch bags and up dos. The atmosphere itself was soothing, owing to the yoga-style Asian instrumental (you can buy the CD in reception) and low lighting. Hang in the upstairs bar on weekends for a buzzy crowd and international DJs.
Flavours
The menu, at a first glance, is slightly overwhelming, but the waiters know their stuff. To start we had dragon scallop steamed in its shell (intricately exotic in flavour), rock shrimp tempura (light, crisp, no chew) and volcano roll maki creations (the presentation was excellent). Our favourite was the foie gras and unagi vegetable makis, which had the exact ratio of foie gras to vegetable (not much), with a tender slither of eel on top. Go classic for mains – either black cod or wagyu beef with a the added luxury of truffle miso. Dessert was salt caramel ice cream mochi, though we wish we’d stuck with classic green tea. We drank Nihon-Marys all night (an Asian twist on the classic Bloody Mary with soya sauce, wasabi and schichimi spices).
Decor
Shiny, polished and bling – see the jewelled hanging dragons in the stairwell – this is Far Eastern luxury to the max. Black tables sit in coves behind black latticing, while a huge Buddha overlooks everyone.
Upshot
Good service, good sushi and good DJs on weekends.
