Benihana Review

From Moscowiki

Benihana

Cuisine: Japanese
Address: Pushkinskaya pl., 5
Metro: Pushkinskaya
Tel: 650-1023, 650-3497
E-mail: benihanaizv@Ln.rosinter.ru
Web: www.benihana.ru
Open from 12:00 until 06:00.

By Bill Broadmoor

Never having had the chance to visit Benihana before I came to Moscow, I decided to brave being among the first customers of the Moscow location, which had only been opened 2 weeks when I visited with a companion. It seems that the restaurant has yet to make its mark on the Moscow scene, as when we went at 9.00 on a Saturday night, it was quite empty, especially for a centrally located restaurant, and the reservations that I had made proved superfluous.

We were ushered to a table with about eight seats surrounding a teppan, or heated metal shelf, that is used for the show/food preparation; joining us were two other English-speaking couples. My companion was quite surprised by this seating arrangement, as she was sure we would get our own table. However, Benihana is more theatre than restaurant, and the seating reflected this. Once we ordered, the show began, and our chef/presenter began by cooking onions, mushrooms and tiger prawns on the teppan.

And then, the show began. Our chef sprinkled the food with sesame seeds, which he described as Japanese hashish, and informed us smilingly that the tiger prawns were actually the notoriously toxic and difficult to prepare fugu fish. As soon as the so called fugu fish was ready, he gave each man a small piece to taste; once we proved that it was not poisonous, he gave each woman a full portion, and held back the rest of our portions for a couple of minutes. Then, after we enjoyed the lightly spiced and soy sauce coated appetizers, and our salads, he began cooking our main courses. I chose the Benihana Pushikini - sturgeon cooked in a foil pouch accompanying about 200 grammes of filet mignon. My companion ordered sea scallops; they were certainly high quality and well presented, but they, like my main course, could have used a bit more spice. The filet mignon was made from particularly high quality Australian beef; while again it lacked in spice, I could easily discern that the meat was higher in quality than anything I usually eat in Moscow, including meat which I purchase myself from upscale supermarkets, let alone restaurant meals. The so-called hot sauce that accompanied my meal was nowhere near hot enough for me; although my years of cigar smoking have rendered me immune to most hot sauces, my companion, whose taste buds are not addled by Castro's gifts to the world, described it as ketchup with a little bit of a kick. The mustard and teriyaki sauces are equally as mild.

I also ordered two "Tokyo Iced Tea" cocktails; the Midori melon liquor that accompanied the spirits and Coca-Cola in this drink made it too sweet for me, but I suspect others who prefer sweeter drinks would enjoy it. Our total bill, including my companion's two glasses of wine and some soft drinks, came to about 2800 RUR; not bad for an enjoyable evening, especially given the quality, and original preparation of the food. Service was truly excellent; our hostess was polite and very efficient, and the chef was quite entertaining.

In short, the reason to go to Benihana is more for entertainment value than for food. It is definitely worth a visit; and the food certainly is of the highest quality, but those who prefer spicy Oriental food might not be tempted to pay a return visit.

28.02.03.