Last Updated on November 9, 2019 by Fiona Maclean
Benihana Chelsea – Wagyu Beef and More.
Benihana Chelsea has launched a new Wagyu Beef Festival menu and it’s been worth waiting for, trust me on this!
Wagyu (pronounced Wag-goo, sounding like Ragu) is some of the best quality beef you can buy. As such it usually commands a justifiably high price, but Benihana has managed to bring together a fabulous new menu that appeals to all people and allows them to access the “Rock Star” lifestyle.
Wagyu beef has extremely high levels of marbling, that’s what adds favour to the overall taste and succulence of the beef when it is cooked on the Benihana Tappan’s. These Tappan cook at over 300C so really does sear and melt the fat on contact with their surface. Wagyu is one of the healthier forms of beef as it contains higher levels of good mono-saturated fatty acids, and higher levels of Omega 3, also. This Wagyu beef is supplied by Tajimaya UK, and it was absolutely ‘melt in the mouth’ delicious.
Not only are Benihana offering a new Wagyu beef menu, which has a great Wagyu Beef Lunch Set Menu, which is 7 different dishes for £17.90 per person, which includes 3 Wagyu dishes and soup and prawn, but also includes an exquisite Wagyu Festival Menu, which has much larger portions and also 3 Wagyu plates, prawn, ginger salad and soup. This is a veritable bargain and will fill you up with a huge stomach and a big smile. It is exquisite. The Beef is so tender and sweet, little chewing is needed and the taste on your tongue is quite the best you may have tasted.
The decor and comfort at Benihana are quite incredible. We showed up just minutes before our reservation and were seated right away. Very timely service, too.
Benihana is all about the whole experience, and the experience is “ShowTime” The presentation by the chef was not what I have experienced at other “similar” establishments. There was a show of knife skills, juggling and tricks that were quite mesmerising. The chefs are super friendly and very accommodating, they particularly like it when a person has a birthday, and they make a big fuss of that person.
The overall atmosphere is good and the chef’s tricks and entertainment get all the patrons laughing and chatting. It’s a very friendly and enjoyable experience, overall.
On this visit, there was also new sake being introduced which was quite superb. Sake is a rice wine and like wine from the vine, it comes in many different guises and styles/tastes. The new sake hails from Nada in Kobe and is perfected by Sho Chiku Bai Shirakabegura. They make some of the best sake in my opinion. This sake was served in cocktails, warmed, and chilled. The sparkling sake was not on offer but I had tasted this before and it was quite the best I have ever tasted, and having lived in Japan in the past, I know my onions with sake!
Overall the whole experience was a marriage made in heaven, the best Wagyu beef, great sake, all pull together and served in flamboyant style at Benihana. I totally recommend it for a night out. You will not be disappointed for flavour, taste and entertainment!
Benihana Chelsea: 77 Kings Road Sw3 4NX 0207 376 7799
Impressive and the prices are exceptional – especially for london !
I have only had waygu beef once but it sure was delicious!
Oh my, I’m totally salivating over these delicious dishes, looks like a fabulous restaurant:-)
What a great meal. It looks amazing.. and having sake presented 3 different ways……wow!!
Lucky you!