Benares launches street food-inspired small plates menu

The new bar snack menu, overseen by chef-owner Atul Kochhar, features five small plate dishes, each of which has been created by a different chef in the Benares kitchen, inspired by the street food speciality of their own Indian hometowns.

Available from 12 September to Christmas, the street food menu will cost £30 for all five dishes. Individual dishes will be priced £7.50 per dish, or £5.50 per vegetarian dish.

The dishes, which have been designed to be eaten easily by hand, include Chicken Tikka Crispy Naan with Smoked Tomato Dressing (inspired by the Punjab region of North West India), Lamb Kofta Roll with Mint and Coriander Salad (typically found in Lucknow, North East India), Grilled Curry Leaf Seabass and Seasonal Salad (a classic Southern Indian dish found in Goa).

There will also be Quinoa Salad, Samphire and Red Onion Bhajia (from the East Indian region of Kolkata), and Pickled Prawn with Crispy Rice Pani Puri (a speciality from Mumbai, West India).

Kochhar’s Benares won its first Michelin star in 2007 after opening in 2003.

Restaurants have been taking influence from street food culture in recent months, including the appearance of easy-to-eat, grab-and-go dishes from Indian restaurant Gaylord, Ping Pong's dim sum in a street food festival format, and Dum Dum Donutterie's on-the-move cone of croissant doughnut ice cream.