After a few weeks hiatus I’m very happy to say that “Dining At” is BACK! And boy, is it back with a vengeance. As you might remember, the last restaurant I reviewed was a bit of a let down but my visit to Buddha Bar London more than made up for it. I’ve been to the Knightsbridge glamporium (AKA emporium of glamour, new word made up by my, whatcha think?) a couple of times for drinks and always had a good time. No matter how hard I try, I’m not and never will be one of those achingly hip people who enjoys drinking vodka cokes out of plastic cups in dive bars. Now and again I do end up getting dragged East of Hoxton, but given the choice anywhere with luxe ambiance, crisp Pinot Grigio and some form of lounge music is where I feel most in my element. Buddha Bar’s London outposts delivers all these things and then some. The wine is fine, the decor unashamedly opulent and, as I discovered last Friday, the food is to die for.
When my dining companion, Tayler and I arrived we were greeted like long lost family members and ushered to a table in prime people watching position where flutes of bubbly deliciousness were awaiting. You know the phrase “you had me at hello”? Well, Buddha Bar had me at “a glass of champagne to start, Miss”. In all honesty, even if the food was rubbish the whole experience still would have been fabulous. After our delectable apéritif the charming staff swooped over with an equally delectable white wine selection. Throughout the evening, they remained attentive and accommodating beyond belief, letting me swap bits of the menu around without the slightest flicker of an eye roll and not laughing when I tripped over my platform ankle boots on the way to the bathroom.
Eventually we did get around to ordering, once I’d finally managed to get my head around the concept of “Bento”. It’s not actually complicated in the slightest but believe it or not, I’d never Bento-ed before. Well, believe you me, I’ll be Bento-ing a lot more in future. I ordered the Green Papaya Salad and Spicy Tuna Sushi rolls which came with fresh Wakame Salad, seed sprinkled steamed rice and THE tastiest Miso Soup. Generally speaking, I’ve always thought that Miso Soup was murky, salty and pointless but evidently, I just haven’t been drinking the right kind. Tayler chose the Prawn Tempura and Salmon Miso, having swiped a bit of both off his plate (in the name of blogging of course) I can confirm that they were equally scrumptious.
As per usual, we went for a liquid dessert. Both of us opted for our “usuals” but these were Lychee Martinis and Old Fashioneds beyond our most decadent dreams, beautifully presented and dangerously drinkable.
I’m sure you’ve gathered how I feel about Buddha Bar London after 400 plus words of praise but just in case, I thought it was absolutely bloody brilliant! If you like Asian Fusian, Sushi, great wine and luxe ambiance then I advise you to book a table asap.
Love Ella. X
