Benihana pioneered Teppanyaki-style cooking in 1964 and is an institution to gastronomes across the globe. I could not wait for the culinary show, but was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
A great start to a night out
Dining somewhere quirky
Group parties
Ambience & Décor
Benihana’s décor feels quite corporate with its sleek and clean-cut interior. Plenty of wood and shiny surfaces. Aspect lighting falls over the Teppanyaki table illuminating the stage for the performance to come. Overall it is a hit with me. The diners were all enjoying the show making it a lovely place to be.
Service
Our teppanyaki chef was hilarious. Such good banter and chat. He was cracking jokes with all the dining party like a professional stand-up, whilst performing his unique routine in preparing and cooking the food. The highlights were the heart-shaped rice, flaming onion volcano and the knife skills. I was thoroughly impressed. You always keep your eyes peeled for mistakes, but found none. The rest of the waiting staff were attentive enough but not memorable.
Food
Per the chef’s recommendation, I went for Rocky’s Choice (£39). This was the delicious combination of hibachi steak and hibachi chicken – my two favourite meats. Both meats were cooked to perfection; succulent steak and moist chicken. My only gripe was that the quantity of meat was on the lower side, and given how well it tasted, I felt a little cheated. However, Benihana have a wealth of accompaniments to sate the hunger.
One starts with an onion soup entrée, followed by the main event being cooked simultaneously with the hibachi vegetables (onion volcano is the visual delight above), fried rice (in the shape of a heart to the right) and a light salad. All complemented the meats well, and bulked up the meal to a palatable size, but if you are hungry/big eater, then order another entrée. I felt that some accompaniments were a tad bland.
With Benihana you go for the show and the food is a good backing act, which does make it feel like it is good value, despite the high prices we ended up paying. I always look for a wow factor in restaurants, and Benihana has it in abundance. I just wish the meat portions were more and the food less bourgeois. Benihana Piccadilly, however, gets a solid A rating.
Photos of Benihana Piccadilly and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: A
Final comment: If you want dinner with a wow factor and good food, come to Benihana.
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