FOOD : Review of Riwaz by Atul Kochhar, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Twice Michelin star Chef Atul Kochhar has opened his latest restaurant Riwaz in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
After dining at Masalchi, Wembley Stadium in October last year (read the review here), we couldn’t wait to taste more exciting dishes from Chef Kochhar.
REVIEW OF RIWAZ BY ATUL KOCHHAR BEACONSFIELD, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Riwaz is located where Zizzi use to be, at the Aylesbury end of Beaconsfield and joins the other handful of restaurants Chef Kochhar has opened in Buckinghamshire. The space is bright and open with neutral tones allowing the intricate patterns of the tiles on the walls and floor to pop and yet compliments the natural design elements.
Riwaz means ‘tradition’ and serves sensational Indian cuisine inspired by the history, cultural practices and rustic charm of the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengali, and Orissa among others.
Having lived in the UK for almost three decades, Atul is excited to present a menu of British Indian traditions for the first time at Riwaz, alongside authentic dishes cooked by his grandmother.
With a very extensive drinks and wine list covering your normal tipples to something a little more special like Champagne Cocktails to Whiskey (and of course Scottish whisky which should be spelt without the ‘e’), we chose a glass each of Olive Grove Chardonnay, 'd’Arenberg, Australia and loved it so much we bought a bottle on the way home! The wine was beautifully balanced with a creaminess on the palate with a touch of sea salt and stone fruit shining through. A great match with the poppadoms and chutneys but also a superb wine in general that complimented most of our dishes.
THE TASTING MENU
The fine dining menu follows tradition and pays homage Atul’s Indian upbringing, whilst also recognising that traditions get upgraded with time. The Tasting Menu is priced at £65 per person for seven courses with four sides. Every morsel was delicious and happy to say I would eat the all again, some dishes, I’d even eat thrice over!
RAMPURI DAAL PALAK KEBAB - Potato - spinach - lentil cake, tomato & raisin chutney
What a gorgeous way to start a meal. Presented with this spinach, potato and lentil cake that starts off tasty and then that little bit of heat creeps in. The tomato and raisin chutney was punchy and worked tremendously well with the kebab.
JAL PARI - Tandoor seared Scottish scallop, lentil salad, spiced broccoli puree
Cooked beautifully. The scallop was soft, juicy and silky. Absolute perfection. The spicy broccoli puree brought the spiciness to the table whilst the sprout salad was the cooling component bringing a fresh, cool yet crispy mouthfeel helping with the spicy heat from the brocolli.
HARE MASALE KI MACHHI - John dory, spinach crisps, neelgiri korma
This dish I could have just stared at for hours and never touched it! I lie, looked too good not to eat, but you know what I mean. The fish was impeccable, fall off the fork flaky but still retained its structure. The spinach leaves brought the crispy crunch with the korma sauce rounded everything up. Stunning!
MALAI CHANDI TIKKA Grilled cream marinated chicken, silver leaf, bull’s blood leaf salad
For me, the chicken lacked flavour although it was succulent and soft, but maybe after having three dishes that packed a spice punch, this was a step down on the flavour scale. The combination of the chicken and the salad provided nice contrasting textures.
PEACH GRANITA
Most welcome. A wee peach flavour bomb, to cool and cleanse the palate.
CHAMPEN AUR ROGAN BOTI - Grilled Lake District lamb chop & rump with black pepper and fennel
My favourite dish on the menu. Both the rump and the chop were incredibly tender and cooked perfectly pink. Not an overly spicy dish, but delivered on every taste level. A dish I’d happily eat over and over again.
The dishes are all served with Aloo, Daal, Pulao, and Naan bread. The daal lentils were amazing - really creamy and buttery.
THE LUNCH MENU
The adventurous menus showcase a set lunch offering, with a Jugalbandi tasting menu for two to share, along with vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian dishes and tasting menus that cater for all tastes and diets.
The Lunch Menu costs £15 for two courses and £18 for three courses.
KARARA MURG TIKKA - Classic chicken tikka masala pastry turnover, winter berry chutney.
This pastry bake was sensational. The pastry was nice and flaky, no soggy bottom in sight, with a good amount of filling inside. On arrival at the table it looked like a dessert dish, but when you cut into it, it was filled with shredded spicy chicken with a little bit of heat coming through. The winter berry chutney was a combination of sweet and tang and suited to this wee pastry parcel perfectly.
For the main course, we tried the
HYDERABADI GOSHT BIRYANI (SUPPL £5) - Diced lamb cooked with basmati rice, herbs & spices, raita
Possibly the best Biryani we ever had, and that says a lot having grown up in South Africa and very much use to eating Indian biryani’s over there. The lamb strips were super tender; there was a hint of rose or maybe saffron there - something very fragrant and perfumed that added a background sweetness to the dish and really elevated it. We’d love to know Chef?!
Lastly onto desserts, as if we weren’t bursting at the seams by this point.
GAJAR KA HALWA (N) - Traditional carrot fudge with reduced milk and cardamom, vanilla ice cream
This was on the lunch menu and not a dessert we’ve tried before. Sweet pureed carrots are definitely an acquired taste but in all a nice way to end the meal.
TEXTURES OF CHOCOLATE
This was the last course on the tasting menu. Really light, easy to eat and didn’t leave you regretting that last mouthful. The mousse was supremely smooth and with the mango gel, just made delightful spoonfuls.
The staff were extremely attentive but not overbearing and it was the first time we had ever been asked about allergies in a restaurant! Nice touch.
The restaurant closes at 2:15pm for lunch but as we were still eating, there was no rush placed on us by the staff - thank you. It was wonderful to chat to the head chef, who came out to say hello and told us a little more about Riwaz.
We thoroughly enjoyed lunch here and would highly recommend it to everyone! Use this link to book, you won’t regret it - BOOK RIWAZ NOW!
Review by TartanSpoonie - Kim Eagle
Riwaz by Atul Kochhar, 41 Aylesbury End, Beaconsfield HP9 1LU www.riwazrestaurants.co.uk
Vegan menu available
Vegetarian menu available
Pescatarian menu available
Disabled access with same level access to W/C
My Spoon Award : TartanSpoon 10/10
I was invited by Riwaz by Atul Kochhar to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.