Food Diary Budda Bar Review

In my quest to visit every indulgence ridden eatery in London I decided to head to Buddha Bar in London’s Knightsbridge last month to see what this place was all about.

Buddha Bar was initially open along the Embankment and was very successful however it closed down for unforeseen circumstances a few years ago and sadly I never got round to checking it out. However it’s new home in Knightsbridge fits in just nicely with its uber trendy neighbours including Harvey Nichols, Harrods and the Bvlgari Hotel only seconds away.

I got to the restaurant a good 30 minutes before my date arrived and was tempted by all the delicious looking food on the surrounding tables so I opted for something quick to hold me before my date arrived. I went for a White Miso Soup and champagne based cocktail. The soup arrived within 5 minutes and was infused with strong and aromatic flavours in a generous serving. The cocktail followed and wasn’t short of champagne…just how I like it!

When my date had arrived we both scanned the menu and decided to go for the fillet steak in garlic and black bean sauce, caramelised black cod, spicy squid, vegetable Gyoza (dumplings) and steamed oriental vegetables.

The fillet steak was ridiculously tender and full of flavour. It was also rather generous in size perfect if you are sharing. Steak is one of the options I tend to go for when visiting a new restaurant and I was glad I choose this at Buddha Bar. The description down plays the sheer quality of this dish.

My date selected the Black Cod; this was also nice but didn’t have the same wow factor as the steak. I’ve tried Black cod in other restaurants and this dish was not memorable nor did it leave me wanting more. However the smokey caramelised flavours of the black cod worked well with the oriental steamed vegetables. If you want a lighter option then the black cod and vegetables combination works well together.

Hands down alongside Jamie’s Italian, Buddha Bar has the best Calamari in London. Soft in texture and coated in the lightest of batter, this is a highly recommended dish when visiting here.

If your not familiar with Gyoza, they are basically steamed dumplings similar to dim sum, however after they are steamed they are pan fried for a few seconds. The vegetable gyoza’s were beautiful in texture and the vegetables were well seasoned.

Overall the food at Buddha Bar is beautiful and the décor and the staff are equally as nice. If you are looking for somewhere to celebrate a birthday or anniversary then Buddha Bar is highly recommended.

By Riccardo McMillan-Wright