Spoilt for choice at Banyan at the Rafayel.

Banyan on the Thames: well worth a trek to Battersea

I adore Asian food.  But I also spend a good part of my life in France and so am pretty well versed in the classical traditions of western cuisine.  And usually, ‘shall we have an Indian?’ is presented as an either/or choice.

Not so at the Rafayel Hotel’s Banyan restaurant, where the menu has one foot in each hemisphere e.g. starters include a tandoori mixed grill as well as pan-fried scallops.  This isn’t fusion food – the recipes tend to stay within their tradition – rather an eclectic menu where you can eat in either style.  I was glad I took a friend to ensure we tasted both sides of the menu.

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Banyan serves a varied mix of Western and Eastern favourites rather than fusion cuisine per se

I’d eaten at the excellent Coriander Indian restaurant in Vauxhall the night before, so it was fun to try a different take on the tandoori mixed grill.  While the lamb cutlets weren’t as meltingly soft as at Coriander, the spicing was very competent, with each flavour coming through well rather than the ‘generic tandoori mix’ which bedevils many Indian restaurants.

The seekh kebab was exceptional – strong in taste and tender in texture, just like the best French charcuterie.  The chicken was delicately spiced but perhaps a little dry - though I think I may be nitpicking.  The grill also came with plenty of veg – onion, orange pepper, and tomato – all sizzling and fresh without the greasiness that often accompanies fried peppers.

Asian food at Banyan doesn’t only include Indian – there is also Mongolian cuisine including ‘Attila the Hun’ beef, slow cooked with 32 different spices.

Apparently the Golden Horde used to ride with the beef under their saddles and it would cook with the heat of the horse alone.  Fortunately the Rafayel’s kitchen has a more hygienic method of cooking it!  The texture was melting and the gravy nicely thick as it should be.

Sea bream with squid was the choice from the western side of the menu – which balances meat and seafood options well (and includes at least one vegetarian option - this evening a veg biryani).

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Fish and chips Banyan style is a signature dish: monkfish fried in lime and coriander tempura-batter, served with chilli-salt chips and pea purée.

The vegetables were the highlight of the meal for me.  So often, great attention goes into the main dishes but the veg is uninspired.  Here the mix included asparagus, carrots, courgette and haricots - all tender but still with just a little bite in them, blanched and then pan fried and with tiny slivers of rock salt to add a little edge.  Wonderful colours – when the green and orange are positively fizzing on the plate, it gives you a real appetite – great texture and superb taste.  Well done that chef.

The desserts were also memorable – and again there’s a choice of Indian (kheer – an Indian rice pudding, but done as a brulée, which is a little different) or western.  Four distinct layers combined creme brulée, crumble, yoghurt ice cream, and red fruits in a dessert which sounded heavy, but was delicious.  All the desserts are created with imagination and verve.

The wine list is perhaps a little short for a five star hotel at 60 wines (including 11 champagnes and only 2 dessert wines), but it’s certainly interesting – some US organic wines from Bonterra, for instance and a prosecco plus Denbies Whitedowns among the sparkling wines.   And sparkling water is provided free – in line with the ‘no plastic’ sustainable green ethos of the hotel, they bring it in a carafe, carbonated on site.

Finally, let me mention the cocktails (regular readers will know I have a soft spot for cocktails, despite not being an expert mixologist myself).  Banyan’s signature cocktails are, just like the menu, a bit different from the norm; a raspberry vodka and cranberry juice cocktail that was superb – high on taste and with a just a hint of spice – and a fresh ginger cocktail that was refreshing and stimulating at the same time.  I’d certainly go for these again rather than the ‘regular’ cocktails; the pina colada was creamy and fruity but didn’t reach the heights of the signature specials.

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The cocktails at Banyan on the Thames are well worth sampling

Usually, a three course meal leaves me feeling rather full and even stodgy.  This one didn’t.  Banyan’s food is good healthy food – not too much starch, not too much fat – and the tastes favoured by the chefs are mint, lemon, and ginger, which tend to lift a meal and give it a crisp, refreshing taste.

The restaurant backs on to the Thames side path, and has sunset views which must be worth seeing on a fine day; on my visit, unfortunately, the sky remained resolutely overcast.  But the view as the lights of London began to twinkle across the river was magical.

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The bar at the Banyan

They are happy at the Rafayel for non-guests to frequent the restaurant - though it does get booked up, so strolling along the Thames to see if you can get in might not be the right strategy.  It’s open all day from breakfast to dinner, including afternoon tea and you can drop in just for cocktails.

All in all, a refreshingly different and good-value hotel restaurant – and it’s a lot easier to reach than it sounds (the 170 bus from Sloane Square stops in front of the hotel and it’s a couple of minutes from Battersea High Street).  And if you’re thinking of staying, the Rafayel Hotel also has some of London’s funkiest hotel bathrooms as previously mentioned on this blog.

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Photo credits: Rafayel Hotel, including Rafayel Hotel blog.

Tagged as: Rafayel Hotel