An 'immersive' restaurant serving just 18 diners a night, has won three prestigious AA rosettes.
Behind in Sidworth Street near London Fields is chef Andy Benyon's first restaurant, and won a Michelin star just 20 days after starting to trade in October 2021.
For £98, diners get an eight-course, seasonally changing fish-focused tasting menu. The single sitting sees all guests served by the chefs simultaneously, with a full view of their food being prepared.
A further 18 guests can experience the £54 six course lunch menu at the restaurant, whose name refererences seeing "behind the scenes" of a busy kitchen and being "fully immersed in the dining experience".
The rosettes were announced at the AA Hospitality Awards at the Marriott Grosvenor House on Monday which recognise the crème de la crème of the hospitality industry.
Benyon, who previously worked in top Michelin star restaurants with chefs including Claude Bosi, Phil Howard and Michael Wignall, is a Hackney local who had watched the East London food scene develop and wanted to bring his classical training to the neighbourhood he lived in.
He believes "the service is as much a part of the meal as the food itself".
The AA Inspector praised dishes such as chalk stream trout wrapped in nori, topped by an oyster leaf and finished with a silky courgette purée and samphire and basil oil, which can be mopped up with a warm almond brioche.
"The street-level dining room comes with hip industrial good looks, featuring 18-seats set around the open kitchen’s curved counter, serving a sustainable fish-focused ‘surprise’ tasting menu delivered and described by the chefs themselves. Innovative, finessed, intricate, easy-on-the-eye small creations burst with balanced flavour and surprise."
At the awards, Paul Ainsworth of Paul Ainsworth at No.6 in Padstow Cornwall was named chef's chef, the Pan Pacific hotel in Houndsditch near Liverpool Street scooped the accessible award, and Indian restaurant Chutney Mary in St James, was named London restaurant of the year.
Anne Golden, General Manager at the 42-storey hotel, which has an infinity pool overlooking Bishopsgate Plaza, said: "For Pan Pacific London to be recognised as an establishment that has gone above and beyond to champion accessibility in the hospitality industry is truly humbling. Not only do we prioritise accessibility practices, but they are also imbedded in our culture as we adopt a proactive approach through inclusive training and anticipating guest needs."
AA Inspectors praised Chutney Mary's luxurious ingredients, careful presentation, well judged spicing, and polished service with dishes including griddled scallops in Mangalorean sauce, venison samosa, tandoori sea bass Amritsari, Afghani chicken tikka, and wild Madagascan prawns.
They called it an "infinitely glamorous restaurant.. a smart, sassy, and sparkling setting for modern interpretations of a wide range of classic Indian dishes, drawing inspiration from the many cuisines of the region."
Namita Panjabi from the restaurant said: "This honour is beyond our wildest dreams. It makes 33 years of hard work so rewarding. We would like to thank the members of our staff, our customers for their support over the years."
The Lanesborough at Hyde Park Corner, won London hotel of the year, with London Stock Restaurant in central London also awarded three AA rosettes.
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