Where We Eat: Berenjak

One of the best things about running a restaurant is that every day feels a little different. A new mix of first-time diners and returning regulars gives each service its own energy. The menu shifts with the seasons, new wines arrive, and there’s always something fresh to talk about.

That said, like any line of work, consistency is the foundation. Chefs preparing the most popular dishes the same way, time after time. Front-of-house talking through the menu hundreds of times a week and answering the same questions, again and again.

The challenge is getting the balance right. Enough change to keep it interesting, not just for guests, but for the team. Something new to cook, something new to talk about, and a reason for regulars to keep coming back and engaging in fresh conversation.

Last week, we ate at Berenjak in London Bridge. It was busy. Very busy. We booked two weeks in advance for an early Tuesday dinner, and by 6pm the waitlist was already over an hour long! The crowd was a steady stream of tourists and Instagram followers, all looking for the perfect shot.

The food was excellent. The chefs, working from a small open kitchen under the eyes of a packed dining room, were executing the most popular dishes with speed and precision. It was very impressive!

But the challenge with being that busy, especially when you're serving tourists and first-time diners, is how to maintain that balance. Too much change and you risk losing the speed and consistency that the business relies on to get through the volume of covers. Too little change, and things slip into autopilot…the same script delivered again and again, and the experience starts to feel a bit soulless.

Sadly, by the end of the meal, we felt like we’d been processed rather than hosted. Which is a shame, because the food really was great and we completely understand how hard it is to build genuine connection in an environment moving at that pace.

That said, there are some places getting it right and doing it at scale…Dishoom and Hawksmoor come to mind. We’ve eaten at both many times and always felt welcomed, despite them being some of the busiest restaurants in London.

The reality is that eating out is expensive. We paid £90 a head at Berenjak, and at that price point there are lots of places serving excellent food. Which is why, for us, the difference more and more comes down to service, to engagement, and, without getting too misty-eyed, to hospitality.

Because good food isn’t enough anymore!