Milaanj at the Beehive Review | A New Spectacular Gem

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to the grand opening of Milaanj at the Beehive. This new and exciting restaurant is in the sleepy village of White Waltham, just outside Twyford. After treading the (literal) red carpet, sipping champagne and taking our seats, we were introduced to the food by our lovely host. In the opening speech, we were told to prepare our palettes for a new experience; food fusion of Indian, French and Italian cuisine.

Without spoiling anything, we certainly did have a brand new experience of culinary delights and one that I really need to tell you about. Here is everything to expect from Milaanj.

Milaanj at the Beehive Review | A New Spectacular Gem

The Atmosphere

The Beehive is a rustic, but upmarket, pub. When you walk into the building, you get exactly what you expect. Cottage carpets, shiplap panelling and historic paintings of the local area. There is also a gorgeous orangery area at the front, which adds to the leafy Berkshire atmosphere. At first glance, it is not the place where you would experience Indian fusion.

I think that this is the beauty of it though. It is so unexpected, yet feels so right. The entire place feels exclusive and upmarket, yet at the same time open to all. On the opening night there was a real buzz in the air and a true excitement as people tucked into their food.

Overall, what I can say? Other than I think that the atmosphere was perfect.

The Service

From the moment we entered Milaanj at the Beehive we felt pampered and looked after. Our lovely host, the owners, went around and introduced themselves to us. The passion for this project was radiant and you could tell that this was not just a business; this is a dream.

The waiters catered to our every need and would always come and check if we wanted more drinks or food. Each dish had a formal introduction so that we could familiarise ourselves with the flavours we would be faced with. The waiting staff were really knowledgeable and would even bring over new glasses of wine to perfectly-pair our dishes.

Once more, the service has to get five stars.

The Food – Starters and Appetisers

Perhaps the bit you have all been waiting for; what is the food actually like? I must be honest, I had never heard of the mixing of Indian, Italian and French cuisine before.

Our canapes were served first. We had some delicious masala rolls, served with whipped chicken butter. It was presented beautifully and the chicken butter is easily a show-stealer; it tasted incredible. We also had a small vegetable bitesize canape served on a small poppadom, which was light but packed a punch.

For our appetisers, we both had khandvi (Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese Rolls), confit beetroot and Indian summer salad. This was so light and delicate, but incredibly tasty. The beetroot was so fine it looked like a coulis on the bottom of the plate. It was perfect for a summer’s day, especially during the evening. We were then told that these dishes would rotate with the seasons; all the ingredients were local and of the highest quality… And trust me, you could tell.

For our starter, we then had two different dishes. I went for a lamb kebab, served with mint & coriander emulsion, saffron yoghurt, sago crackers and garlic aioli. The flavour explosion was just breathtaking; how they thought of this combination was beyond me. The presentation, as with the others, was immaculate too. The real highlight though was my husband’s seabass sashimi with citrus dressing, caviar, pickled lime gel & togarashi. The colour-storm was breathtaking and the flavours were perfect. I loved the vibrancy of everything, along with the textures and taste.

The Food – Mains and Dessert

After a delicate palette-cleanser consisting of a green apple and fennel sorbet, it was time for the main event. There were two options and so we decided to go for one each. My husband, being a cheese-lover, went for the courgette flower paneer, served with a spinach sauce, charred bell peppers and cumin rice. It was again artistically crafted, with the paneer and peppers looking like islands in a vividly-rich green ocean. The combination of flavours was also breathtaking. The subtle Italian flavours fused together with the punchy Indian spices in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. It was perfect for a Summer evening.

I went for the corn fed chicken, served with Pipian Rojo, king oyster mushroom and a confit chicken croquette. The crimson dish looked stunning next to the rich green paneer, and both were a treat for all of the senses. My chicken was soft, juicy and delicate. It really was cooked to perfection and the flavours were cleverly crafted. My croquette was an interesting addition to the plate, but I enjoyed it and added that much-needed crisp. Both of these dishes were also served with a hand-selected wine to pair up with the flavours.

Once we had finished these dishes, we were then brought over our desserts. Both of us had the sous vide spiced ananas, served with coconut kulfi, crumble, pineapple gel, and coriander coulis. It was unsurprisingly beautifully presented and I would dare say was one of the best fusion dishes of the evening. Whilst the flavours were nice, what really stood out was the attention to detail. There was evidently a lot of thought that went into this, down to the position of the subtle blue edible flowers.

Milaanj at the Beehive | Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a terrific and unique dining experience in the Henley area, this place is for you. I cannot recommend this menu enough; you won’t have anything like this anywhere else. What I truly love though is the passion that goes into the food, and the craving for perfection. The owner told me that opening Milaanj at the Beehive was her long-held dream. From what I saw from our visit, they’ll have no problem turning that dream of success into reality.

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