Benugo bar & kitchen @ BFI – South Bank

Part of the renovated BFI SouthBank, ex NFT, this is the main restaurant, cafe’ and bar of the establishment.
From the decor point of view it’s quite nice and it features 3 main parts: the tables for the restaurant, for dining; the sofas and armchairs which run from the main hall to the back of the bar and a sort of dining area at the back of the counter area which is mainly for dining but also for drinking.
Booking is recommended although some time it is possible to find a table without reservation.
We’ve never booked and 80% of the time we’ve been given a table, especially if it’s a table for 2; but few times we’ve bounced.

Food is ok, a mix of mainly british based dishes like fish pie, shepherd’s pie, steak, lamb, sausages, etc.. with some pasta dish or vegetable dish for vegetarians, some interesting starters like the crab cocktail served as tradition in a glass which I greatly enjoyed recently, or a cold cuts and cheese italian starter.
Chips are nice, both fried and roasted and so is the mash.
The soup of the day comes normally at nuclear fusion temperatures, so don’t count on it if you are hungry or on a rush.
The drink selection is quite good, both wine, cocktails; beers selection is perhaps more limited, not sure.
Now let’s talk service: service can be a bit inconsistent: normally is at least acceptable, although some times they don’t seem to acknowledge that the customers might be on the way to a movie; and sometimes the courtesy and niceness is limited, however as I said it’s always at least acceptable.
As a regular of the South Bank area, I must confess that this is probably the best restaurant in the area.
Price-wise is in the Normal London Restaurant Price Variation Band, NLRPV, something that doesn’t really exist, and consist mainly of my gut feeling when the bill comes: in this case it seems a regular price for London.

Address: Belvedere Road, South Bank Waterloo, London SE1 8XT