The price of fame

As a critic, I'm continually going to restaurants that my colleagues have described as 'reasonably priced', only to discover that I'll have to remortgage my house in order to pay the bill. How can this be?

My theory is that the owners of these honeytraps deliberately keep their prices low for the first three months, knowing that this is when the critics will come in, and then, as soon as they've been acclaimed for offering great value for money, double or triple the prices.

Take Benares, for instance. When this posh Indian opened three years ago, the starters averaged £4.50 and the main courses were all £13.50 or less. Such prices were particularly generous, given that the chef patron, Atul Kochhar, had come straight from Tamarind, one of London's first Indian restaurants to be awarded a Michelin star.

The fact that it was in Berkeley Square, right next door to the most expensive car showroom in London, was the icing on the cake. Few critics could resist pointing out how low the prices were in contrast to those of Jack Barclay.

So imagine my surprise when I opened the menu and found the starters range from £6.95 to £16.95 and the mains go as high as £38. These don't include any extras, either. (A side order of dal, for instance, is £8.50.) At these prices, a Bentley Continental GT for £115,000 begins to look reasonable.

Then again, perhaps it's not fair to complain about the high rates of inflation at the top end of London's restaurant trade. As anyone with the most rudimentary understanding of economics knows, prices of consumer goods aren't fixed by calculating the cost of the raw materials and then adding something for labour.

Rather, they're dictated by the laws of supply and demand - and, on that basis, Benares is actually a bit of a bargain. Ever since Atul Kochhar became one of the contestants on Great British Menu, the BBC series in which various chefs compete to cook a dish for the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations, it's been impossible to get a table.

It was already fairly popular, but, according to the manager, trade has increased by 30 per cent since the boss started appearing on television.

The atmosphere at Benares is very business-like. Not only is it located in Mayfair, the heart of the corporate entertainment district, but it's on the first floor of Berkeley Square House, one of those modern, concrete buildings that's guaranteed to bring Prince Charles out in hives.

Inside, it feels like a luxurious nuclear bunker, a sensation that's enhanced by the absence of any windows. If the Queen ever feels inclined to drop by, she'll be as safe here as in any bomb-proof room in Buckingham Palace.