Mint Leaf Restaurant & Bar

Mint Leaf Restaurant opened its door in 2003 and had never looked back. Under the admirable leadership of Head Chef Ajay Chopra, who has adapted to changes in the fast world of culinary fashion, Mint Leaf has been able to not only maintain its market share but to increase in popularity and respect.

The growth of Indian cuisine in Britain has been remarkable and more recently there has been a trend that has had to accomplish the difficult task of re-establishing the authentic Indian taste against a background of increased elegance, at the same time responding to the modern development that is inevitable and desirable.

The meeting of that challenge is very much what Mint Leaf is about. With its spectacularly long bar, stocked with over 500 spirits, your choice of cocktails is almost limitless, and should the need for some light food at the same time come into focus a word in the right ear will take care of your wishes. Some deep fried soft shell crab tossed with onion juliennes, red chillies and curry leaves, or perhaps a vegetarian Mint Leaf sampler of stuffed mushrooms, stuffed potato barrels, char grilled stuffed peppers and vegetarian seekh kebab are but two of the tasty dishes that are designed to go down well with a good cocktail.

Given that chicken features quite widely on an Indian menu guests may feel reassured that the restaurant only uses the free range variety, and sure enough the second dish on the sharing menu is chicken breast, pan fried with crushed curry leaf and pepper. A slow roasted duck leg is spiced with star anise and coriander, but the thought of a large plate of quails roasted with ground mustard and honey sounds particularly tempting.

Indian seafood is compelling - there is the constant marvel that despite even some of the stronger spices the essential taste of say lobster, Scottish scallops or even turbot remains clear, if anything benefiting from the guile of the spices. Vegetables too have always been a great standby for Asian cooking and potato cakes cased with green pea and raisin is one of life's simple but exquisite pleasures.

Say Indian, mean curry and black tiger prawns tossed with Malabar pepper, onions and tomatoes set the pace well. Baby lamb shank 'nihari' is slowed cooked with onion and vetivier root. A classic biryani, the hyderabadi, comes in chicken form with saffron. Keen observers will note that many of these dishes appear to be simplicity itself, yet the real magic of course is with the spices where blends and measures have been used with an expertise that only comes from many years of experience.

Mint Leaf has the platter approach all stitched up, and let me commend the seafood version to you, with monk fish tail mustard, chilli and lemon grass, jumbo prawns cumin, roast garlic and chilli yogurt, soft shell crab crisp fried, curry leaf and dry mango.

Accompaniments to all dishes blend the English and Indian approaches and for special treats the grilled asparagus with curry leaf and coconut takes some beating, though the sour mango and mustard salad is only a short way behind.

If you find Mint Leaf to your liking it's well worth considering their Privilege Card, with 15% off total dinner bills and 10% off lunch. Special events and gatherings find a real home from home there and their Website will give you an update on these and other things such as seasonal menus.