Mint Leaf
special offers
Private Dining: 3 courses a glass of wine & half a bottle of water: £20
...from a set menu. Includes Vat, excludes service Click for more details
Private Dining: 3 courses, a cocktail & a glass of wine: £35
...from a set menu, includes half a bottle of water per person. Includes Vat, excludes service Click for more details
50% off food
...from a reduced la carte menu. Includes Vat, excludes service. Click for more details
2 courses for £12.95
...from a set menu. Includes Vat, excludes service. Click for more details
our review
Mint Leaf’s entrance, on the corner of Haymarket and Suffolk Place is a little deceptive, it is only as you descend the black staircase scattered with rose petals and enter the reception area that you get an idea of the size of the place. Beautifully set out, this huge subterranean, stylish restaurant has a long black granite bar, dining areas sectioned off that both leave you with a feeling of being part of the whole but still giving you a sense of privacy, and low lighting which sets off the dark wood dividing structures. The whole effect works very well.
The restaurant has a buzzing bar and a great cocktail list, so we sipped as we chose, which was a very nice way to start the juices rolling. We tried several small sharing dishes as starters: the jumbo prawns were exactly that, two big meaty crustaceans marinated in cumin, roast garlic and chilli yoghurt that were seriously tasty; the turbot, two nuggets of fish seared with chilli basil and lime was beautifully cooked and had great flavour; the soft shell crab had an amazingly light spicy tempura batter, and was complimented well by lovely chilli dipping sauce; the guinea fowl, cooked with a yoghurt, chilli tomato and fenugreek sauce, was incredibly tender and had a lovely subtlety about it and the slow roasted duck leg spiced with star anise and coriander just melted in the mouth. All amazing dishes, with great flavours and beautifully presented.
On to mains, we shared three curries: sea bass poached in fenugreek and tomato sauce, the fish kept its meaty juiciness making a lovely dish; the chicken chettinad, braised with tomato, curry leaf and ‘chettinad’ spices, was equally tasty; the baby lamb shank ‘nihari’ was tender falling from the bone in its lovely onion and vetivier root sauce. Accompanied by stir-fried baby corn and bok choy, served al dente; amazingly crisp okra juliennes in spicy tempura batter; meaty flavoured black lentils; baked rice and a range of nan bread, this was a fantastic feast.
Our stomachs full, our eyes lighted on the apple jalebi, so we tried it. The thin apple fritters in a stack with green cardamom ice cream and saffron syrup was lovely and a great ending to this meal.
We had a very good organic Chilean sauvignon blanc to accompany the meal, its slight effervescence, tingling on the tongue, worked well with the spices. Service in the restaurant was attentive. Mint leaf serves only halal meat, some of their dishes are smaller than others, reflecting the cost of the raw produce, the turbot being a case in point. This is one of a select group of restaurants taking Indian cuisine to a new level, beautifully cooked food with no traces of excess oil. It is an exciting taste experience that we would recommend to anyone.
akandpa - January 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Loved the food here. It's a world away from a mere 'curry'. I went with a friend and the two of us shared three large size "starters" and one "main" although ignore those labels because we asked for them to all come together and they were all the same size. The two I liked best were the soft shell crab, in a lovely light crispy batter, and the black tiger prawns which were huge and juicy and full of flavour. The quails and baby lamb shank were also excellent, although the lamb wasn't quite as meltingly tender as I had expected. We also had on the side a portion of black lentils (slow cooked with butter and tomato with cream - very rich), a peshwari naan and their "baked" rice. The baked rice was described on the menu as being baked with cream and saffron, but could have done with being creamier and more aromatic to live up to its billing. The bill for two came to almost £80 - including service and two bottles of water but no alcohol - so it's not by any means cheap, but I used my Taste London card which gave me 50% off the food and it came to about £45 which felt like great value for such high quality food. Service was discreet and efficient. Atmosphere is buzzing (there's a bar along one end but behind a see through screen) and there was a mix of couples, friends and a few people in suits. Probably better to go with friends than on a date.
Comment on this reader review
Claire - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, July 03, 2009
We ate here last night for the first time.
The restaurant is dark and intimate. Lovely long bar serving great cocktails.
Our waiters were attentive and friendly. We probably over ordered as we were starving. I had the tandori paneer, which was delicious. My husband had the Chicken Chettinad. Side dishes we ordered new potatoes with garlic and cumin - lovely. Yellow lentils, spinach and cumin - wonderful. Okra crisp fried - gorgeous and the speciality breads - all fabulous.
The food was delicious. We loved the whole ambience of the restaurant.
Comment on this reader review
Angie B
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 6
Monday, May 11, 2009
It seems everyone here is a vampire. It is incredibly dark! The food, however, is great. The decor is also fantastic. Try it once, best Indian food I have had in a long time, and I am INDIAN!!!!
Comment on this reader review
James Holding
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Visited Mint Leaf for my Husband's Birthday (Nov 2008) and was thoroughly disappointed! The food was terrible and shockingly over priced for what was on offer. The place looks nice, so may be worth visiting for a drink, but wouldn't recommend it for dinner.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating 
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Went on a Saturday. Great atmosphere in the bar area and excellent cocktails. Had a very good whisky sour which isnt easy to get right. The music was good but the Sax player seemed confused. He kept playing the same 30 second tune over and over whilst walking around. Would have been far better and less annoying if he actually played a song or two whilst doing his rounds, or just stayed put and complemented the music.
The food was good - far better than I expected and I have been lucky enough to eat the best indian food in London.
The service was not good. Our waiter did not understand customer service at all but feels he is more important than the customer. Shame as the night would have been perfect otherwise.
Comment on this reader review
Sarj
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Save your pounds and go elsewhere - Mint Leaf is overpriced and badly staffed. My friends and I encountered the rudest, pushiest, most arrogant staff in town - not only did they get the orders wrong, but they kept pushing the wine menu despite our group making it clear we were not there to drink. The portions were miniscule and the meat options, most notably the twelve one-inch cubes of meat masquerading as a kebab tasting platter, were overcooked to the point of eliminating all nutritional value. The vegetarian curries were watery. Avoid, avoid, avoid - you can have a much better time at it's competitors.
Comment on this reader review
Sajini - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, November 29, 2008
We went there yesterday night, my boyfriend and I. The food was good (quite spicy too), the ambiance nice, and the staff helpful. The only think I didn't like was that the music was VERY loud (but good) for a restaurant; there is no separation between the bar and the restaurant. Certainly, this is cool for drinks in a bar but not to have a diner, it was a bit annoying and exhausting...
I could probably go back, but for sure not with my old parents, neither with a good friend to catch-up, nor for a romantic diner (unless you don't want to hear your girlfriend of course ;-)
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Had drinks and dinner here last Friday. Had a great time. Bar was buzzing and the sax player and DJ were excellent. Cocktails were to die for and food was delicious. Not cheap but worth it.
Will back... soon.
Comment on this reader review
SB
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Went to Mint Leaf on Saturday night for my sisters 21st. There were a group of 7 of us and we had a really great night!! Decor is very cool and this place seems to go on forever once you are inside. I was a bit worried about booking this restaurant as I had read some bad reviews about the staff being rude and portions being small etc but I have to say that we didn't experience any of this. We booked the 50% off food offer and arrived at 7pm(the latest offer time) Although some of the party were a bit late the staff were very friendly and accomodating. There was no mention of having to order before a certain time and we wern't hurried at all. Overall the food was excellent and the portions definitely are not small! We ordered extra just in case but we had food left over. Some of the best indian food that many of the group had ever tasted, and although the drinks do "up" the bill significantly, we did drink A LOT and the 50% offer was more than worth it (total discount of nearly £200!!) I would definietly reccomend this place and would say that the only thing it lacks is a bit of ambience; especially in the bar area. Other than that a truely great night with excellent food!
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
My boyfriend and I ate here the previous Monday, as we decided some time ago to travel extensively around London, looking for the best Indian restaurant. We are looking for tasty, exquisite food, professional, friendly service, and pleasant surroundings.
However, at Mint Leaf, the food is very tasty, but very overpriced. The service is appropriate for the 'annoying- only -to- be- seen -once- tourists'. Do not expect to be welcomed and recognised here if you are a regular customer, even if you do spend more then £60 per head each time you visit! Welcoming staff at the reception (particularly a rather condescending and bad mannered woman) is poor and unacceptable to say the least.
Comment on this reader review
Naomi
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Monday, August 18, 2008
