Mint Leaf
special offer
Special Offer only available online - please book above
50% off food
Offer Details: ...from the a la carte menu. Includes Vat, excludes service.
Available: Monday, Tuesday 12:00 to 15:00, 17:30 to 23:00. Wednesday to Friday 12:00 to 15:00, 17:30 to 19:30. Saturday 17:30 to 19:30
Maximum people: 8
Terms: Expires 18th August 08
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
I‘ve been to Mint Leaf quite a few times. I love their cocktails (espresso martini is the forward after a long day at work!) and the food is absolutely amazing. I like the idea that their food is sort of modern Indian food, not too spicy for my taste. I went there with my friends and couple of times took my clients out for lunch. Everything was brilliant. And I am really surprised some comments are saying that members of staff were rude, cos I find it the other way around- they were very sweet and nice. I will go there again soon and would recommend to everyone.
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Iwa
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, July 11, 2008
Mint Leaf have the rudest, coldest staff I've ever encountered. Considering the location, it is acceptable that the food is pricy, but paying top dollar for food that is excessively spicy and over cooked is horrendous! And i have quite a palate for indian cusine, i can handle spicy, Mint Leaf butchers Indian Cusine! Mint leaf is definitely not value for money, it is best left for a drunken night out as the music at the bar is so loud it kills the ambience.
The decor is top notch, that impressed me, but the food and service are disappointing.
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Overall rating 
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Mint Leaf is in a good location and has nice decor. And they are literally the only upsides.
Food is very average but the main thing is that everything is unbelievelably small. Ridiculously so and the over bearing staff prompt you to order more and more. But even when you do and we were convinced it would take over the restaurant the amount we'd ordered it, when arrived and it was just ridiculous. A prawn curry was literally about six prawns in a line on a rectangular small plate in some sauce. Each curry priced as sharing plate at around £24! Was minute and just about enough for one.
Don't go. It's over priced, not that great and there's just nothing good about it in a city where there are endless amazing restaurants at the same price or less. Had we not have had a discount it would've been over £100 a couple for such a lame meal, you'd have to see it to believe it. You'd better off not doing it though!
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Friday, June 13, 2008
We came across Mint Leaf by chance, one Saturday night. I didn’t know what to expect as the menu outside appeared to offer an Indian tasting menu. I found the whole experience very disappointing though. For an Indian restaurant that offers a “real Indian welcome” it was ridiculously overpriced and there was not a single Indian waiting member of staff.
When the food started to arrive on our table after ordering from the A la Carte we were in disbelief how small the portion of food actually was for the price. A chicken tikka dish was 4 small cubes of chicken and a “sharing vegetable platter” was the smallest thing I have ever seen.
The food was ok and the atmosphere was dark, and truth be told I have had
much better Indian food in a lot of cheaper restaurants, where the quality of food speaks for itself and is charged at normal prices.
I am not sure how they can justify the prices they charge.
In my personal opinion, take somewhere if you want them to think they are somewhere special, but it is defiantly not worth the pain to the bank balance and the feeling of hunger when you are finished.
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Gareth
Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Sunday, June 01, 2008
I hadnt been to this restaurant for over a year but it was well worth the visit. Great atmosphere and wonderful food. Keep up the good work and it will be on a par with the Benares and Tamarinds restaurants of this world!
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Nick F
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wow.. my bf took me here last night and I was really impressed!! it is certainly a sexy place to go to! The atmosphere was a perfect balance of ambience and intimacy with a hint of mystery! loved it.
the cocktails were great (try the porn star one), and food was scrumptious. We had the jumbo prawns, potatoe cakes, lentils, lamb curry (this was OK not worth £16) and various other little dishes! The chocolate fondant dessert was to die for!
on the whole very impressed and had a lovely evening! A bit on the pricey side but I think for the whole experience, it's worth it. Hopefully will be back v soon to check out the bar area and more of those delish cocktails!:)
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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Mint Leaf is where I go for dates to impress the ladies....sexy ambiance and dark interior all make a perfect place to woo and to enjoy the fab food!! look the live music on Fridays ....
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Bujo
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Beautiful restaurant, Food was very delicious, Exceptionally good service will recommend
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Vishal .G
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 12, 2008
fantastic restaurant......great ambience........great cuisine........will visit again without doubt.
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vt - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, May 12, 2008
Terrific choice of restaurant. Suprised all of us how ecelectic atmosphere
and well mannered staff. Together with great food made it well worth the visit.
Comment on this reader review
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, May 12, 2008
