Curry Leaf Restaurant

I am a regular at the Curry Leaf and can recommend it heartily for its really tasty Sri Lankan food. For a smallish place its got a big menu with lots of variety. A welcome break from standard Indian fare and generally a higher standard of ingredients and culinary skill than average.

The main downsides are that its a pretty dreary environment to eat in and not especially comfortable. And if it gets full, the service - which is well intentioned but not very professional or competent at the best of times - just grinds to a halt. If you're really hungry the long waits can be really annoying. They just don't seem to have much of a system going!

Overall though, great value for money and streets ahead of most of what's available in this corner of the metropolis.
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Steve A
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Sunday, June 29, 2008

I love this place!!! I am only sometimes in the area, and try to stop by EVERY time. If you have been to (south) India, you are sure to agree, it is the real deal. First of all, the paratha are those cool, swirly kind with lots of flaky layers that you can tear off - crispy and chewy/squishy-soft at the same time. Dip them in some plain or salt lassi...that is how to avoid Delhi-belly if you ever return to the subcontinent - safe and delicious. Next up, the Madura Manga Kalan, a dish I have never encountered before, sadly. A sweet (not at all spicy, unlike most other dishes), bright orange main dish, with huge chunks of mango floating in a lovely creamy sauce. A must try, I defy you not to like it.

Most of the other dishes are REALLY spicy hot-tamale, so if you don't like that or cannot digest it, tell them to tone down the chili before hand. I had the devilled paneer, whose bright, almost neon glow should have given away their gut-twisting power...I don't regret it, I just would only eat half of one of those deliciously, outrageously spicy dishes, with a healthy chunk of rice next time. So go if you can, for an extremely well-priced dinner. You can fill up, totally, for very little per person, and eat some beautifully well-made food.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Sunday, April 27, 2008

Love this place, it's also about 10 minutes walk from the Salisbury pub on Green Lanes if you walk up straight up Glenwood road.

The food is interesting and unsually if i've got used tothe usually curry fare. The dosas are particularly good for impressing people with!! I also heartly recommend the Kathku (sp??), with shredded dosi. Things are more spicy than usual.

It's cheep, the food good and the staff friendly, the principle problem is that they haven't got the decor quite right! :)
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Louise
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Monday, February 04, 2008

This is a modest cafe-style place; little more than a take-away with a seating area. As such it is not a place to impress bigwigs or to make a marriage proposal.

The food, however, is marvellous. Not only does it taste good but they also have a range of hard-to-find South Indian dishes on the menu. The dosas are generous in size, flavoursome and spicy. I have not tasted better anywhere else in London. It is worth going out of your way to come here.

Service is friendly and personal without being overbearing. They appear to cook dishes fresh when you order them so don't expect your food to appear immediately.

Pricing is keen: a filling sit-down meal with a drink can be had for under a fiver.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The Masala Dosas are superb and extremely filling. Definately no starter needed. However doggy bag provided if you can't manage a whole one. Good place to go when half the group is vegetarian. Great to be able to take ones own bubbly. All members of staff appear to be bothered about customers enjoyment of the food! What a quaint idea!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, January 15, 2007

It's not Indian, it's Sri Lankan - but I suppose Indian is the relevant 'genre'. After all, 90% of London's 'Indian' restaurants are actually Bangladeshi.

ANYWAY.. The Curry Leaf is in a modern cafe-style; rather than carpet & flock wallpaper with dodgy pictures, the place has tiled flooring and nice photos of Sri Lanka around the place. It's much brighter and fresher-looking than the average dimly lit curry-house. Although perhaps slightly less cosy as the chairs are also cafe-style.

If you like a curry but want to try something different from the generic tikka/vindaloo choices, you should try this place.

It's cheap. 'Average' by curry-house standards (they're nearly all cheap).

The dishes I've tried have been good and fresh-tasting. My girlfriend didn't rate her chicken biryani though. Possibly because it didn't resemble what she had become accustomed to -it had an unexpected boiled egg in it.

Vegetarians are especially well catered for (even by curry-house standards). Chana Masala is the boom, imho. Masala Dosa is a meal in itself (potato & veg mashed-up with mustard seed, rolled-up in MASSIVE 2-foot pancake served with Sambal curry sauce & wicked coconut/chilli chutney -Mamma!).

From what I've tried so far, I would DEFINITELY recommend this place.

One possible problem with the food is that it is nearly all spicy to some extent. And when I say spicy, I mean cooked with chillies. They do invite you to specify your preferred spiciness of food, but I think 'mild' may still be too hot for some 'novices'.

If you like it a BIT hot, the food is just right - as long as you pick the chillies out if there are any(!)

I cannot imagine what the dishes descibed as 'Extremely Hot' are like.

I haven't tried more exotic-sounding dishes like fresh mango & fried banana curry - but I surely will. Green bean with coconut may sound a bit odd but it's actually a fine (and cooling) combo for a side-dish.

BOOZE - this restaurant is not licensed to sell booze so you can save a mint and bring along your favourite wine/beer combo. For party bookings this really is a massive bonus - you could drink champagne for what you might pay for wine.

Do try to retain respect for the place though, even if you find youself mullered.

They have some very interesting soft -drinks which are tasty but v.sweet and probably additive-heavy. Nice, though. Lassis are also on the drinks list which is handy if you just confused a green chilli for a green bean (easily done).

Oh, and the staff are very friendly.

If you're REALLY lazy, you could get the frequent 41 bus from by Turnpike lane tube-but it's only 10 mins walk if that.

And the pub next-door is OK to wait in if you ordered a take-away. Especially in summer when they open the front up.
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Fiveportions
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Saturday, July 15, 2006

the food was delicious,service faultless.relaxed atmosphere & friendly staff.value for money.good place to take family for a meal or just to chill out with friends.

would recommend!!
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ken
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

I went here with some friends late on a Thursday night. The staff were extremely plesant and helpful. The food was delicious, I thought there was a very interesting mix of dishes, not just curry and kormas. The final price was very reasonable (£24 each), for starters, mains, drink and side orders.

I would recommend it!
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AudsCB - View all reviews by this user
Thursday, September 15, 2005