Imli

Our visit there was disappointing. I was really keen on the restaurant as I like to have smaller portions, but more choice - so the concept seemed ideal.

However, the food was bland: the fancy descriptions in the menu were just disguising the faithful old favourites that can be found in every other average-to-mediocre Indian restaurant. Their parathas are actually more like chapatis, and their Chicken (Dhungar?) dish is just a plain Chicken Tikka. Finally, the parathas arrived cold, and the cucumber raita (described by the waitress as a cucumber yoghurt toss...) never came - though we asked for it as the other dishes were served.

All in all, definitely not value for money, not an interesting culinary experience, and the service could be better.
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Pascale Crama
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Thursday, April 05, 2007

My brother has been to this restaurant many times and he is very keen on it. Where it wasnt really my type of food. Its very western indian food. One thing that put me off eating there completely was my chicken wings had feathers on them still.

Sorry but i will neva be back
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Seema Takhar
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Medium-ish portions, okay taste, high prices- NOT recommended for the very very hungry or incredibly big eaters, or for those looking for good value-for-money.

My partner and I went for the half-price Tasting Menu, and the bill came up to £17.50 a head (including non-alcoholic drinks and 12.5% service charge) WITH the discount- a bit steep in our opinion even at half price! Can't imagine that we would have been happy paying the full £25/head.

To be fair the food was quite tasty-the bulgar wheat/bean salad was pleasant, coriander vadi especially yummy-but just not worth the price. Portions were just nice to leave us feeling satisfied, but if we had walked in famished I think we would have left quite unhappy.

Don't think we'll be back.
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Samantha Tan
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 25, 2007

Four of us went to Imli. We started with popadums which came with a selection of unusual,( i.e. passion fruit, tamarind) yet delicious chutneys. We selected 9 different dishes to share as a main course, everyone of which was totally superb. The flavour of the individual spices really came through in a fresh, clean way and I would not hesitate in recommending this restaurant to anyone. It would be wise to book because although a large space with dining on two floors it was completely full the whole time we were there. The service was remarkably fast but not in the least bit pushy. Incredible value for money. We're definitely going back
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fritz
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Thursday, March 15, 2007

We consider this a "keeper" for dining in Soho. The 50% discounted tasting menu is a good value, with food that is varied and lively with flavor. The best items, however, are on the a la carte menu, such as the spiced fruit -- a lovely way to lighten the dahls and curries. Maybe not the best Indian restaurant but pretty good nonetheless.
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Bagan
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Fantastic! I went here for dinner with 5 colleagues on a Thursday night and we were all really impressed. The service was good - we hadn't booked, but the staff had no problem shifting a couple of tables together to create a table big enough for us. Between us we sampled 18 dishes and each one was lovely. They recommend 3 dishes each, which is what we ordered, but there was still food left over by the time we downed our knives and forks in defeat. If you want a curry - don't go here, it's not a curry house and you'll probably be disappointed. But if you want modern food with and Indian flavour, you could do a lot worse than give Imli a try. We were particularly impressed with the Banana Dosa, the Tilapia and the Seafood platter.

A special mention should also go to the cocktails - they took quite a while to make - but once they arrived, they were superb- especially the soho soho. A great place to go for a reasonably priced dinner with friends.
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Nix
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 08, 2007

Do not be tempted by the price. The scanty offerings here are simply not worth what you pay for. I did not leave feeling particularly satisfied in terms of being full in addition to the food quality. "Fusion" here equates to "watered-down"; "tapas style" to "miniature portions" and "light and refreshing" to "insubstantial and unsatisfying fare".

Pleasant, light and airy setting which is both sophisticated and modern, but hence lacks any sort of intimacy. It's a safe option to go for if you're forced to undergo one of those bland lunch occassions with small talk.
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greg parsnip - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Saturday, February 03, 2007

Definitely a keeper. We dined here during unbusy hours, and service was polite and prompt. The tapas format allows one to enjoy a lighter-than-usual Indian meal. The dishes we sampled were full-flavored and distinctive, with the spiced fruit salad a standout. Reasonably good value too, considering the quality of food and presentation.
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Bagan
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I went with a friend to Imli on a Tuesday evening. It was great. I know that the 'Indian Tapas' style of eating is nothing new, but it was refreshing when most of the places I've visited have been the standard "Korma, Madras, Vindaloo" kind of establishment. I probably ate the same amount as I would in other Indian restaurans but because of the way the food is delivered, it didn't seem so daunting.

The food was great - special mention must go to the Cumin Mash and the Aubergine Masala and the service was very good. I will be going back.
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Gaz
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, January 31, 2007

terrible! was wandering round soho with friends looking for a curry and thought this one looked quite interesting. unfortunately for us that was all it was! the food was everything an indian meal shouldn't be - bland, artificial, pretentiously small portions at a ridiculous price for the size... and not an indian in sight! was served by a blondie from the eastern block who had not tasted any of the food and could tell me nothing a about it - can't blame her really, i wouldn't taste the food again!
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clarissa
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Thursday, January 25, 2007