Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Behind The Bank of England in the City of London, there is a tiny car-less passageway called Angel Court which houses Mint Leaf Indian Restaurant. The minute alleyway belies how extensive Mint Leaf is as both a restaurant and a bar, but if you were here during the working week, you would see that every inch of space is needed for diners of this authentic Indian cuisine.
We were greeted by the lovely staff who brought over cocktails for starters. Illusion is a lychee and lemonade mocktail topped with Gypsophila and is deliciously refreshing. I was given the Sunderban, a vodka based cocktail served in a toadstool glass and beautiful table setting. Named after the delta Sunderban in the Bay of Bengal, it also contains peach, pineapple, Grenadine and lemon juice. Yes, it really is delivered in the toadstool ceramic ornament!
It’s always worth asking for a recommendation so we were brought Crispy Kekda (Indian style fried crab) and Charcoal Lamb Chops for starters. The Charcoal Lamb Chops were perfectly cooked with the lamb meat tender but the fat was silky soft and pulled away from the bone. There was an accompaniment of mint sauce as well, which added to the flavour and texture. I couldn’t get enough of these and this was only the starter! The Crispy Kekda was equally delicious. Each piece of crab was fried to a crispness without being burnt and not at all heavy with grease. The flavour of the crab meat was also evident and made a welcome difference to what you normally find on a menu.
The main course was again recommended to us. We had Bhuna Khargosh (slow cooked rabbit) and Coconut Prawn Curry were brought over to us in piping hot dishes with beautiful garnishes and ample amounts. The Coconut Prawn Curry had enormous prawns, curled round and presented in a dish of coconut sauce. This wasn’t too spicy, and along with the rice, the sauce was a meal on its own. The prawns were cooked to perfection and not at all chewy and the coconut sauce was delicious, especially on its own. This is a great dish for children who don’t like hot curries. The rabbit is something which is not often seen on menus in the UK and I gather it’s not that well known in India either, but if you have never tried rabbit as a dish before, this is the time to try it! I’ve eaten rabbit before and it can be a bit stringy, but this dish was tender, had the texture of soft beef and was easy to eat in the Indian gravy. I also added some of the Coconut Curry sauce to it which gave it a different texture altogether!
The staff also added some rice and both plain and garlic naan breads, which help enormously when you’re trying to devour the last few drops of curry sauce from your plate. They were also delicious on their own!
As full as we were, there was still dessert to come. We were treated to the house specials of White Chocolate Cheesecake and Carnation Milk Vanilla Cake served with rose petals. The cheesecake was to die for – the base was light and had only a slight texture to it and the filling was incredibly delicate, with a rich flavour but nothing like the heavy cheesecake filling I knew growing up. The Carnation Milk Vanilla Cake was served on a bed of Carnation milk and rose petals and the cake itself is also incredibly light with a vanilla taste. It absorbs some of the Carnation Milk to give extra flavour and it’s more than enough to give a sweet ending to a meal.
Overjoyed at a fabulous meal and feeling full, I was given a tour of the rest of the restaurant. The magnificent bar stretches along the back wall, but there’s another bar upstairs in the private dining area which can house corporate events. Downstairs, the restaurant area is divided so that you can have several smaller private rooms of around 30 seated, or open up the divided and have long tables seating up to 60. There’s also a projector downstairs for presentations and a lounge area for pre-presentation drinks or after dinner.
The restaurant itself is enormous and you don’t get the scale of it until you walk around all the different areas and see for yourself. The lighting is kept low (which makes it difficult to photograph!) and the subtle lighting comes from pretty candle tealights on the table. The whole room is airy with double height ceilings and an open staircase with the bar taking up the main bulk of the back of the restaurant.
I cannot speak highly enough of the food. This is not your “High Street” Indian restaurant where you find the same old items on the menu. Instead, this is Indian inspired cuisine with the best quality meats (and you can tell that these are not the cheap cuts) with rich Indian flavours, a mixture of hot curries and every type of Indian bread you can think of. There’s plenty to choose from on the menu too and enough for vegetarians to enjoy, or if you want to go back several times and try a range of dishes.
Mint Leaf Indian Restaurant is one of those hidden treats in London that once you find it, you’ll want to tell everyone you know. You’ll not be disappointed with either the food, or the experience.
Mint Leaf
Angel Court London EC2R 7HB
T: 0207 600 0992 | E. reservations@mintleaflounge.com
https://www.mintleaflondon.com/city
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