Tandoori Magazine | Home of Indian Food and Drinks

Often regarded as two of the most modern and enjoyable haunts of the London Indian restaurant scene, Mint Leaf and its sister establishment Mint Leaf Lounge have an ethos of offering contemporary and progressive cooking.

Critical plaudits have reinforced this view: "judicious spicing, carefully constructed contemporary twists and tasting-size dishes define the style"; "the restaurant is a popular spot for post-work cocktails and romantic rendezvous", and "the food is really enjoyable and carefully put together".

Of course no good restaurant is without a good menu, and Mint Leaf has always ensured that its menu changes every season. According to general manager Gerard McCann, the new menu, implemented by executive chef Dhayalan Paul, has been the easiest he has ever had to try. "Easy" in the sense that it has been absolutely plain sailing and the dishes were spot-on the very first time he tried them.

"When we sat down to try this new menu," says McCann, "I was just so amazed to find that so many of the dishes were an unqualified success. All credit to Paul and his team for being so incredibly talented. My work becomes all the more easier because what I and the rest of us need to then do is to ensure that while the cooking is lovely, we need to have an even spread of different kinds of dishes.

"That means that I need to be certain that the structure and balance of the menu is correct. I have to have a good share of seafood, meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes so that customers have a good choice to choose from."

McCann is generous enough to say that the job of what the dishes are and the ingredients they consist of is entirely in the hands of Paul.

"I have complete faith in what he does and I think it's also nice to know that we are always pleasantly surprised to learn what's being put on the menu. For this menu, desserts, for instance, were given a more traditional spin - with items such as carrot halwa and kulfi being very much to the forefront."

Keeping on the level of having a restaurant which is always inventive and interesting in its food offering, McCann notes that when they decided to offer special menus that tied in with special days last year, such as the launch of the Alphonso mango season or Chocolate Week - where a menu alongside the à la carte encompassed the said ingredients - it was to ensure that the kitchen is never complacent and that the team can be diverse and unique.

"I think it's crucial," notes McCann, "that we are not perceived as resting on our laurels. Not only are the back of house personnel given creativity with coming up with something quite different when we do tie-ins for special days and events throughout the year, our customers are also happy with the twist we give to our cooking. That said, we wouldn't want to deviate too much from our core à la carte offering.

"So long as Paul keeps exploring, our food tastes good, the texture is pleasing and the dish looks eye-catching then I'm happy to put most things on the menu."

Sample Dishes - Mint Leaf

Starters
-Chicken Malai Tikka
Pickled chicken chutney, onion salsa
-Pan-Seared Scallops
Marinated asparagus, chilli mango relish
-Aubergine Three ways
Pan-seared aubergine steak, aubergine crush, aubergine raita
-Potato Cakes
Curried chickpeas with tamarind and yoghurt

Mains
-Grilled Prawns
Semolina mash with lemon coconut sauce
-Bengali Seafood Broth
Served with steamed rice
-Braised Lamb and Turnip with Fennel
Pulao rice, sauteed spinach
-Coorgi Pork Curry
Steamed rice and stir-fried okra

Desserts
-Masala Chai Cream
Served with vanilla shortbread

When Samir Sadekar began his chef's stint at London's Imli, in Soho's Wardour Street in 2005, little did he know that in such a quick space of time, he would turn the establishment into one of the capital's finest quick-service restaurants.

A relatively young crowd of punters regularly transform Imli into a heaving and thriving hive of modern and authentically flavoured casual Indian dining food. The restaurant has recently had a new menu in place with a string of superbly rendered dishes that keep in line with cooking which is true to its Indian roots, yet very accessible to both a seasoned subcontinental palate and one of European descent.

What's key to the restaurant and its driving force though is Sadekar. Having been the chef initially, in 2008, at his request he was appointed its manager and now holds the title of chef-cum-manager. Odd as the title may sound, Sadekar was well suited to take on such a multi-role post as he'd had a background in various five-star hotels in India where he would be both in the kitchens and interacting with customers. Besides, he says, he wanted a "challenge".

"Initially," adds Sadekar, "for the first six to eight months after I'd become a manager, I was till dealing with kitchen issues such as menu composition, dealing with suppliers and doing costings. But then we were in a position to take someone from the kitchen and promote him to the post of head chef. Now what happens is that while I still assist him with quality control and menus, I have gradually pulled out of kitchen operations."

The opportunity of seeing both sides of the coin and their respective functions has not been lost on Sadekar though.

"I don't miss being in the kitchen even though having been a chef all my life, it's practically second nature," he admits. "But the job of a manager is much more varied because as a chef you are very much in a cocoon. Once the food has left the kitchen, you have nothing to do with it. As a manager you see it from a completely different perspective and realizes the good and the bad points.

Traditionally, no matter which restaurant you are in or where, there has always been a level of friction between the front of house and back of house, I'm lucky enough to be able to understand both sides and what it really boils down is good communication. The other positive side to being a manager is that I now get to comprehend the business side and what makes money and what doesn't."

When asked whether there should be more people like him in the industry, Sadekar notes,
"A brilliant chef isn't necessarily a good manager. What I would say though is that every chef should spend time at the front of house to accustom themselves and get a better understanding of what waiting staff have to go through."

Imli Sample Dishes

Cold Tapas
Bhel Puri £4.50
(A medley of puffed rice, cucumbers and roasted peanuts tossed with assorted chutneys)

Hot Tapas
Kaleji Mushrooms £4.50
(Chicken liver tossed with mushrooms on golden grilled buttered toast)

Grilled Tapas
Honey Grilled Duck £9.95
(Marinated in star anise, honey, ginger, fennel and tamarind on crushed potatoes)

Chicken & Lamb Tapas
Kheema Matar Mushrooms £6.95
(Minced lamb with green peas, mushrooms and spring onion)

Vegetarian Tapas
Punjabi Kadi Pakora £4.65
(Vegetable fritters cooked in yoghurt sauce and aromatic spices)

Desserts
Mango and Meringue Pudding £3.50
(Mango-flavoured rice pudding with meringue and nuts)