Mint Leaf of London - Dubai

Mint Leaf of London – Emirates Financial Tower, DIFC Area– Dubai

Cuisine: Indian – Contemporary Fusion

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialised in.

ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor

They are famous for their set menu unlimited Brunch and they view of the Burj Khalifa while you dine. It is chic place known to host some well-known social gathering in Dubai.

FOOD: OVERALL RATING 3.5 OUT OF 5.

I happened to hit the brunch during the festive season (Xmas) and the menu had a few tweaks to keep up with the season.

Course 1 – Starters (3.5 / 5) – Good Idea but Chaat is still better from the street vendor!

They consisted of two types of Indian Street food called “Chaat”

·        Papadi Sev Chat: This is actually a Gram flour crisp that is tossed in the Indian chaat masala and mixed with an Indian vermicelli. The taste was good and the serving size was good but that doesn’t matter for you can keep ordering them until you had your Chaat fill!

  Course 1 – Starters

·        Masala Channa Chat: This is better of the two chaats they gave. The spiced white chickpeas with diced onions and tomato topped off with a good dollop of tamarind chutney. This was good and felt it as a palate cleanser for your mouth to enjoy the rest of the menu

Course 2 – Vegetable Kebabs / Grills (4/5)

Being a loyal non-veg follower, I was tempted to give this course a skip but then the foodie in me said “come on! Brocolli is good!”

·        Tandoori Brocolli: Now this is indeed a fusion of Indian Gastronomy. Tandoor is so very Indian and Brocolli is so not very Indian, I am sure half of India still does not know what to do with a Brocolli!

Having said that, Mint Leaf seems to have done justice to this fusion it was good. It is worth the try.

·        Subz Quinoa Seekh: My brain process Seekh as always a Mutton Seekh and Quinoa as an “Ek Dum Ajnabee” (“A complete stranger) in Indian Culinary. The Mint leaf version gave me a better impression of them and even order a send helping of the same!

Course 2 – Vegetable Kebabs / Grills 

Course 3 – Non – Vegetarian (Chicken & Mutton) Kebabs /Grills (4/5):

·        Murgh Ka Sule: The menu says it is a corn fed chicken spiced with Kashmiri Chilli and burnt onion. I think the chicken had good dose of chilli as well in the diet. A treat to the mouth after some low spice profile items that preceded this.

·        Chicken Lahori Boti: Lahori boti is born to Pakistani fare and trying to “fusion it” into an Indian style is like asking making a Coca Cola using a Pepsi concentrate! I rest my case

·        Lamb Seekh Kebab: I think the Chef who set the menu knew that the real Seekh had to make an appearance since the alter ego Seekh had popped up in a Quinoa costume. The real Seekh does not disappoint at all, in fact, let me call them and ask if they can send me a few via home delivery.

Course 3 – Non – Vegetarian (Chicken & Mutton) Kebabs /Grills

Course 4 – Seafood Kebabs /Grills (4/5):

·        Achaari Hamour: Hamour is white fish that is considered the king in Middle Eastern culinary. Hence, when bring the king to the fusion party, the deal has to be spot on!

Mint Leaf knew that and they did it spot on!

·        Mustard and Herb Marinate Salmon: Salmon is a very delicate piece of meat that can be obliterated in high heat. The Tandoor oven is a high heat chamber. Mustard is a very tricky ingredient that can punch you out. This dish will make your eyes pop. Flaky, Delicate, Tangy and it is a tandoor item! Wow!

·        Sigri Prawns: Prawns grilled with a Sundried tomato marinate. Alas! This killed the seafood fare. I am huge prawns fan and I felt let down but then I guess this was the “cooling/ bland” item to balance the palate from the rather spice/flavoured items of Hamour and Salmon.

Course 4 – Seafood Kebabs /Grills

Course 5 – Main Course (finally it is here) – (3/5) – After all the starters and their high pitch show, the main course came in and went out on a flat note

·        Mushroom Do Piaza: Mushroom is relatively a new entry into the Indian vegetarian fare and it seems to have settled well in taking its own version of many well known Indian curries. The Do Piaza does justice to that and it is the pick of the lot.

·        Subzi Kali Mirch: It is nothing but a drier version of veg kurma that is spiced with pepper. I would have loved to see a Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) version of this for this mixed vegetable fare was way below par for a Mint Leaf menu standard.

·        Dal Makhni : It was really nice but for some the tomato paste flavour could become very evident in their taste buds

·        Punjabi Chicken Masala: An India visit is never complete without a “bhangra”. The chicken was okay but the gravy in which the chicken was served had the Bale! Bale! Factor

·        Lamb Bhoona : It is always said that the original is always the true form while the new versions will always be a new version. The Lamb Bhoona served to us was indeed a version that could match the original for the meat used was Australian lamb. Upon asking the floor manager on the usage of Australian lamb instead of Indian, he said that the aroma of Indian lamb was being a concern. I had my doubts in that story but then when you have a customer base that more from the Western Hemisphere, I guess the Australian lamb is the way to go.

·        Turkey Biryani : It is advised that Eid and Xmas should not fall in the same time period. No, I do not mean it in a socio-political way, I meant it in a “don’t kill the foodie” in me way. First and foremost, Turkey is not Biryani material, I mean come on! Can you imagine Sylvester Stallone in an Iron Man suit!

And to top it all, the Biryani was not a Dhum Biryani! It was more of a masala mixed saffron rice.

Course 5 – Main Course

Course 6 – Desserts – (3.5 / 5)

·        Chocolate Brownie: It was not warm as in Brownie warm but it tasted good and I had a good helping of it.

·        Passion Fruit Cheesecake: The Passion of Cheesecakes is still alive!

·        Ras Malai: They serve it like a piece of cake without the milk (malai). It had a rather rubbery texture.

·        Warm Xmas Pudding: It was nice but then there are somethings that only mothers can make the best.

·        Mince Pie: I felt it was more of a preprocessed pie that was reheated upon order.

Course 6 – Desserts

SERVICE – 4.5 OUT OF 5

The service was on the dot. I guess the service makes one forget about the shortcomings of the meal. They served my 2 year old son an exclusive treat that consisted of Butter Chicken, Butter Nan and Saffron rice!

2 year old's an exclusive menu - Butter Chicken, Butter Nan and Saffron rice!

LOCATION – 5 OUT 5

No issues at all. It is in the Emirate Financial Tower in DIFC Area Dubai. Near to the Ritz Carlon. Easy to find and they have a Free Valet parking for 4 hours, which is ample time for the brunch timings is exactly 4 hours.

PRICING: 5 means very cheap while 1 means Bring on the Bank!

I RATE THIS PLACE 2 (The Wallet can get a beating)

The price of a Non Alcoholic Brunch is 195 AED per head with unlimited Soft drinks, fresh Juice and Mocktails. There are some high restaurants that cater a wider range of menu for almost the same price but then the Burj Khalifa view seems to have also being factored in the price.

AMBIANCE: 3 OUT 5

It is chic and elegant but the band noise was a little too loud for my liking. A weekend Brunch is usually a family or friend gathering that is punctuated by talks and laughs.

Moreover, I was informed during my reservation request that children under age of 5 does not have a baby chair and that the guardians/parent are to ensure that they (the children) do not make any inconvenience to the fellow guest. The only inconvenience was that my son was a little taken back by the din of the band and ranter of the fellow Alcoholic Brunch guests!

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 4 OUT 5

Nice place. Good Seating arrangements and for any Dubai lover the Burj Khalifa can be considered a part of the décor.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5.

You would want to give it a 4 rating but then the when doing a Contemporary fusion on one particular Cuisine and that too a vast one like Indian an utmost care is a necessity.

Mint Leaf of London seem to have “diversified” the Indian cuisine by infusing Western influences into it but alas! they forgot that there are many a state and diversity of tastes, flavours and ingredients in Indian fare that make up Indian Cuisine as a whole.