The Mint Leaf

Admittedly, buffets are not really my thing. I am typically leery of any food that has been sitting beneath a heat lamp for any period of time, not to mention that I've worked in kitchens and understand that "buffet" is usually synonymous with "leftover feed tray". However, putting my judgements aside, I felt it necessary to try out Milton's newest in cultural cuisine at The Mint Leaf, fine Indian cuisine and lounge.


Dining out on a lunch with my coworkers, one of which brings her own authentic Indian heritage critique, we hit the service line and loaded up our plates with what I must admit was a fairly well presented array of food.


I took a bit of everything of course, from the Chicken Pakora to the Pindi Cholle (chickpeas with coriander and ginger) and Beef Rogan Josh (slow cooked beef with green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon) and while there was plenty of food to be had, I felt like something was missing. Nothing was inedible by any means, though the Baklava was incredibly too sweet for my liking, it just all seemed so very plain.

Usually when I dine out for Indian I get spicy, flavourful, aromatic dishes, but it seems like The Mint Leaf is opting for a safer route, perhaps to appeal to a greater and still unfamiliar public. If this is the case then I respect their sacrifice but feel that it comes at far too unfortunate a price for those who are expecting the real deal. With that being said, however, we were eating a lunch buffet and therefor could not simply make a request with the kitchen to kick it up a notch, so immediately I know a return visit to the menu is required. And I will say this: the portion sizes of each dish were more than fair - healthy size servings of chicken, fish and beef, and nice sized pakora; even though it was a buffet, I only needed one trip to the line, and for a reasonable price, I didn't feel ripped off for stopping at only one plate.

The one thing I will give the place higher than normal points on is its design and atmosphere. It's hard to imagine (for all us born and raised Milton folk) that The Nascar Pit, which should have given out complimentary vaccines to every patron, could have been so elegantly transformed. There is a deep rich motif running throughout the hardwood floors, well placed wine displays, tasteful art selections and wonderfully presented tables; and the place is huge I might add! Divided into two areas, they have a main dining room which I just described, as well as a dimly lit lounge area that seems to call for a martini or two in my near future. In fact, I think the only downside to its size is the perception people will have when they see so many empty tables, which shouldn't suggest they aren't busy, they just have a lot of floor space to fill in.

So would I dine again at The Mint Leaf? Well, the staff and service were very friendly and prompt, and as for the food I feel I have to in order to experience their menu properly, though I would likely not return for the buffet. Would I recommend that others give it a go? Certainly, but not without heeding a fair warning that what they are about to experience does not, in my opinion, properly represent the full flavours of true Indian cooking.

Oh, and I feel I should also point out for the vegetarians in the crowd that they do provide a full meat-free menu, and where meat is present, they are strict on using halal meat only (which means, to those curious, that it was slaughtered my means strictly governed by Muslim or Islamic law)

So, try it out, enjoy it for what it is, leave full and let me know what you think.

The Mint Leaf
370 Main Street, Milton, On
http://www.mintleafrestaurant.ca/index.html

Phil

PS I am trying hard to get pictures loaded onto the site but my camera has bit the dust and until I get a new one it's going to be a little more difficult so please be bare with me.