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Review

Imli

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Type: Modern Indian Restaurant.
Lunch for two with drinks: £50.15 ($80.13)
Author: Chris Barker


Imli is one of the swankiest Indians in London’s West End, catering not to the usual beer-and-curry crowd but to tourists and traders out for a good British take on Indian cuisine. It’s a light, breezy establishment in Wardour Street which looks like the epitome of a modern London restaurant. The most unusual thing about the restaurant’s cuisine that it serves many small “tapas” versions of Indian street foods, of which three are supposed to equal a two-course meal.
Imli has also recently launched the Naanwich- a spicy Indian version of the wrap served as a lunchtime food, which consists of a thin Naan bread wrapped around a meat or paneer filling with sauce. We were there this afternoon specifically to try this new culinary experience and see if it measured up to the hype.
The place’s lunchtime atmosphere is restful, almost respectful. Diners sit at the tables and munch down on their food in concentration, helped no doubt by the restaurant’s minimalist color scheme and furniture not being much of a distraction.
Our tapas starters turned out to border on meal sized themselves, almost as if the restaurant was uncertain on how to strike a balance between This made them pretty good value for money- we shared a substantial plate of spicy fried chicken wings and poppadoms and pickles for about £8, and classic Indian drinks like Cobra beer and Lassi came to around £4 each. The only real burden on the wallet was one plate of Tandoori King Prawns: tender, smoky and not too hot but at £14.50 for six pretty expensive for a casual meal.
Our main course was the famous Naanwich, which when served looks similar to a club sandwich complete with impaling cocktail sticks. The best of these was an incredibly tender spicy lamb naanwich complemented by a sweet chilli sauce, which tasted like the best kind of spicy lamb kebab- with added sweet chilli sauce, always a good thing. The Naanwich is pretty competitively priced at £5-6 but not necessarily that filling, so while they’re definitely a good light lunch option for diners make sure you order a tapas dish or two to go with them.
The last course was saffron and cardomon pudding and carrot fudge, the latter of which which proved to be a sweet, somewhat cloying dessert which didn’t resemble fudge in any way. It was warm and spicy, probably more of an acquired taste than one for the casual diner.
Naanwiches are a great addition to an already strong lunch menu at Imli. The style of the food and the relatively reasonable price tag makes this restaurant definitely a worthwhile stop for a casual, sophisticated meal.
Service: 4/5
Value for money: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
Ambiance: 4/5