Restaurant Review: Mint Leaf Lounge

by Nicole Aspinall

A gorgeous sparkling chandelier brought all the way from India greets guests as they arrive at the Mint Leaf Lounge, Mawson Lakes. Elegantly decorated and perfectly positioned overlooking the main lake, the restaurant offers fine dining with sensational views in a relaxed atmosphere.

The abundant menu features a comprehensive selection of authentic North Indian dishes, along with some fusion offerings and plenty of choice for Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten-Free diners.

The chef is more than happy to cater to western palates and we were delighted to be able to request mild and chilli-free versions of everything for one of our guests.

We were greeted with complimentary papadums and Indian crisps accompanied by a trio of delicious dipping sauces, and our starters arrived soon after.

The impressive seafood tasting plate was divine, featuring tasty morsels of chick pea battered barramundi bites, pepper-fried squid, melt-in-yourmouth tandoori salmon and my favourite, vodka flambéed chilli aioli prawns.

All of the mains came served in delightful copper balti dishes accompanied with free rice. We sampled a mild butter chicken enriched with cashews and cream and a delicious, intensely flavoured vegan chickpea and potato curry. We sopped up the delicious sauces with blue cheese and chicken tikka naan.

The highlight for me was the calcutta prawn curry with curry leaf, mustard seeds and tamarind - and the biggest, fattest, juiciest prawns!

Dessert was an attractive trio of Gulab Jamun, a classic Indian fried dumpling in sugar treacle, alongside a sticky date pudding and a stunning tower of Kulfi - a traditional ice cream with rose water, cardamom, saffron and pistachio. Delicious!

The food is high quality and affordable and servings are very generous, luckily we were offered takeaway containers for our leftovers!

Mint Leaf Lounge offers a fusion of great taste and soul satisfying ambience.

The ultimate destination for experiencing real Indian taste and aroma in the heart of Mawson Lakes.