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What is 'following'?Restaurant: Modern Indian
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Time Out says 3 Users say Rate it
A more egalitarian offshoot of the upmarket Tamarind in Mayfair, Imli feels tailor-made for busy Soho lunchers. It's slick and modern without being overbearing; the food largely consists of small-plate Indian 'tapas', ideal for sharing; and only unprepared diners visit here and pay full price for a meal - there are usually discounts aplenty available from the website.
Even without the special offers, Imli is good value. The lunchtime sharing platters bring a selection of small dishes: mainly vegetarian curries and Indian snacks such as papdi chaat (crisp fried wafers with tamarind sauce, yoghurt and chickpeas), aloo tikka (fried potato cake) or tarka dal.
The à la carte menu offers a bit more variation, including pan-Indian street food and larger mains, sometimes with a welcome twist (see the samosa chaat, smothered in chickpeas, yoghurt and two vibrant chutneys).
We've had complaints ourselves about service in the past, noting indifferent staff not always prepared to engage with customers over menu queries, but are pleased to report that on our last visit all concerned were smiling, helpful and efficient.
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Imli details
Follow Imli to receive updates on special offers here.
What is 'following'?020 7287 4243
Meals served noon-11pm Mon-Sat; noon-10pm Sun
Tapas £3.95-£9.95. Set lunch £8.50-£9.95
Credit cards AmEx, MC, V
Facilities
Babies and children welcome ( children's menu; high chairs; nappy-changing facilities ), Booking advisable ( Thur-Sat ), Separate room for parties ( seats 45 ), Available for hire, Disabled ( toilet ), Takeaway service; delivery service ( over £20 within half-mile radius ), Vegetarian menuImli map
Comments & ratings 4/5 (Average of 3 ratings)
We chanced upon Imli via theatre and meal deal on 15 Feb 2012. It was nice ambience, good service and very enjoyable experience on the whole... Starters choice of alu tikki and papdi chaat was yummy though bhel puri was a let down- so try avoiding that. Mains were just right portions and though hubby found lamb mince hot, kids' enjoyed chicken tikka thoroughly. I preferred their mixed veg free dish more than my matar paneer :) They gave a scoop of ice cream too...
Would recommend a visit for certain...
A thoroughly enjoyable meal and one of the best indian meals I've had out ever. Good value for money and excellent service
Me & my husband had lunch at Imli today, our first visit. Had booked 2 for 1 offer online for 3 PM, but finished our work in city early and wanted to come over early. Called to check and the staff agreed readily. Nice!
Well, we showed up and the restaurant was quite nice. Very friendly staff, not very crowded for the weekday lunchtime. The staff did mention about our reservation and helped us settle down quickly. We went for the vegetarian option and the food was very good. The four starters were particularly impressive with Dahi Papdi Chat being the best. The main course that followed was equally good, the Aubergine dish was divine. The portion sizes were just right, The dessert was a nice Mango & Basil sorbet with refreshing mint in a berry sauce (Raspberry?). The mocktails were very good, clearly the passionfruit & Lychee one was an outright winner! The lemon one was a bit strong though!
We leave the place after 60+minutes very satisfied - not just for the excellent food, not even for the affordable price but also for friendly "not-too-over-powering" staff and relaxed atmosphere.
One of the best places we have had authentic Indian food (North Indian style with emphasis on Indian Tapas or "Chat") in a long, long time! You will be seeing us come here more regularly!!!
How disappointing finding out that the very easy online booking facility on Imli's website has been replaced with an unfriendly third parties booking form. It used to be so simple to book online, now they require you to register before making the reservation. I will call from now on. It is a real pity.
You couldn't be more right about the irritating waiter, we've had the misfortune of being served by him on more than one occasion and he grates more each time. I'm sure he's a lovely person, just needs a bit of training on how to behave with customers...
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