Bayleaf Restaurant, Whetstone: style over substance, and at a price.

1st January 2015
Despite the excesses of the seasonal eatfest and the fact that we had been out for curry the night before, a friends eating group went to the Bayleaf, which is newest Indian Restaurant on the high road, and occupies the site where the Lantern (passing much mourned) used to be and the Greek Grill (disappeared after a short and untested stay). The Bayleaf has a respected takeaway higher up the road, but I have not rated it highly despite the local contrary opinion. Local opinion on the Bayleaf is positive, and so it was good to give it a try. They have a web site on http://bayleaf.co.uk/restaurant/  which is quite helpful and gives clues. When I have passed in the evening, it always seems busy.
The restaurant is very modern, with austere walls and a wall of bubbling tinted water tank with nothing in it but the bubbles. It all looks very high end, with waiters taking orders on tablets and an Apple based epos system (All adds to the cost eventually). On new years day, I had expected it to be deserted, and with a 7.30 booking for 7 people (which I had no difficulty in making a couple of days before), I had expected to be in splendid isolation, but it was not to be the case, and the place was packed on January 1st: a tribute to the curry eating power of the residents of North London.
I wonder if the number of customers that night came as a surprise to the restaurant also (may have been a mix of bookings and cold-callers), and I thought they seemed a little understaffed. It was just as well we were not in any particular hurry, as the service was slow. I cannot tell what the rate limiting factor was: it may have been the speed with which the kitchen decorated the food, or may have been the norm. The restaurant's solution to this was 'push the poppadoms'. For the first half hour, every five minutes we were asked if we would like to order them (not part of cover), and I am guessing that it not only helped to fill the time, but they must be a high margin item at 90p each. (see http://www.currybiz.co.uk/poppadoms.asp for wholesale prices which at time of writing was about £7.50 for 140 pieces or just over 5p each).
Eventually for starter, I had Tikka Nazaqat (the menu said 'Taste the three individual flavoured tikka (hariyali tikka, koyla tikka,  and malai tikka). Succulent pieces of chicken marinated in spices and yuoghurt, barbecud in a traditional charcoal clay oven. Served with fresh salad.) This is what came:

(picture taken in poor light with phone at end of battery with no flash)

Basically this is a small portion priced at £5.45. It was hot enough (7.9) and tasty and fresh, but a very small starter, and as you can see a triumph of style over quantity. The three flavours were subtle.

I ordered the tandoori mixed grill for main. (A combination of Chicken tikka, malai tikka, lamb chop, tandoori chicken and dumba kebabs. Served with a naan)

By this time, the battery on my phone had run out, so there is no picture. Suffice it to say that the portion size was similarly small, and it could have been hotter with a CHOF of 7.5. Perfectly tasty. Not noticing that it came with a naan, I order keema naan. The naan that came with it may or may not have been keema, as there was a severely thin topping of brown on what was more like a paratha than a naan, and was not the keema naan that one might get at a more traditional restaurant. The menu said it would be stuffed, so I am guessing that it did not come. Unfortunately they took the bill away from us at the end so in retrospect, I have no way of knowing what we were charged with: the hazard of eating as a group (you cannot make too much fuss and look credible). If you look at pictures in the gallery of the website, it is clear that fashionably small portions are their thing.

So, for a meal and a drink (beer/house wine), including service, this came to £58 for two. This is 50% more than we had paid the previous night at the Radhuni, for a meal that was not a million miles away. It was ok (I don't know if they can get it hotter on less busy nights) but not more than that, and for a suburban Indian, it was just plain too expensive. Yes the food was attractively served and was pleasing to eat, but the three spodges of sauce are not why you go for a curry. I will avoid going back there.