14 Feb 2023
James Cameron visits a St Albans Asian restaurant which promises a mix of old favourites and new flavours.
Infuse joined the St Albans Indian restaurant scene in 2019, and since then I have been consistently hearing good things about it, though I have never actually visited until now.
Perhaps this is due to the location, slightly off the beaten track on Waddington Street (or the road with Panda Cards on it, as I call it). Those in the know will track it down, though, and by the end of this review you can count yourself in that number.
You’re guided in by jolly fairy lights hanging outside, and this playfulness continues once inside, where elephants and tea-pots punctuate a decor that is welcoming and chic.
We were seated very quickly, and were impressed with the menu we were presented with. Fully half of the main dishes on offer are either vegetarian or vegan, so refreshing compared with some places where you might get a single offering as an afterthought. Allergens were also clearly presented, and they were very happy to change things when requested, suggesting that we could have the Chana Peshwari as a side rather than a main.
The drinks menu was similarly comprehensive, with a wide range of cocktails including a full section of ‘I am Driving’ alcohol-free creations as well as Cobra on tap, something that I always appreciated.
We started, of course, with poppadoms and the accompanying dips gave an early indication that we were somewhere special. The only complaint was that the ratio of poppadom to dip was somewhat skewed, but they very happily provided additional chutneys upon request.
We shared a range of starters, including succulent Onion Bhajis, Gyoza-like Chicken Momos and Vegetable Samosas with a punchy pastry.
There was just the right gap and we were starting to feel slightly hungry again when the main courses arrived, which was a good job because they were plentiful.
Perhaps misled by the very reasonable pricing we had significantly over-ordered, and were quite glad when a requested yellow daal never actually arrived.
It was still present on the bill at the end, but was apologetically removed when this was pointed out.
Stand-outs from the dishes that were present included a delightfully smooth Goan fish curry, and a bowl of okra that was chock-full of warming ginger flavour.
Possibly my favourite part was actually the Paratha, which was so tasty I could happily have eaten it on its own, but when combined with curry took proceedings to a whole new level.
Service throughout walked the tightrope perfectly of being attentive but not overly present, and one of the few complaints was with the knives, whose blades at 90 degrees to the handle did split the room slightly.
Infuse is certainly not a flamboyant restaurant, instead embodying the spirit of the bistro perfectly by providing a great range of moderately priced but comforting food.
If you’re looking to impress a visiting dignitary or your wealthy dowager aunt then there are certainly grander spots you could take them to, but if you just want a thoroughly pleasant evening catching up with friends I whole-heartedly recommend you take a turn off St Peter’s Street to this local gem.
