5 Hamilton Place. Tel 332 3444
‘One of the UK 's top Indian restaurants.’ — Good Curry Guide. Awarded the highest rating of any Indian restaurant in Edinburgh. — AA Guide.
Nestling in the pleasant environs of Stockbridge and set against the Water of Leith, ‘Lancers Brasserie‘ is an escape from the
hustle and bustle of city life, back to the atmosphere and charm of Colonial India.
The restaurant, which is designed on a Bengali Lancers theme, serves Bengali and North Indian food in its two main dining areas. The ground floor, which also includes a bar and reception area, is tastefully decorated in restful shades of pink, which beautifully complement the rosewood furniture. On the lower floor is situated the 'Officers‘ Club' — a private function room with its own bar, and a seating capacity of 22, which creates the ideal setting for entertaining friends and business clients alike. Upstairs in the restaurant the seating capacity is just over double that number.
The menu at Lancers" splits neatly into three: Indian dishes. vegetarian and non-vegetarian — and the French selection, the latter reflecting the particular skills of one of the chefs. The restaurant's thali dinner for one person, for example, is extremely popular in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions. In addition, the menu contains a good number of main dishes from which you can be sure of choosing something to reflect your own particular taste in Indian cuisine.
All in all, ‘Lancers' represents outstanding value, and a quality which makes a visit in the near future a must.
5 9am—7pm;Sun 11am—5pm. i Generally more bargains and a wider ; range than HMV.
‘ LIBRARIES
0 Central Library George IV Bridge. 225 5584. Mon-Fri 9am—8.30pm; Sat 9am—1pm. The main municipal lending library whose shelves offer a useful backup to the college and university stocks. It also contains a fiction library. a fine art library, a music library, a reference room, a Scottish and a children‘s library.
0 National Library of Scotland George IV Bridge, 2264531. Mon—Fri 9.30am—8.3()pm; Sat 9.30am—1pm. A library of copyright deposit which allows it to claim a copy ofeach newly-published book in Britain. Because of this and its relatively restricted study space, readers tickets for the National are limited to Honours students and your application form must be signed by your teacher/professor. It is,
5 however. a very fine place to work in and many set books will be unavailable elsewhere.
SPORTS
The Commonwealth Games may
‘ have been something of a damp
squib — ‘more athletes at the Royal Wedding’. a friend of mine quipped — but Edinburgh’s sports facilities are some of the best in the country,
: offering a choice beyond what your
college may provide. 0 Meadowbank Sports Centre 139 London Road, 661 5351. 9am—9pm
daily. Non-members can buy day
membership: Adult£1.75, Child
. 75p. Run in the steps ofthe famous. I There are facilities for over 30
sports.
3 0 Royal Commonwealth Pool 21
Dalkeith Road. 667 7211. Mon—Fri 9am—9pm; Sat and Sun
.. .STUDENIJAST-
Elsewhere, smart but pricey shoes can be bought at Schuh on North Bridge (225 6552). Mon—Fri
g 9am—5.45pm, except Thurs
l 9am-7.30pm, Sat 9am—6pm; and
i also at Stepping Out on South Bridge. Nearby is Cockburn Street. basically
i Rose Street in a slightly seedier
guise.
Finally. one shop that has a large
' student following is the Ivy League
‘ (47 West Nicolson Street, 667 8200).
Mon—Sat 10.30am—12noon and 1—5.30pm. selling new women’s designs. Not so very cheap but very highly thought of.
} VOLUNTARY GROUPS
Ifyou feel that you have still not
I joined a sufficient number of clubs and societies at college then here are l a few other coluntary organisations
3 that might appeal.
j 0 Edinburgh Campaign for Real Ale c/o ; Ted Sharp, 61 Warrender Park
I Road, Edinburgh EH9 IES. Write to this address for details of how to join the pressure group that defends the taste buds of the serious beer drinker.
0 Scottish Campaign for Nuclear
; Disarmament 420 Sauchiehall Street, I Glasgow, 041338 2878.
0 Friends of the Earth 53 George IV Bridge, 225 6906.
o Nightline 557 4444. Nightline is a
. helpline run by student volunteers and is always in need of new helpers.
LANDMARKS
Some ofthe more, and less, familiar sightsthat make Edinburgh. . .well, Edinburgh.
0 Edinburgh Castle Oct—Mar, Mon—Sat 9.30am—4.20pm; Sun 12.30—3.35pm. Adult £2; Child/CAP £1 ; Family £4. No party discount. What can one say? It’s certainly a castle and it‘s very much in
8am—7. 15pm. Adult 65p, Child 45p. Unfortunately closed for repairs until December, the Commonwealth Pool was, like Meadowbank Stadium, built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and is a
similarly well-appointed place. Features sauna and gymnasium.
o Glenogle Swimming Pool Glenogle Road, 332 5508. Mon—Fri 9am-7pm; 1 Sat 9am—3pm; Sun 9am—1 1 . 15am. Adult 35p, Child 20p.
0 Infirmary Street Swimming Pool Infirmary Street, 556 5006. Mon—Fri 8am—7pm; Sat 9am—3pm. Adult 35p, Child 20p. Hot baths also available, 10.30am—2pm, 3—6pm.
O Hillend Ski Centre Biggar Road, on the city‘s southern outskirts, 445 4433. Open daily 9.30am—9pm (weekends only May—August, 9.30am—5pm). Dry ski slope.
CLOTHES SHOPS
Edinburgh‘s main non-second hand clothes area is around Princes Street and Rose Street. All the main chains are on Princes Street: Marts & Spencer, CM, Next, Top Man, etc. Miss Sellridge is on Hanover Street. Rose Street is home to reams of jeans shops plus a few more upmarket establishments such as Cruise (116a Rose Street, 225 4105) and Buzzinl (89 Rose Street, 225 5668).
Edinburgh. Comedian John Dowie recently observed how everywhere
3 in Edinburgh is always ‘on the other side of the castle’, and this pretty much sums up the city’s focal point. 0 Arthur's Seat Craggy hill which is
supposed to resemble a reclining lion 2 and actually does from certain angles — plus a little imagination. A ' traditional first term student task is to climb to the top. The next big task is to avoid getting blown off the top. For this reason, picnics at the summit f i are non-starters.
2 o The Hole In the Ground Castle
i Terrace. The fact that a large piece
of nothing has become a landmark in ’ its own right, is ironic testimony to the political arguments which have raged over this site for the last decade. The former Tory district council earmarked it for a new Opera House. However, the incoming Labour administration was ‘ pledged to scrap this plan and ' rechannel the funds into housing.
So, empty it remains. Expect this
saga to run and run — like a bad curry. 0 Fettes College Striking private school building to the north-west of Stockbridge, built in the French chateau style. Some find it beautiful, I find it somewhat sinister.
o Caledonlan Hotel Massive orange edifice at the West End of Princes
Street. Its most incongruous feature
50 Niel m I
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