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NAMASTE
15 Bristo Place, Edinburgh, 0131 225 2000
In completing its recent move from West Preston Street to the margins of Edinburgh‘s Old Town, Namaste North Indian Frontier Cuisine thankfully hasn‘t changed much except its location.
The decor of Rajistani origins, collected by owner Perdip Singh, has been rearranged in this single room, where you can now see the chefs at work in the back. The atmosphere is casual and friendly. Don‘t expect a canned sub- continental soundtrack, either. It could just as easily be a bit of big band or 19705 southern US rock playing unobtrusively in the background.
The menu remains contained on two sides of A4 paper, with the restaurant’s familiar specialities, whether the mint-influenced pudini and murgh makhani (AKA butter) chicken dishes or lamb options such as the rogan josh stew and spinachy saag gosht. The meat and ten vegetarian main courses are all still served in the traditional brass pot - or handi.
The tangy, light fish tikka, with firm chunks of swordfish cooked in the tandoor oven, is exceptional among the starters. Palak paneer mixes traditional Indian cottage cheese with a finely pureed creamed spinach, which may disappoint those who miss the vegetable’s leafy texture. Dhal mahkni features less frequently seen black lentils — a rich, satisfying accompaniment or main meal. Naan bread is airy, with crisped edges and a noticeable lack of oil.
Prices are still reasonable in the evening and Namaeste’s management hopes to reintroduce weekday lunch menus.
(Barry Shelby)
108 THE LIST '—Ql Oct 333-1
EAT&DR|NK
Theart of dining
THE GALLERY RESTAURANT on Edinburgh’s Mound has taken a bit of a kicking in early reviews, but Lea Harris is impressed by the experience.
ehind the impressive
sandstone and
entrance to the new (iallery Restaurant in the Weston Link is a cathedral-like interior. where a bar substitutes l’or the altar. The decor is austere with red and grey leather chairs. light timber panelling and black wooden tables. However large. the space is cleverly tiered to break tip its vastness. And its bright vs perhaps so well illuminated that it loses a modicum of intimacy.
In a few months. the impressive panoramas ol' liast Princes Street (iardens will be rather glit/ier. given the festive season ice rink. lairy lights in the trees and perhaps even a dasting of snow. But in the meantime. diners at night will have to be content with a rich. inky blackness.
The evening menu is heavy on all things lishy. with limited vegetarian
glass
options. Although a starter ol
scallops and black pudding commands a hefty L' l 295 price tag. the chicken liver and l‘oie gras parlait is a more reasonable £6.95. (‘ompared with the opaque scallops squatting on discs ol black pudding. the pale looks a little pale. lndeed. the sea—scented shell fish is succulent. The parliait. although smooth. rich and savoury. lacks equal /ing.
Main courses include dishes such as rack of lamb with sweetbreads (£17.95) and a simply named 'trio ol l‘ish’ (also U795). The menu doesn't do justice to the piscine threesome. l’an-l‘ried gnocchi and peas accompany a l'laky piece ol‘ snapper. while lirm quails‘ eggs and requisite components ol a classic .\'ieoise salad are served warm with rare tuna. A vibrant and intense sal'l‘ron mash is partnered with sea bass. The lish are all l'resh. plump and expertly cooked -- getting them all on the plate and to the table while still piping hot is a skill in itsell‘. The lamb. looking not ball' as arty. is pink and juicy. with a covering of untrimmed l'at adding flavour and a pungent trul‘l'le jus deserving to be mopped up with a bit of shared sal'l'ron mash.
l‘rom the dessert selection. the creme brulee also comes as a trio. The chaperoning biscotti are ideal for dunking into the dense. velvety and decadent chocolate. vanilla and raspberry variations.
Dinner for two doesn’t come cheap: the bill (including drinks) is almost £95. But on this night. quality is excellent: textures. flavours and presentation superb: service swil't. polished and proliessional without any pretentiousness.
THE GALLERY RESTAURANT AND BAR
Weston Link, National Galleries of Scotland
The Mound, Edinburgh EH2 25L, 0131 624 6580 Mon—Sat: 10am—11pm. Sun: 10am—5pm
Side Dishes News to nibble on . . . r f I q
I Stravaigin in Glasgow continues to celebrate its tenth anniversary with some intriguing sounding new desserts. The pudding list includes chocolate truffle and lavender ravioli with fresh Scottish raspberries; pineapple carpaccio with orange blossom, marmalade syllabub and ginger nut crumble; and a peach parcel and whole roasted fig, which comes with brown bread ice-cream. Whether by design or not, they make some of the new things on the rest of the menu sound downright pedestrian. Stravaigin is at 28 Gibson Street, Glasgow, 0141 334 2665.
I As part of the Balmoral‘s 'Think Pink' promotion, the New Town Edinburgh hotel plans to donate 20% of the cost of every bottle or glass of pink champagne purchased to Breast Cancer Awareness. Money will be raised from sales at all of the Balmoral's restaurants and bars.
I Congratulations to Glasgow’s Babbity Bowster and Rab Ha’s, which are among only 24 public houses from Scotland to be listed in the first edition of Michelin’s Eating Out in Pubs. The new book includes entries on 500 taverns across the UK and Ireland. It says the Babbity is ‘a well regarded Glasgow favourite . . . more informal than the nee-Classical facade might lead you [to] expect’, while the word on Rab Ha’s is ‘Iively, modern and . . . discreetly cosy’. A few noses in Edinburgh are no doubt bent out of shape, as not one pub in the capital is mentioned. Other Central Belt stars in Michelin’s eyes are the Chop and Ale House at the Champany lnn, Linlithgow, the Inn at Kippen and the Black Bull in Killearn. Far flung venues include the Applecross Inn, Kilberry Inn (Kintyre), Summer Isles and Stein Inn on Skye. And tiny, picturesque Plockton gets a pair of nods for the Plockton Inn and the pub in the nearby Plockton Hotel.