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A sub-continental journey (‘Cross town)
The List finds the new Khushi’s restaurant serving solid home- cooking amid all the flash décor in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
INDIAN RESTAURANTS FACTFILE There are 3559 Indian restaurants in the UK, of which 287 are in Scotland, and 100 are in Glasgow. The first Scottish Indian restaurant was Khushi’s, which opened
19:17. 63er180°/oioftlndian’ in the UK are run by Bangladeshis.
The oviIners- of Khushi’s originate from Punjab, on the border with Pakistan.
cross Scotland many Indian restaurants ol'l'er a
predictable eating experience. 'l‘ypically. the menu
is long. repetitive and generally recognisable. The ambience tends to be muted. while the decor can ol‘ten be garish. Service gravitates somewhere between subservient and surly. Individual venues and stall. here and there. can present that bit more personality and charm. ol' course. But there isn’t very much out there to hit the spirits or push the boundaries of etlmie South Asian cuisine.
There was recognition a few years back that some ol’ the best experiences were to be had in small curry cal’es: places that weren‘t trying to support a vast menu: places where interest and interaction was encouraged in the relationship between diner. waiter and chel‘. The Wee (‘urry House in (ilasgow has ol'l‘ered a great example of this. In lidinburgh. the now shut Namaste not only brought an original ambience but also cooking focused on one region ol' the
subcontinent. the l‘rontier areas of North India. A few HAS A
weeks ago. however.
Namaste owner Peredip
Singh closed the doors in
Bristo Place. It wasn‘t a
tailing restaurant. bill a victim ol‘ outside pressures
and the desire for change
which nags at nearly every restaurateur. A
Nevertheless. a key curry experience still exists not l'ar l‘rom Bristo l’lace. beside the city’s main mosque. at the Lunch Box. Alter queuing at a simple counter for a choice ol‘ three or tour dishes. diners eat outside at big white plastic tables under a l‘lapping (but waters-prool') awning. l-‘or £3 you‘ll get a filling plate ol' decent. clean-tasting curry and rice. Simplicity albeit l‘rill-l‘ree has its virtues.
Once the epitome ol‘ a good btit simple curry in the capital was Khushi's l.othian Restaurant at lb l)rummond Street. It had melamine tables and big vats ol’ lamb bhuna. but it was wholesome food. and cheap. ()ne ol‘ the original purveyors ol‘ Indian cooking in all ol’ Scotland. Khushi’s upgraded a l’ew years ago to a l'unkier cale—sty le operation in l’otterrow (closer to where it all began). The Mohammed lainin rose to the challenge ol' moving l'orward yet they carried tradition with them. It worked: prolile and turnover increased. while the menu found a AM and range less apparent in its dowdier l‘ormer surroundings. ()riginal Khushi‘s became lidinburgh's lavom'ite curry house.
But then. this summer. they mmcd again. t’l’here‘s that nagging itch l’or change to which restaurateurs seem so susceptible.) Large sums were invested in the renovation ol‘ a listed building. which once housed By/antium. hallway down Victoria Street.
When any restaurateur invests on such a scale it‘s partly
if. [M iii» .3 .'.iii th‘i‘ ’ THE LIST 111