A cold February Saturday night in Edinburgh. After a long walk around Rose Street, George St and those little streets in between, it was proving difficult to get in anywhere without booking. We jumped in the car and decided to head towards home and see what restaurants we could find on the way. all I saw was pubs and Italian food but I needed something more substantial than pub grub and pasta. Then I saw a yet undiscovered nook and cranny in my new home city where a fanfare of restaurants called out to me, in the midst of which was the Mezbaan. In a story reminiscent of the Nativity, the Mezbaan was the only one with 'room at the inn' on this frosty night- I took this as a positive omen!
We were welcomed by 3 lovely members of staff and found us a cosy table in the window. It wasn't your typical feet-stick-to-the-floor Indian with booze, popadoms and stag parties, but a more intimate, welcoming place. You can bring your own booze here, but I was more interested in the traditional Indian drinks on offer and opted for a pistachio lassi. They also offered Indian coffee and tea, guava juice and many more delicacies that brought a ray of sunshine to a cold Edinburgh night.
I was pleasantly surprised at the vegetarian selection. For once, I was spoiled for choice, this restaurant was made for me. I decided on a Bindi (Okra) dish that was delicately spiced and had a warming after-effect. Vindaloo Queen doesn't need to eat ridiculously hot curries to have a good curry night out! The Peshwari Naan was lovely and beefy, the biggest, fluffiest Pesh I have seen for a long time. The waiting time in between courses is longer than your bog-standard curry house, but when you see the chefs at work making masterpieces from their raw materials, it is well worth waiting for.
The desserts sounded tempting,such as Gulab Jamon and good old Kulfi, but after such a substantial meal, I couldn't make room. Spice up your curry night with a South Indian twist and visit Mezbaan!
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Hi Vindaloo Kings and Queens!