I visited the delightful new Edinburgh restaurant that's replaced Michelin chef's plush venue
This Indian restaurant has opened on Bruntsfield Place
Being a restaurant reviewer isn’t all sparkles, puppies and rainbows.
There are days when you’re not that hungry, and you still have to get all the way across town, your socks are soggy, and there is flooding on Edinburgh’s Princes Street, so the trams have stopped, and then your bus is cancelled.
My visit to the new Bombay Bistro, which has recently taken over the slot previously occupied by Tom Kitchin’s Kora, which closed back in January, was scheduled on one of those days.
That kind of situation increases the pressure on the place you’re visiting. It HAS to be good, or there will be huffs.
However, the signs were all over the place. My foodie senses were tingling.
First off, the chef and owner, Mandeep Saini, has experience at posh London hotel The Berkeley, as well as Gleneagles, and owns a popular spot, Bombay Club, in Auchterarder.
So far, so positive.
Less auspicious is the menu at his new place, which seems to be trying to please everyone. Salads, sandwiches, burgers, fish, tapas, Tandoor Appetisers, Bombay Chinese dishes and biryani. It’s a lot.
And then there’s the interior, which was slightly chilly on our visit and doesn't seem to have changed much since it was last occupied, except for the addition of faux flowers and a few prints. No other tables in, either. Oh dear. I guess our Sunday lunch - for which we arrived 20 minutes late - could have gone either way.
So, when we’d eventually settled, ordered and held our breath in anticipation, it was a sweet relief when four totally beautiful dishes landed on our table.
The appetiser - a pair of tandoori Scottish salmon fillets, marinated in cream cheese (£11.95) - were as plump and dewy as Simon Cowell’s face, post filler. It was just gorgeous - the salmon that is, not Cowell’s poor face - and served with hot green chutney, a sweet chilli, and yogurt on the side.
Our peppered sirloin boti (£11.95) was equally beautiful, with two palm-sized pieces of meat that had gorgeously caramelised fatty fringes and a sediment-y crust of fenugreek, cumin and other spices, plus those signature sauces.
Thanks to this protein fix, every trace of hangry was quickly eradicated. The blood flowed back to my feet and my socks began to dry out.
I’d also ordered the Bombay Tapas dish of haggis tikki chaat (£6.95), because I thought it’d be my other half's thing, since he’s a total chieftain-of-the-pudding-race fan.
Actually, it turned out to be totally my vibe, too. There was a platform of earthy chickpeas, then a patty of peppery haggis, spiced potato, rivulets of sticky tamarind sauce, crumbled sev, yogurt, chaat and pomegranate seeds. Better than neeps and tatties.
The other tapas dish of kunafa prawns (£7.95) wasn't wrapped in vermicelli noodles as billed. However, we didn’t mind, as this set of ten bouncy and fat battered fellows in a puffy turmeric-coloured batter with a garlic chilli dip was lovely nonetheless.
Next, a curry from the Bombay Classics menu. I know, we had rather overordered, but I blame the appetisers, which were unexpectedly huge. Perhaps it should have clicked that we’d gone wild when the waiter moved us from a table for two, to one to seat four people, in the foodie equivalent of the, “You’re going to need a bigger boat,” moment in Jaws.
Anyway, I like a challenge, and we had a pause before the arrival of our chicken version of the Bombay saag wala (£10.95), which was spinachy, gingery and wholesome, with huge gobstopper-sized chunks of meat in a nutty and slightly tangy sauce. The carbs were provided by our sides of a crispy-onion-topped cardamom and saffron scented pilau rice (£4.95), and a crisp and airy garlic naan (£3.95).
Although we were now beyond replete and lolling around on the banquette, they persuaded us to try their special homemade kulfi (£6.95).
I’m glad we are so weak willed, as it was very sophisticated, with saffron, honey and pistachio, and a thick fudgy texture.
What a meal. That epic feast was well worth the journey and the rain, and even a mild case of trench foot.
It turned out that there was no need to be put off by the long menu, or the fact that it’s very quiet inside. Those are just distractions.
No huffs required.
14-17 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh (0131-237 5763, www.bombaybistro.co.uk)
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.