Great Ethnic Restaurants in and Around Edinburgh
A person can do an awful lot of eating in a week’s time. Especially if their objective is to taste as many different types of food as possible. I was up for the challenge!
So that’s the good news – lots of great places to dine. The not-so-god news is most of the establishments were a bit on the pricey side thanks to British Sterling and it’s unruly habit of beating the life out of both the Euro and the American dollar. Our first stop was the Raj Restaurant (85-91 Henderson Street, Leith . Edinburgh . EH6 6ED, tel: 553 3980) in the nearby province of Leith. Leith is just a hop-skip-and jump from Edinburgh and is situated around what is referred to as the historic “shore area”.
There’s a long canal that pretty much runs up the middle of Leith, or at least a portion of Leith, and the Raj sits on the far side, right on the corner of Hendersen Street (refer to map and is open from noon-2.30pm & 5.30pm-11pm Sunday to Thursday, noon-2.30pm & 5.30pm-midnight Friday & Saturday. The Raj opened its doors to the public in 1986. From what I understand, Leith has evolved quite a bit over the years and the Raj has done it’s best to keep pace with the changes in and around the Shore area.
Now I thought I had a fix on hot, spicy food – I’ve spent more than a few years in places as diverse as Turkey and Korea – but nothing prepared me for this curry-assault on my taste buds. The Raj offers a full line of curry dishes and they are conveniently prepared to taste – either mild, hot or EXTRA hot-so-as-to-burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth. Among the best house specials are a gorgeous amere murgh; chicken cooked with fresh mango and mild spices, finished with cream and flaked almonds, and aromatic chicken. The latter is one of 14 dishes created by winners of the International Indian Chef of the Year, an annual cook-off organized by Raj’s entrepreneurial owner, Tommy Miah. Silly me – I order a dish of chicken curry that was “hot” and was feeling the effects of the pepper long after we left the restaurant and well into the following morning. My wife ordered the “mild” lamb curry with pineapples. I don’t remember what our friends ordered, because by that time I could hardly see due to the tears in my eyes. And believe me they weren’t tears of joy. Check out the review on www.Raj on the Sore.com or www.toptable.co.uk and go to the pull-down menu that reads “Menu”. By the way, the Raj does offer take-outs. You’d be doing me a great service by calling them and ordering beef curry to your address in Boulder, Colorado.
But I digress.
The Raj menu is constantly revised by proprietor Tommy Miah, who travels extensively to Bangladesh and India where he sets out to learn new dishes. You’ll be happy to know that the Raj has competed in the International Indian Chef of the Year competition for about 14 years now and has won awards for their curry dishes.
Right across the street from The Raj sits the CafÃ?© Truva (77 Shore, Leith, Edinburgh EH6, +44 (0) 131 554 5502) which offers up some great Turkish cuisine. The CafÃ?© Truva was celebrating it’s 7th anniversary the very week we were visiting, so how could I pass up an opportunity to enjoy their many dishes of kabab, rice pilaf and a host of other items I still can’t pronounce despite spending 18 months in Turkey. An intimate local to be sure, the CafÃ?© Truva offers several small tables both inside and out.The CafÃ?© Truva doesn’t usually feature belly dancing but they sure did the evening I ate there. It was an added treat: a Scottish belly dancer.
You may be wondering what I was doing having dinner in Leith when I was supposed to be visiting Edinburgh. Leith practically sits in Edinburgh’s lap, but more to the point – I had friend’s living in Leith!
But I digress yet again.
Meanwhile on the other side of town (and getting back to Edinburgh) sits the Siam Tani (14 Broughton Street, City Centre, EH1 3RH, Telephone: 0131 477 2724) Thai restaurants are all the rage in Edinburgh and the Siam Tani doesn’t disappoint. A great menu, great staff and more than enough room for you and your friends or that special someone.
What I like about all these restaurants is that they “dumb it down” when it comes to their menus. I have know problem pointing to something that looks good or just saying “I’ll have that” as I look over at the table next to me.
Half the fun of visiting a foreign country is tasting the local cuisine – after a week in Edinburgh I can’t say much about the Scottish fare but the OTHER worldly offerings were more than enjoyable.
