Mezbaan South Indian Restaurant

Scots have embraced Indian cuisine with the same enthusiasm that marked their acceptance of others over the past century, an endearing habit that is made the more so by their firm adherence to their own, which they have been amused, flattered even, to see absorbed by the newcomers. Hence it comes as no surprise to find that at Mezbaan, Edinburgh's only South Indian restaurant, one can order a good blend of Scottish vegetarian haggis with Indian spices in gram flour batter under the name of haggis pakora.

South Indian food has as its supreme virtue the fact that it is mostly non greasy, roasted and steamed. Not only does this encourage the delicate flavours, it also does justice to a cuisine that carries a large selection of vegetarian dishes, mainly due to the hot, humid climate, a characteristic that could not always be said to apply to Scotland. Nonetheless, this fresh approach to Indian food is going down well in Edinburgh, perhaps at least partly because it is perceived as a more natural diet than some.

Chefs Sohan Lal and Aji Kumar are equally capable with both North and South Indian dishes, especially the latter, and have established a reputation for cooking with integrity and precision, working from three menus, lunch, dining, and takeaway, often referred to by Scots as "carry-oot". Either way it tastes just as good.

Amongst the starters, or side-dishes, look for breast of spring chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, coated with a sweet chilli sauce and lightly barbecued in a tandoor oven, or a taster version of masala dosa, one of the most popular South Indian dishes on the menu.

With all that coastline it comes as no surprise to find that spicy king prawn curry is a south Indian favourite, carom crushed tiger king prawns, barbecued in the tandoor simmered in a sauce of tangy, spicy pickling spices and garnished with lemon and coriander. Gosht roganjosh is there, but do not lightly overlook the alphonso chicken, delicately spiced fillet of chicken cooked in a mild cream and smooth mango sauce.

So what is masala dosa? Think of ground rice pancake with sauté vegetables, stuffed, wrapped and accompanied by sambar and coconut chutney, and you have true Indian street food - prepare yourself for a real treat, vegetarian or not.

Thali is offered at Mezbaan. This is a sort of taster meal with smaller portions than usual from starter to dessert, perhaps the Indian answer to tapas? It is served here in seafood, chicken or lamb, and vegetarian form, as a starter with popodum with vegetables, dal or sambar, naan, rice, raita and dessert, and can be particularly welcome as a lunchtime meal.

Indian desserts should never be under-rated, and at Mezbaan the gulab jamun, fresh cottage cheese and maize flour roundels, deep fried and soaked in hot sugar syrup, really are the tops.

The restaurant is not licensed, so it's BYOB, with a modest corkage charge. This, linked to the extremely reasonable food prices, means that it is possible to have a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying meal at Mezbaan without any nagging concerns over cost.

They do catering for parties of 50 or more, and the restaurant itself provides an ideal venue for bookings by parties. Front of house is superb, whatever the occasion.

For more menu details, heart-warming reviews by seasoned critics and regular customers alike, click on their excellent Website - a real joy to navigate.