Shish Mahal

In the Scottish city of the Indian curry the fight for survival is always going to be harder. It is places like Shish Mahal who ensure that standards remain high, even if some would argue that demand still exceeds supply. For many the best feature of Shish Mahal is the Pakistani influence, with its attendant courtesy and devotion to many of the more traditional recipes. Smartly dressed waiters serve dishes such as rogan josh, and the celebrated balti does not go unheeded either. Perhaps it is the little rituals, the cast-iron bowls, the wonderful collections of chutneys, that help to make Indian food so compelling and turn the British into lost souls when they go abroad and find themselves in a curry-less zone. Not that there are too many of those now.

The portions at Shish Mahal could be described as ample and the wine list takes heed of the growing tendency to match wine with oriental food, leaving the lager for other occasions. House wine at £5.95 may not be everyone's forte, but there are plenty of options. Now, all of this virtue breeds support, which may take the form of queues round the block, so think ahead and pick up the phone