Mezbaan Edinburgh

Luxury at low prices

Decades ago, in the swirling mists of time, the Shamiana restaurant in Edinburgh gave me my first taste of authentic Indian food. It was run then by Moussa Jogee, a lifelong ambassador and enthusiast for the rich culture of the sub-continent.

Before eating in the Shamiana, I knew only the standard bhoona/tikka/korma menu and had not yet visited India, so like everyone else, I mistook what was on offer in the curry houses for real Indian food. To eat in the Shamiana was a revelation.

The world moved on. Mr Jogee went to the Commission for Racial Equality and various Indian-themed restaurants came to fill the Shamiana’s shoes, none anywhere near as good as the original. The other day I noticed, belatedly, that a restaurant called Mezbaan was occupying the old Shamiana premises, specialising in southern Indian cooking from the provinces of Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadua.

Southern Indian cuisine is under-represented in Scotland, largely because there are very few Indian people here and most so-called Indian restaurants are run by Pakistanis or Bangladeshis whose culinary heritage is more based on meats and breads rather than fish, vegetables and rice.

Mezbaan still looks uncannily like the well-appointed, stylish Shamiana, right down to its smart black and white tiled floor. It retains the same warm, welcoming, rather luxurious atmosphere. The front of house is beautifully run. Our riesling was served perfectly chilled and in a steel cooler so it stayed that way. No sooner had our candle sputtered out, than it was instantly replaced. As the water jug ran low, it was replenished. Nothing escaped the eyes of the dignified, affable table staff.

We started with Haryali idli, the traditional steamed, moon-shaped, fermented rice dumpling, in this case, pale green and perfumed with mint. The idli had just the right degree of sourness and a compelling light, spongy texture.

Then there was a textbook masala dosa, the large southern Indian pancake made with ground rice and white lentils, which was nutty, crisp and full of flavour, stuffed with a dry potato and vegetable mixture. Both idlis and dosa came with a curry leaf and mustard seed scented sambar (vegetable gravy), ever so slightly thickened with lentils, and a fresh tasting, grated coconut chutney.

The main-course curry dishes had a wonderful bulk about them, with that very Indian mixture of aromatics such as onions, ginger and garlic, combining with thickeners such as coconut and yogurt, all coming together with spices to produce a thick sludge which was glorious in itself, before you even got to the cubes of meat.

The chicken-based Wajid Ali owed its unique character to mild paprika, ground poppy seeds, and fenugreek, while the Andhra lamb’s more pungent, slightly hotter personality was balanced by the mellowness of coconut and the earthiness of mustard seed. Equally high standards were set by the saffron-scented rice, crisp-edged, puffy nan and airy, flaky roti.

Too often, Indian breads in Britain look good but turn out to be tough and over-chewy. These were so light, they were dangerously easy to eat. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but the cold payasam-style dessert of ground rice in much-reduced milk, flavoured with saffron, and perhaps a hint of cardamom, certainly rates as my most delicious dessert so far this year. And the mango kulfi managed to capture the distinctive scent of the excellent Alfonso mango.

Mezbaan’s pricing is waywardly cheap and the portions are generous. Vegetarians will eat well here. I can’t understand why I haven’t heard about Mezbaan sooner, but intend to make up for lost time. Next visit, I’ve got my eye on the Panjim chicken marinated in palm wine, or maybe the Hyderabadi biryani. Can’t wait.