The Spice Pavilion – Truly worthy of the five star rating
By Chiara Pannozzo
If there is one thing that Edinburgh doesn’t have a shortage of it’s Indian restaurants. But if you’re still making your way around the myriad of curry houses call off the search. The best curry in Edinburgh can be found at the top of Dundas Street in a truly charming restaurant – The Spice Pavilion.
A little more than two years since introducing Edinburgh to its marvellous North West Indian cuisine, The Spice Pavilion has a loyal following. And it’s easy to see why. A warm welcome, beautiful surroundings and the most aromatic smells, you’re hooked from the minute you walk in the door. And it keeps getting better.
The menu at The Spice Pavilion is well-balanced with a range of delicious dishes. From traditional curries, to chef’s speciality dishes, there really is something for everyone. Vegetarians are also very well catered for, with a range of mouth-watering starters and mains.
Following our poppadoms and chutney selection (£1), I devoured the sheek kebab (£3.95), a tender minced lamb dish, perfectly spiced and roasted on skewers in a tandoor oven. Served with a side salad, this starter was light, delicious and whetted my appetite for what was to come. My dining partner opted for the vegetable samosa (£3.50). Remarkably fresh, the samosa was crisp and tasted incredibly authentic.
Choosing a main course from The Spice Pavilion’s menu is nothing short of difficult – there are so many alluring dishes. After a lot of debating, I settled on the north Indian garlic chicken (£8.95). A favourite dish of mine, this was suitably spicy, with succulent pieces of chicken, presented beautifully. My dining partner chose chicken tikka masala, which could be tailored depending on your tolerance to spice. Opting for the mild sauce, this dish was delicately flavoured with moist, flavourful chicken. We enjoyed our curries with basmati saffron pilau rice (£2.95), naan bread (£2.25) and chana aloo with onion seed (£3.95), a side dish of chick peas, potatoes and fried onion seeds in a spicy sauce. We washed all of this down with two half pints of Cobra (£2.00). Both our starters and main courses were flawless and an experience I am already looking forward to repeating.
The dessert menu had a great selection of sweets, featuring a number of traditional Indian offerings. We shared a nouka (£2.95), which comprised of vanilla ice cream, chocolate truffles and chocolate sauce and a cup of Indian spiced tea (£1.50). Both were delicious and the perfect way to round off our meal.
Clik here to view.
Spice Pavilion food
As well as the amazing food on offer at The Spice Pavilion, the service is truly excellent. We received a warm welcome and were well looked after throughout our dining experience by polite and knowledgeable staff, who were advocates of their trade.
Truly worthy of the five star rating, The Spice Pavilion should be top of your list the next time you have curry on your mind.
Information
3A1 Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 6QG. Telephone 0131 467 5506.
Open 7 days a week for lunch 12:00 – 13:30 and dinner 17:30 – 22:00.
Spice Pavilion website and they’re on twitter @Spice_Pavilion
The Spice Pavilion is open across the festive period, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Festive lunch menu, £12.95 per head
Festive dinner menu, £20.00 per head
Christmas Day menu, £25.00 per head
The Crewe Toll curry tasters named the Spice Pavilion as their favourite place for curry in Edinburgh.
Clik here to view.
Delicious desserts