Ada

edinburgh is a place of many restaurants, but it seems that turkish cuisine is never too high on the list. i think it’s a bit of a shame as proper turkish food is so tasty so i was really glad to see a new restaurant opening up just along from the playhouse. when my friend and i were looking for a place to go for dinner i suggested Ada and we booked a table.
i think this used to be one of the many indians that was along antigua street but i can’t quite recall. anyway the restaurant has been totally redone and made into a really welcoming and light space. it’s a bit strange as the front is domineered by the huge grill and you have to walk past this to get to the actual restaurant space. when i first saw the restaurant was open i actually thought it was only a takeaway because of the huge grill and counter! however the space is well laid out with lots of bright colours and a good number of tables although all of these were taken when we went on tuesday.
the menu is extensive and has the typical dishes you would expect– hummus, swarhma, hot and cold meze, falafel, etc but also has a bunch of dishes that were new to me. after a debate between three dishes i went with karni yarik– minced lamb with peas in a tomato sauce on top of an aubergine all oven baked with rice and salad on the side. we also shared hummus as a starter and were given a an aubergine type dip compliment of the chef. the hummus was a large portion and given with fresh pide that was really moreish. the smokey aubergine dip was really tasty as well. my main course looked massive but being post run i managed to finish it all as it was too good to leave any over. the minced lamb was incredibly savory and the aubergine was super tender. it definitely enticed me to come back and try other dishes to see what else they offered.
service was probably the only downfall for this restaurant. initially the waitress was prompt and very on top of things in terms of taking our ordering and bringing food. but she never checked up on us during our meal or even asked if we wanted more drinks. we had to pretty much throw ourselves in front of her to get the bill as well so they maybe need to keep their attentiveness throughout the whole service and not just the first half. definitely a very good addition to this part of leith walk and i can’t wait to go back!