Memories of India

The boy and I decided to dine here as we were challenged that this was a better experience as a restaurant than our regular restaurant in East Lothian. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. The boys initial reaction was, ‘oh, g*d, this is Dunbar Tandoori all over again’ (
) when our plates are tossed onto the table more than placed, and the onion bhajis started to provide unwelcome flashbacks.
On the positive side, I liked the fact that the bhajis came with a vat of raita (since I was turned onto this taste sensation, I can’t quite quit it) — they know my style however my prawn purée was super spicy, and very little filling for the purée.
When our plates were picked up we were asked if we wanted our food now or later — so I guess it was ready (it was a relatively empty restaurant) so we complied. I ordered the pune tandoori raigan (spelling might be suspect there) — from the menu — a whole aubergine stuffed with cauliflower, potato, other veg and chick peas in a casserole served with a crunchy bean salad. What I got was half of a slice of aubergine on the bottom of a dish, a nondescript vegetable casserole and another slice on top. The bean salad never arrived. It was pleasant enough but really what I thought was going to be a change from the norm just disappeared in a medley of mediocrity.
The boy enjoyed his lamb bhuna. The naan and rice were just really that, not much to really elaborate on, not much flavour and not that exciting.
Service was friendly — had up to 3 waiters asking us how our dinner was, which was a little overwhelming, but at least they asked, which I think is a bonus. We were super full by the end, so skipped dessert and hit up the bill — 35 quid. Overall, we didn’t walk away feeling particularly happy that we had eaten here, food was just a little bit unimpressive to say that. It’s pleasant enough, but 2 stars sums it up — I’ve just definitely experienced better.

Great local Indian restaurant and takeaway — we usually order takeaways and delivery is usually reasonably quick. Never had a disappointing meal from here — great selection of dishes and accompaniments.