Morrison Street isn’t our usual port of call for a night out on the town. Perhaps we just stopped going past the West End when the trams debacle was going on or maybe we felt that there was nothing much to draw us down that way. Whatever the reason, it seems we have been missing out recently!
Draw a triangle with The West End in one corner (with attractions such as Usquaebae, The Huxley, Heads and Tails and Kyloe) Haymarket/Morrison Street in the next corner ( with Jolly Botanist, Mumbai Mansion and Atelier) and now Lothian Road completing the triangle with the opening of Innis and Gunn’s The Beer Kitchen. The perfect West End stagger with lots of delicious food and drink options thrown in.
This weekend, the main focus of our attraction was The Mumbai Mansion. When we heard talk of Indian fine dining, cooked to be as healthy as possible with the use of excellent Scottish produce from the best of suppliers plus fabulous desserts and brilliant service…. we thought we must try it!
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| The Mumbai Mansion |
A quick check of Tripadvisor and we were confused. Tripadvisor spoke of Mumbai Mansion and its take away menu and had really mixed reviews going back a while referring to the previous owners business. To clarify, the new website is www.themumbaimansion.co.uk and while the name has stayed the same, the whole concept and ethos of the restaurant has completely changed since the new owner took over earlier this month. Tripadvisor, Twitter and all social media will be updated very soon.
After a couple of gins at the Jolly Botanist (worth a visit….and worth going out of your way for) we popped almost next door to The Mumbai Mansion.
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| Inside |
We were welcomed by Merwyn Pereira who runs a very tight ship. Service for the evening was excellent and we were soon settled, beers in hand and orders placed. Expected timings of each course were explained depending on the cooking times of the dishes chosen (no microwaves here!)
The choice of starters is extremely interesting and you can quickly tell that this isn’t your usual run of the mill pakora, massive creamy curry, rice and naan sort of place….contemporary India cuisine is the aim here.
I chose Scottish Venison Boti marinated in Honey and Pineapple (£6.95) and Raymond (trying to be more vegi and pesce at the moment!) had Tandoori Mushrooms marinated in honey and ginger. (£4.95)
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| Venison |
The Venison was delicious – 5 good sized chunks beautifully marinated and nice and spicy with plenty chilli. The meat had been slow cooked and was extremely moist and tender, with the accompaniments providing relief to the tingles of the chillies.
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| Mushrooms |
Raymond’s Tandoori Mushrooms were very tasty (you would hope so as you can’t really go wrong with mushrooms), but the spices and flavourings were delicious, taking the humble mushroom to a new level.
Other starters included scallops, mussels, lamb, seabass, monkfish and guinea fowl were on the menu so lots to choose from. Vegetarians are also really well catered for with lots of options and and the option of a full Vegetarian tasting menu. Have a wee look at the other menus here.
Next I decided to have duck (£12.95). The breast of duck was marinated and roasted on Sigri and served with a coconut based sauce. Initially impressed that the Duck had been roasted on the Greek Island of Sigri and specially shipped for my dinner, it soon became clear that Sigri is a type of open BBQ style cooking stove, very popular in the kitchens of Gujaratis. The Mumbai Mansion is taking Indian cooking in Edinburgh to a different level, by using these traditional methods of cooking, to provide authentic healthier dishes.
The duck was well cooked and the coconut sauce very tasty. This is a menu that will develop over time so I’m looking forward to seeing what other creations chef will come up with for duck…..something sticky and spicy perhaps?
Pramod Nawani is the Head Chef of the new restaurant and comes with over 20 years experience starting in the famous Bukhara Kitchen in India and most recently head chef at Mithas restaurant in Edinburgh.
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| Duck |
Raymond decided on Monkfish (£14.95) The fish was marinated in yoghurt and green herbs then finished in the tandoor. The well cooked meaty fish stood up well to the fragrant Indian spices and was a lighter alternative to the usual lamb or chicken dish.
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| Monkfish |
We decided to share a plain naan, which arrived in 4 neat triangles. The naan was a perfect combination of crispy bits and soft bits and didn’t last long – perfect for mopping up the last of the coconut sauce.
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| Naan |
After our main course we still had a wee bit space left for pud! When you think of Indian food, desserts don’t immediately spring to mind. Almost every Indian restaurant we’ve experienced has had either a very poor selection of unexciting desserts or a plastic covered dessert menu with lots and lots of pictures of frozen delights in all shapes and sizes, designed to woo you into thinking they will be absolutely delicious…..but usually aren’t!
This restaurant is different (yet again). They have a dedicated Patisserie chef, Rabat Dev Singh who has experience in fine dining desserts with Royal Caribbean and Cinnamon Club in London….we were looking forward to trying his delights.
I decided to have the selection of sorbet (£4.95). Raspberry, Mango and Lemon, served on a snap biscuit with mango coulis and a crispy swizzle. The dish was well presented and the crispness and crunchiness of the snap biscuit worked so well with the smooth robustly flavoured sorbets. Some folks might think sorbet is a boring option, but I’m a great fan….a perfect end to a meal.
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| Sorbet |
Raymond on the other hand doesn’t believe that sorbet is a dessert! The chocolatier and stickier the better, so he opted for “Callebaut” Chocolate Mousse with fresh orange sauce and ginger ice cream (£5.95).
He was in heaven, the warm chocolate pot of delicious gooey chocolate mousse complimented by the orange and ginger additions. He wanted more ginger from the ice cream but I found it perfectly flavoured for my taste buds when I had a wee taste! This really was a top quality dessert, and we loved the reminder of India with the ginger ice cream.
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| Chocolate! |
All in all we had an excellent evening in a bustling restaurant with great service and innovative Indian cooking. We left with contented bellies but didn’t end up leaving uncomfortably stuffed! The meal was perfectly balanced, using some of the best of Scotland’s larder. The next edition of the menu will demonstrate the provenance of all the meat, seafood and fish dishes.
We would definitely recommend a visit and can’t wait to go back. If you have visited since the new owners have taken over, leave us a message below to let us know how you got on.
250 Morrison Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8DT
0131 229 7173
Email: dine@themumbaimansion.com
Web: www.themumbaimansion.com
Twitter: @mumbaimansion
We were invited to dine as guests of The Mumbai Mansion to sample their new menu. All views and thoughts expressed are our own.