Ex-Gleneagles chef launches festive feast reimagined in Edinburgh through modern Indian cooking
Chef Mandeep Saini unveils a bold new Christmas menu at Bombay Bistro, offering diners a creative alternative to traditional turkey dinners.
While most restaurants lean into traditional turkey plates and classic trimmings, former Gleneagles chef Mandeep Saini is bringing something genuinely different to the capital this Christmas. At Bombay Bistro in Bruntsfield, Saini has created a limited-edition festive menu that reimagines the flavours of Christmas through the warmth, richness and creativity of modern Indian cuisine, offering diners a festive feast unlike anything else in Edinburgh.
Fresh from celebrated positions at Gleneagles and The Berkeley in London, Saini blends nostalgic Christmas ingredients with bold Bombay techniques and aromatic spices, creating dishes that feel familiar yet entirely new. It’s a menu designed for diners who want more than the standard seasonal roast, something full of unexpected flavour.
The menu features vibrant dishes including masala crab cakes with pickled veg and tandoori mayo, spiced herb-crusted lamb chops with coriander dip, garlic and chilli sprouts, honey chilli-glazed carrots and roasted coconut cabbage. Mains include roasted turkey finished in a buttery makhani sauce, braised lamb shank with garlic-crushed potatoes, haddock loin served in a fragrant meen moilee sauce and a paneer pinwheel with butter masala. Desserts bring together festive favourites with Indian influences, from Christmas pudding paired with champagne sorbet to sticky toffee cheesecake with tablet ice cream and warm carrot halwa served with gulab jamun.
Chef Mandeep Saini said: “I wanted to create dishes that celebrate my heritage. Edinburgh has so many brilliant festive menus, but most of them look and feel the same. I wanted to create a Christmas feast for people who want something more adventurous.
“These dishes keep the heart of Christmas but express it through Indian warmth, colour and creativity. This is a menu for sharing and discovering comfort food with surprises in every bite.”
Bombay Bistro’s festive menu is available 12 - 24 December, priced at £45 per person for a starter, two sides, a main, dessert and homemade mulled wine. Each dish on the festive menu is priced individually, and guests are welcome to select whichever dishes are preferable.
Bombay Bistro is located at 14-17 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4HN.