A new takeaway offering 'artisanal Indian cuisine', with dishes including monkfish tikka, opens at Edinburgh's Piershill

The menu will have plenty of familiar favourites, but also dishes with a Goan influence

If the thought of monkfish tikka, tak-a-tak prawns or salmon karahi tickles your fancy, then highlight May 25 in your eating diary.

This date marks the opening of takeaway, Peppercorn Edinburgh which offers “artisanal Indian cuisine”.

The capital is pretty spoiled when it comes to Indian restaurants and takeaways, from lockdown pop-up sensation, Sabzi, to Guru, Dishoom and Leith’s Cutting Chaii. However, the owner of this restaurant, Merwyn Perreira, 32, hopes that his new offering at 1 Piershill Place, will offer something different, partially because it’s in an area that’s mainly residential.

“It’s underrepresented in terms of good quality Indian takeaways.”, he says. “It’s a nice peaceful area and I believe my venture will be well received. We are a takeaway dipping our toes in the Edinburgh market, though a full restaurant is in the cards for the near future”.

Merwyn has plenty of experience under his belt, as he has worked as manager for well-established Edinburgh restaurants, Mithas, Mumbai Mansion and Khushi’s. This will be his first solo venture, with a focus on Scottish produce. There will also be some Mumbai street food, like paneer tikka wrap, dishes like chicken kolhapuri, and a vegan selection, including dal tadka (yellow lentils with tamarind, garlic and green chillies). As well as offering more ubiquitous dishes like lamb vindaloo or chicken tikka, his menu will evolve to feature dishes that reference his personal background.

“I come from the coastal state of Goa and our style of cooking is quite different, and heavily influenced by the Portuguese,” says Merwyn, who has lived in Edinburgh for 12 years. “We love our seafood and coconut-based curries, and use a lot of tangy flavours like vinegar. A month into our opening, we will be introducing dishes including Goan fish cutlets, the likes of chicken xacuti, and prawn malabar, which is from the state of Kerala. When it comes to fish, our supplier will be Eddie's Seafood Market, our lamb will be freshly butchered and our paneer will be made from scratch”.

www.peppercornedinburgh.com

Campbell Mickel of Eddie's Seafood Market with Merwyn and a monkfish

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