Much loved Meadowbank Nepalese restaurant announces expansion - despite ongoing pandemic

The owner has been keeping excited customers guessing over social media

Family run Nepalese restaurant Gautam’s in Meadowbank has announced brave new plans to expand their business during the pandemic.

Restaurant boss Khima Gautam, aged 23, is originally from Nepal and now lives in Leith. He has been keeping excited customers guessing over social media by teasing the location for the opening of their sister restaurant.

Today they reveal that the venue for their new culinary endeavour, ‘Solti’ (pronounced “Soal-tee”), will be 10 Drummond Street in Newington - the previous site of Red Fort Indian.

Much loved Meadowbank Napalese restaurant announces expansion - despite ongoing pandemic

Khima hopes that Solti will be open for business by August 1. They have invested around £80k along with 3 new chefs and 12 additional staff for the venture.

Gautam’s focus is on authentic Nepalise and Indian hybrid cuisine, boasting over thirty years of experience in the business. The chefs started their career in Kathmandu where they cooked for everyday street food vendors as well as 5-star hotels, before gaining further culinary experience in India and Dubai.

Khima says that their food differs from traditional Indian food in that it is more fresh and not so heavy handed on the spices, making it lighter and easier for people to process.

Gautam’s also prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, such as quality Scottish lamb for its popular Himalayan Lamb Hot Pot.

Although Gautam’s are first and foremost a restaurant, they have been open for takeaway during lockdown with extra hygiene and safety measures in place to maintain their loyal customer base over the last few months.

“Every customer is a genuine blessing”, says Khima.

Their ‘Hungry Buddha Platter’, an assortment of dishes including lamb chops, paneer, and chicken jalfrezi, feeds 3 people for £24.99 and has been really popular so far.

Khima says, “There’s been a real culture of people sharing food at home at the moment and eating together more”.

Khima researched new flavours on a trip to Kathmandu early this year. Solti will focus on street food and seafood options, and will provide more diverse dishes to educate guests about the variety of flavours from different regions of Nepal and India.

The new restaurant will also offer smaller ‘tapas style’ taster lunches, allowing customers to try a variety of dishes without having to break the bank - hoping to attract the high number of students nearby.

Khima acknowledged the risk of opening up a new restaurant in a period of rife uncertainty for Edinburgh’s hospitality sector:

“You’d be a fool to be totally confident given the circumstances, and we are a bit nervous - but if you really want to go for something you will find a way. We’re confident that if we maintain the high standards of Gautam’s and put really good food out there, Edinburgh has bagged itself another excellent restaurant to look forward to when this blows over”.

Phase 3 of the Scottish Government’s plan to ease lockdown restrictions states that indoor hospitality, subject to physical distancing rules and public health advice, can reopen indicatively on July 15.

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