Restaurant to shake bad reputation

THE owner of a new Indian restaurant has told of his hopes for the venture as he prepares to open on the site of a former trouble-spot.

Concerns had been raised locally after it was announced businessman Shamy Singh would open The Spice Lounge Kitchen in Corstorphine on the site of the Rainbow Inn, which was closed in late 2008 after a mass brawl in which one man was stabbed and two others were hospitalised.

The stabbing followed an incident in 2004 in which a customer was glassed by a drunk who tried to escape in a taxi.

Mr Singh, 33, said he planned to open a “high-end, fine dining restaurant” by mid-April and added that it would be “family orientated”.

He said: “Due to the reputation the place had before, we have gone all out to speak to members of the community and get them on board.

“We’ve also been working with the police and the council.”

He added: “This will be a niche operation the whole family can come to. Around 80 per cent of the dishes will be Indian, but there will also be tapas and a selection of steak and fish dishes.”