Brand new dining experience: Vibrant Indian street food vibe comes to the heart of Edinburgh – food all day

The Bell Bottom Eatery is a new Edinburgh cafe and Indian restaurant | submitted

You will soon have the best of both worlds at this brand new Edinburgh café and restaurant which opens its doors this month.

The Biryani Boys are the brains behind the successful Indian takeaway franchise in the city – the Bell Bottom brand – and the Bell Bottom Eatery is its latest venture.

As proud owner Pankaj Rawat explained, it was the enthusiasm and requests from customers which have led to this first sit-down eatery

“There has been huge demand over the past four years for us to open a sit-in place to eat,” he said. “We have taken the same vibrant, colourful branding as we have in the takeaways but we have added some elegance to it and created a beautiful place where people will feel welcomed and comfortable.”

When the opportunity came to buy premises in Polwarth Crescent, EH11, which had been a traditional café for years, he took the plunge and set about creating the colourful and busy vibe of a typical Indian street, with a menu full of street food to match. Originally the plan was to have an evening restaurant serving only authentic Indian dishes – with a menu offering plenty more than the usual curry choices.

However, knowing the community would miss their local café he changed the plan to include a café and diner at breakfast and lunch – offering both traditional Scottish and Indian options.

Paratha or porridge?

Not only will diners be offered delights from Pani Puri to Thalis, Sambar to Idli, they will also have familiar options of a full Scottish breakfast, porridge, sandwiches and snacks during the day – accompanied by a pot of tea, mug of coffee or a mango smoothie or a ginger and masala Chai.

The Bell Bottom Eatery will open for breakfast at 9am. Options will include porridge, or a full cooked breakfast alongside Indian breakfast dishes such as parathas – flat, flaky breads with spinach, paneer or plain – served with yoghurt and a pickle and a cup of chai, or a steamed rice dish with herbs and spices (Idli) served with lentils slow cooked with seasonal vegetables (Sambar).

Porridge or paratha? This new dining experience in Edinburgh offers the best of both worlds from a full Scottish to a South Indian feast. | submitted

For lunch you could tuck into a toasty or try a Thali. A Thali dish is like a tasting plate of different dishes including Dal (lentils), a mixed veg dish, raita, rice, bread and mixed pickle plus the chef’s special curry of the day. The Thali options will change daily and are a great way to sample different dishes to see what you like. Or you could try a Vada Pao (a spicy spud bomb of small steamed breadbun filled with pakora-style potato and spices), or how about the tangy flavour of Pani Puri balls.

The curries are made to make your mouth water, with the likes of Delhi da butter chicken or pistachio chicken korma on offer alongside spicy lamb Kashmiri rogan josh and aromatic meat and coconut milk curry Irachi Mapas.

You’re spoiled for fish and seafood dishes with shrimp, seabass or fish curries such as the creamy coconut prawn dish jhinga malai or tandoori salmon with nilgiri sauce (spinach, mint, coriander, coconut and spices) or how about grilled scallops with a green mango Alleppy sauce?

Vegetarians have plenty of options too with dishes such as paneer butter masala, creamy spiced lentil dal makhani and aloo shimla mirch as a vegan choice.

And of course there are tandoori options, byrianis (rice curry dishes), a wide choice of breads, a wide choice of flavoured basmati rice dishes and sweet treats such as rose gulab jamun, mango rice pudding or dark chocolate cake to finish off.

Instagrammable style

“This will be a truly authentic taste of Indian street food,” said Pankaj. “The food will not only taste good but look amazing too. We are creating authentic dishes which we want people to snap, share and eat – our dishes will be so beautifully presented.”

And with a 14ft wall decorated with bespoke wallpaper depicting a true-to-life Indian street, diners walking into this 45-cover restaurant will feel like they are walking into a bustling Indian city street.

“It will be like they are there, and sitting and eating watching the world go by. That’s the buzz we are trying to create with the food, the décor and the music,” says Pankaj.

And with a bar serving a full range of drinks including cocktails and mocktails, draught and bottled beers, and non alcoholic drinks including the likes of mango masala and mango chilli, there’s something to go with every dish.

Opening details

Bell Bottom Eatery can be found at 2 Polwarth Crescent, EH11 1HW. An official ‘soft’ opening takes place on August 19 with people invited to come and take a look and enjoy a free coffee or masala chai (for the first 200 through the doors).

The 12-strong staff team (including four chefs) will be cooking and serving food  7 days a week from 9am to 11pm.

Find out more by following them on Instagram and Facebook.