Mother India

You may have noticed that I’ve been packing in the visits to Indian restaurants, of late. This is partly coincidence and partly because I’m a bit of a “streak eater”. I took my current craving for spice to Mother India on Infirmary Street.

This wasn’t my first visit to this much-loved place, but I’d had a rather mixed experience on my previous visit which I found hard to summarise in a review. Some of the food was good, some was not, with the overall experience leaving me a bit cold.

On this occasion, I was joined by Patrick, who had previously joined at places such as The Bonham and the Scottish Cafe.

Mother India showcases a broad range of Indian classics in a tapas style. Many friends had passed on that the spiced haddock was their top dish, but on my previous visit it had been rather overcooked so not particularly to my taste. We gave it another go this evening, though.

To that we added two specials, the coriander lime trout and musallam lamb, along with their chilli garlic chicken and accompanying rice and naan.

Dishes arrived very quickly indeed. The chicken was first and was, without doubt, the best dish we were served. It packed good heat and bundles of flavour into tender meaty chunks.

Both seafood dishes were overcooked, with the trout practically dessicated. The spicing of the haddock was very tasty, though. The lamb was good, as were the rice and naan.

I was still left cold by the experience, though. For a very quick bite, where dishes arrive at the speed of light, Mother India is just grand, but I simply don’t find the haste (not to mention the lack of precision on the dishes) particularly pleasurable.

So overall, while I enjoyed the chicken and lamb dishes, I didn’t enjoy the experience of dining at Mother India. Despite the staff being very friendly, it all just feels too rushed. There are many Edinburgh Indians that offer the same or better quality in an atmosphere that’s more relaxed. I’m glad to have visited, and would be confident you’ll be decently served when you visit, but doubt I’ll be back.

Scores
Blythe scores Mother India
3.5/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
3/5 for setting
4/5 for service
giving an overall 14/20

Today’s questers were: Patrick, Blythe

We ate: spiced haddock, coriander lime trout, chilli garlic chicken, lamb musallam, rice, naan

We drank: lager, espresso

We wore: polo shirt, pinstripes

Total bill: £34.90