IT had been a long and draining case. Weeks of work had gone into bringing one of my own down – a dirty cop with a past that finally caught up with him.

But as I settled down to enjoy the win, the situation caught up with me. “I could use a Scotch,” I mused, slouching into an armchair.

Relaxing, a cigar in one hand and a glass in the other, the need for a drink subsided as my stomach groaned. As the Moll passed through the lounge I croaked at her: “We’re going out.”

The broad and I hopped into the Buick and headed out, the streets thick with fog as we made our way along the roads.

It was a Friday, and the rain had just started to break through the clouds.

A mile or so along we gave in and pulled in alongside a set of stairs leading up to a busy restaurant. The Indian on Skirving Street. “Simple and to the point,”I thought. “This could be my kind of joint.”

We were met at the top of the stairs by around half a dozen staff, all eager to find us a table in the half full restaurant. It was still early and others would be joining us later as the seats filled out throughout the evening.

With some poppadoms to fill the gap while we made our mind up, the Moll and I got our heads around the premise - small plates of Indian food to share.

Simple it was not, as almost every item caught goldilocks’ eye.

We eventually settled on three dishes each, with some help from the staff.

The setting itself was simple, a bar on one side and, on the other, a view out into the dark street below.

Music played in the background as chatter continued around us. Whether the food was good or not, there certainly was a buzz about this place.

Not 10 minutes after ordering our food began to arrive, brought out piping hot as it was readied in the kitchen.

First to come was the naan breads, followed by our order of rice. All lovely, but second to the main events.

A selection of small plates of curries soon landed on our table, sending an aroma into the air that meant each dish was barely discernible from the other.

However, this was not a problem as we tucked into aloo keema, chicken biryani and a coconut concoction called Nariyal chicken.

The highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the daal gosht, which we duly washed down with a bottle of their sauvignon blanc – both a delight.

Two final dishes, all as impressive as before also arrived, but the night may have peaked as we finished the malai kofta and makhani masala.

We left fit to burst, with the heavy head that comes with wine and a long week behind us, back into the Buick and home for a nightcap, and on to another case.

BILL

Plates

  • Poppadoms - £4
  • Aloo keema - £5.50
  • Nariyal chicken - £5.50
  • Chicken biryani - £5
  • Daal gosht - £5.50
  • Malai kofta - £4.50
  • Chicken makhani masala - £5.50
  • Rice x 2 - £3
  • Garlic naan - £2
  • Peshwari naan - £2.50

Drinks

  • Bottle sauvignon blanc - £16.50

Total £59.50

REVIEW

FOOD - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ATMOSPHERE - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SERVICE - ⭐⭐⭐