Kalpna, Edinburgh

This was late March, a month and a half ago.

Kalpna is an Indian vegetarian and vegan restaurant just outside the beaten tourist trail in Edinburgh, Scotland. You can take the bus, or indeed a taxi to St Patrick Square, but the 15-minute walk down South Bridge from High St (part of The Royal Mile, the most beaten of Edinburgh's tourist tracks) gets you into what feels like a more real, everyday city than the one hedged with kilt shops and ghost tours - recommended, if the weather allows. Don't be confused by the map - Kalpna in on the left, across the street from the square itself.

The menu is reasonably extensive and has all the items you'd expect of an Indian restaurant - in vegetarian versions. The dishes aren't, however, explicitly labeled as vegan, and as ghee traditionally used Indian cooking in place of vegetable oil, I took the easy and tempting option and went for the only clearly indicated vegan item on the menu, the Vegan Thaali. I'm sure they would've been more than happy to tell more about their menu, had I bothered to ask.

What arrived after we'd nearly finished our complimentary poppadoms and chutneys was indeed a "balanced selection of dishes from their menu full of complimentary flavors and textures." There were four or five different dishes, selection of naan breads and rice, but further details escape me after six weeks. I can recall it being all very enjoyable, though. The individual dishes were small, in their little metal bowls, but after working through the whole tray I was fed more than well.

Relentlessly omnivorous Spouse went for the Thaali Raj Bhog, a "royal platter", and a feast fit for a king it was: seven different dishes, plus the breads and rice. There were appreciative noises.

Service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The restaurant has a comfortable feel, even if it does come across as slightly worn out and even cafeteria-like. On a completely arbitrary scale, I give Kalpna an eight for the food and value for money, a six for the location, and a nine for the whole experience.