Haldi — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

This is not your typical Indian restaurant, and I love it. Haldi serves a variety of popular regional cuisine with their own twists and elevations. I recommend sitting in for 1-6 people. We were greeted with friendly, warm, and still professional service from the host. We were seated and given a small menu (good sign!) and a drinks menu. It was odd that the drinks menu was on a single A4 sheet, I'd suggest they give it in a small card/booklet with the menu. This will be my only complaint. After we ordered, we were given a complimentary single-bite starter. That day, it was a fried chickpea-based ball in some sour and mint chutneys. Good balance of sour and spicy flavors, with an interesting textural component. For our starters, the dirty samosa chaat was so good. Its a small potato samosa completely drenched in a variety of toppings. The array of textures and flavors make the (on its own) alright samosa into something spectacular. We also had ladies finger/okra which was a simple crispy treat. Our mains were also incredible. They don't look large in the photo, but we were full by the end. Their Prawn Malabar was a great representation of a coastal Keralan dish. The prawns were huge and so fresh, perfect with the mellow and coconuty gravy. The Bhooni Phool Gobi (Cauliflower) was, although one large piece, so soft and well seasoned throughout. As someone who doesn't enjoy cauliflower, this was insane. My Lal Maas (lamb) had a flavorful combination of spices that didnt take away from the meaty taste of lamb, as most Indian places might do. Their mango lassi was how it should be, and masala chai (not on the drinks menu) was alright. The shop is small and can fit at most maybe 20. They do walk-ins (which I did on the day) but I recommend reservation to save yourself any hassle. The service still stands out to me, the servers were casual and professional, I greatly enjoyed them. No wonder this place has (at the time of writing) 200 reviews and still 5*s. I wish them all the best. If I am in Edinburgh again, I...

Update:

My dad and I decided to give Haldi another shot, this time going to the restaurant, and wow, what a difference!

The service was great, everyone was super attentive and kind.

The food was exceptional. I had a saag aloo as a main, which was amongst the best I’ve ever had, and my dad had the ghee chicken, which was very tasty also. We had pilau rice, which was aromatic, and a garlic naan to share. They also brought out a little amuse-bouche, a fried cauliflower thing which was nice, and an additional small bowl of spiced peas/cauliflower to share which also was a nice addition.

The portions definitely seemed bigger in the restaurant than takeout, especially the naan. We were stuffed by the end.

They brought out a small bowl of what looked like colourful and highly aromatic grains/seeds that had been sweetened, which were lovely - please someone remind me what these are!

Thank you Haldi for your hospitality, we will be back.

Sorry to be the first non 5 star review… however,

My dad and I had the butter chicken and prawn malabar. Disappointingly the portion sizes were very small, about 2/3rds the size of normal Indian take out, perhaps even smaller. Smallest naan I’ve ever seen too. The butter chicken was fresh, but very bland. Never in my life have I added spices from the cupboard to an Indian take out. This was a first. The prawn Malabar was much better, pretty tasty, and again fresh tasting, but again, small portion.

Also included was a very small tub of what looked and tasted like potato. It was quite strange and very bland.

I think in Haldi’s defence, looking at the photos, the presentation looks great for dine in, where the small portions are more justifiable, but of course this is absent for delivery.

In total the order was £32.50 ordered on just eat, which is extortionate for what we got.

Overall, we were disappointed, and if you decide to go to Haldi, go in person and don’t...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Haldi Indian Restaurant, and I must say that it was an absolutely fantastic experience! From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm and welcoming hospitality, and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting.

Now, on to the most important part: the food! The Indian cuisine served at Haldi was simply outstanding. Each dish was expertly prepared with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor. From the Dirty Samosa chat, Tandoori Chicken to the fragrant chicken biryani ,every bite was a delight for the taste buds.

One standout dish was Lal mass - the perfect combination of tender meat and spicy, tangy sauce. And let's not forget the naan bread - soft, warm and perfectly baked to perfection.

Last but not least their desserts are top Notch I really loved their presentation.

The service at Haldi was also impeccable. Our waiter was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable, making great suggestions and ensuring that our experience was enjoyable from start to finish.

I really appreciate this little hidden gem for bringing decent Indian food with some Modern twist, Thanks to whole team, will...