Suruchi

Suruchi on Constitution Street has been one of Leith's most singular Indian restaurants for years, built on a concept that deliberately merges Scotland and the subcontinent. The restaurant is best known for haggis pakora — a starter that has turned up in food guides and travel writing as one of Edinburgh's more original culinary inventions, encasing Scotland's national dish in spiced crisp Indian batter. The menu is written partly in Scots, adding a further layer of local identity that goes well beyond marketing gimmick. Beyond the haggis pakora, Suruchi runs a broad Indian menu covering dishes from across the country: butter chicken, biryani, karahi and balti preparations, with main dishes historically priced at an accessible level that has made it popular with students, local residents and food-curious visitors in equal measure. Constitution Street forms the spine of old Leith, and Suruchi has been a presence in that streetscape long enough to have become part of what people mean when they talk about the independent food character of the neighbourhood.