Edinburgh and Us: Restaurant Review: Kismot turns up the heat!

Incredible Indian and Bangladeshi food is on offer at this delightfully informal and modern restaurant in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Kismot, on 29 St Leonards Street, is a family-run restaurant, with a comfortable feel and friendly staff.

There is a diverse selection of dishes at reasonable prices of around £9 making it great for students and families. Meals are predominantly Indian and Bangladesh with favourite dishes such as grills and biryanis available.

A few innovative Scottish-themed recipes – include the ‘Iron Bruna’ curry made with Irn Bru and vegetarian haggis options.

It also has a ‘Bring Your Own Bottle’ policy with no corkage fee which makes it great for those on a budget.

The menu places a big emphasis on being fun with creative touches such as sauces including their Korma rated at PG (mild), certificate 12 (sweet and sour), 15 (medium) and meals like the Madras are an 18 (hot).

In their ‘Specials’ section there’s a ‘Chocolate Massallam’ sauce – described as ‘a creamy tandoori yoghurt sauce with a chocolate twist and almonds’ which might go nicely with their marshmallow or chocolate nan’.

The decor is fairly modest with some areas of bold coloured tiled walls along one section and deep purple and gold wallpaper in another. Although we visited during daylight it was clear that the spotlighting inside the restaurant might create a pleasant effect slightly later in the evening.

Their ‘Kismot Killer’ is known as one of the world’s hottest curries and includes the top five hottest chillies in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. A bonus being that it is free of charge for customers who finish the entire dish!

A disclaimer must be signed when ordering the curry which earned national attention when it featured on TV shows ‘Have I Got News For You’ and ‘A League of Their Own’.