The Verandah Tandoori

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Just what is it about the Verandah that makes it like a magnet for celebrities ranging from Clint Eastwood to Cliff Richard? Its location, right beside Haymarket Station, is an unlikely limousine drop-off point, but its proximity to Tynecastle means several sportspeople appear on its website gallery. There's nothing flashy in the clean, bamboo-look décor – this place is about less superficial qualities, including an eagerness to please which seems to run from management all the way through the staff. The food is the important part though, from a wide-ranging menu that details the origins of each dish in fascinating detail. To start, try a decent crisp puri with tangy vegetables, or lightly-battered pakora. Presentation is neat and unfussy, the mains coming in decent-sized portions. The chicken is in a tangy rezala sauce while the kofta's texture matches its delicate flavours. Portions are generous with little room left for the desserts, which tend to be fairly standard ices. It may have disappeared from the radar of late, but on this showing The Verandah seems to be firmly back on Edinburgh's culinary map.

• High point: Pride taken in the freshly-cooked choice of dishes
• Low point: Celebrity-spotting sadly limited on our visit