Ignite

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £7.50 (set lunch)
   £16.50 (evening meal)
• House wine: £12.50 per bottle

• Hitlisted
• High point: Service and cuisine are both of a high level
• Low point: Business parties may stifle the atmosphere a little
• Food served: Mon-Sun noon-2pm, 5.30-11pm
• Open since: 2004
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of menu), Childrens portions, Take away

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

Conveniently located for diners from the West End and Exchange Plaza, Ignite appears to be a popular choice for both local business diners and west of Edinburgh residents. It's easy to see why - the staff are welcoming and attentive, and the food, which uses recipes sourced from Bangladesh and northern India, is of a particularly high quality. With a clean, minimal interior, and a logo dressed in fiery red, orange and black, the restaurant seeks to promote the idea that it will ignite your senses and your palate. In a culinary sense, that's hard to argue with - the lamb kebab starter is virtually lacquered with a rich, spicy marinade, while the piazi (deep-fried dumplings of lentil and onion) have delicacy and bite. The mains are devised with similar care and attention, with each flavour or ingredient standing out to create a large collection of dishes which offer real variety. The north Indian chilli-garlic chicken, for example, is as spicy and aromatic as the name suggests, while the lasooni macchi (pan-fried sea bass on the bone) is cooked to perfection, and not overpowered by a sauce of onion, tomato and sparing chilli. The puffy, bubbling naan rounds off a meal which deserves recommendation.