Photo of
February 20, 2015
Hardeep in VDeep Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango
Hardeep in VDeep Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango

Curry and beer have long been a dream team combination.

The pairing will be given a thoughtful update from tomorrow when VDeep – a new restaurant from Hardeep Singh Kohli – opens to the public in Edinburgh’s Leith.

The broadcaster and comedian has often written of his love of food and has incorporated cooking into his stage shows.

For a while, he was involved with Koolba restaurant in Glasgow’s Merchant City and he also worked as a consultant for London seafood restaurant J Sheekey.

With VDeep he has taken the plunge and thrown himself whole-heartedly into his new restaurant project.

Promising craft beer, curry and communal dining with a northern soul soundtrack, VDeep is a joint venture between Hardeep, chef Ruairidh Skinner and co-owner Darren Blackburn.

Hardeep and VDeep Head Chef Ruairidh Skinner. Pic:  Paul Johnston at Copper Mango
Hardeep and VDeep Head Chef Ruairidh Skinner. Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango

Dynamic change in Indian food

Hardeep recalls the eureka moment that lead him to create Scotland’s first craft beer and curry bar:

‘My whole life I’ve heard people saying “I’m going out for a beer, then for a curry” but nobody has ever put them in the same room.

‘I was always nervous at the prospect of trying to reinvent Indian food while remaining authentic. Then I began to question what is authentic? Food has developed and changed for centuries. VDeep is the next dynamic change in Indian food.’

Last weekend, Hardeep told The Herald that his food would be ‘modern, unfussy and unpretentious’. With around 21 dishes on the menu, most priced £5-7.50, VDeep is certainly very accessible.

Thanks to dishes such as pork cheek vindaloo in raspberry beer, it also looks as though the kitchen is determined to move things on from the more well-trodden path taken by some other Indian restaurants.

Other dishes on the VDeep menu include bangras ‘n’ mash and cauliflower cheese curry.

WEB SIZE - Pork VDeep's pork cheek vindaloo. Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango
VDeep’s pork cheek vindaloo. Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango

Cardamom-infused IPA

As to the craft beer part of the equation, in addition to 21 bottled beers and seven canned craft beers, VDeep will have thirteen taps. Eight of them will rotate regularly.

Expect to see a good showing from local brewery Pilot as well as craft beers from further afield.

To launch the restaurant, the team have developed Vindabrew, a 5.5% cardamom-infused IPA and the first in a series of small batch craft beers designed to pair with curry.

Communal dining

Hardeep hopes the communal dining aspect will encourage visitors to engage in conversation and even share one another’s curry and beer choices:

‘When you go to the pub, you always end up having a chat to the people next to you; that’s the pub experience. At the heart of Punjabi dining is a shared experience too.

‘We don’t have food served to us on individual plates, we have empty plates and bowls of food for sharing. Everyone just gets piled in. Vdeep is very similar. It isn’t just about craft beer and curry, it’s about a real shared experience.’

VDeep is on Henderson Street in Leith. The premises used to house The Vintage which is reported to be looking for a new city centre site.

VDeep's funky interior. Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango
VDeep’s funky interior. Pic: Paul Johnston at Copper Mango