[][1]

There are interesting developments afoot at Mithas in Edinburgh’s Leith.

Since opening a couple of years ago, the fine dining Indian restaurant has twice scooped the Best Indian title at the Scottish Restaurant Awards. Judges singled out Mithas’ innovative approach to presenting the subcontinent’s many culinary traditions.

Ground-breaking Indian

It’s no exaggeration to say that their kitchen’s take on high end Indian food has been ground-breaking in Scotland and Mithas has positioned itself as a serious, gastronomic alternative to the common or garden curry house.

The latest news from Mithas is that they have introduced a new cocktail bar and employed a sommelier.

The sommelier is Glen Montgomery, formerly of the Witchery on the Royal Mile. Glen was hired to deliver his expertise to diners in how to match Mithas’ Indian dishes with the perfect wine from the extensive 100-bin list.

Matching wine and Indian food is not easy. Usually, the spices overwhelm all but the beefiest of reds and even bone dry whites have difficulty cutting through the strong flavours.

Working in the sommelier’s favour is the fact that the spicing at Mithas tends to be more subtle than in most other Indian restaurants.

Indian cocktails

As well as wines, the staff have been working on a range of Indian cocktails. Pride of place goes to the French Connection. Made up of a mixture of Remy Martin Cognac and Cointreau, the drink is infused with nine spices and then flambéed in front of guests.

Group general manager Jaimon George said that the new bar will allow people to enjoy fine wines and fine dining in the main 75 seat restaurant before moving through to the cocktail bar to continue their night.

George added: ‘People don’t normally associate good wines and cocktails with Indian food but it’s amazing what matches can be made. Glen is on hand here to give his advice.

Fruity wines

‘For example, many people don’t realise that fruity wines work perfectly with hot dishes that have peppercorns, chilli, cloves and cardamom. The cocktails infused with spices are also great as they create delicious flavours for after an Indian meal.’

The new bar provides an extra 20 seats and standing room for guests who want to try some of the unique drinks on offer.

Mithas is owned by the Khushi  family who run the Khushi’s in Edinburgh – regarded as Scotland’s original curry house.