For Kings and curry

As one of the collection of curry houses and Indian restaurants lining the East side of the Meadows, Kings Balti needs to assert itself in order to stand out from the crowd. In rivalry to the well-established and much loved Mosque, the Buccleuch Street restaurant is starting up a canteen style lunch service. Students will be able to choose from a range of meat-based and vegetarian mains and enjoy them in relative comfort for £3.95.

Being BYOB we arrived clutching our bottle of red and were warmly greeted. The furnishings are basic and clean, if in need of a bit of an update. As I traditionally like to start a curry night we shared a popadom with a selection of dips and chose a Mixed Kebab (£4.25) from the starter menu. Whilst the dips were a little disappointing, the nicely seasoned sheek kebab proved to be the winner from our mixed dish.

The menu offers all the standard dishes you would expect; I went for a creamy lamb pasanda (£7.95 or £5.95 take-away) and although the meat did not live up to expectation the sauce was subtle and well seasoned with a nice kick. The prawn balti (£8.95) packed in a decent amount of flavour with the chilli and coriander harmonizing well. The portions were generous and we mopped it all up with a good-sized nan (£2.50) and pilau rice (£2.50).

Kings Balti delivers tasty food that is neither exceptional nor disappointing. Whilst the restaurant prices might be above the average student budget, for a bargain price I can imagine the new lunch service will go down a treat.