Ignite

Not to be confused with the highly trendy, not-at-all embarrassing nightclub in Tollcross, Ignite is an Indian and Bengali restaurant hidden away in Haymarket. If you have ever taken the train to or from Edinburgh and wondered what there could possibly be on this seemingly superfluous stop, you have your answer. Ignite is a charming, very friendly restaurant with a menu so extensive that you may never want to go anywhere else.

Ignite has some tough competition in Edinburgh, which is home to excellent south Asian restaurants such as Bombay Bicycle Club on Brougham Street, Namaste on Forrest Road and Suruchi on Nicholson Street. Ignite meets the challenge and even sets the bar higher due to its staggering selection of main courses (nineteen, not including vegetarian choices, tandoori, biryani, and seafood). This range extends to side dishes like bendi bhaji and aloo gobi – the former being okra and the latter potato and cauliflower – not to mention rice and nine types of bread, from naan to chapati.

Every main is under £15, which is not something to sniff at if you are on a student budget and looking to celebrate. Ignite pulls out all the stops, and the result is nothing short of a delicious food coma which you can put in a doggy bag for the next day.

But this wide selection does not mean that the quality suffers. The opposite, in fact, will become apparent as soon as you tuck in to the small Himalaya of food which you will inevitably order. Ignite’s location off the beaten student track is also one more reason to explore Lothian Road and the East End – even perhaps encouraging a wander into Stockbridge and a respite from the relentless student life we all lead. Even though it is a little far from everyone’s usual three-point trajectory of flat, Sainsbury’s and the library, Ignite will stay in your mind a little longer than its counterparts.