Bindi

I was sad when Ann Purna closed its doors, but cheeried almost instantly by Bindi arising from the ashes like a vegetarian Phoenix (a tasty one, at that). It’s taken a while for me to work up to visiting, but I finally had the opportunity last week. Now, as it’s festival time, there is a festival menu that we ordered from, but by judging other reviews, this is a modified version of the main menu.
We chose a selection of the larger bites:
* samosas;
* mogo fries (although these felt a little undercooked);
* pani puri (little pastry puffs stuffed with a spicy hit of masala and chick peas, you pour gravy into them and eat them before it soaks through — this is what I call fast food!)
* patra (fried taro leaves, sprinkled with cocnut)
* dhokra (steamed cake made from semolina)
* a chickpea stuffed ball surrounded by sweet pastry (can’t find the name of that, but please be warned — they are tricky to break apart — mine careened towards an unsuspecting diner)
* a bombay mix and pomegranate seed beast of a dish
You can see the photo I uploaded. Be warned — this didn’t look like a particularly large meal (at least to me) but by gum, we failed to clear our plates. Bindi was fab — the service was cheeky and cheerful; the meals were new and unusual but good at the same time. It was on the spicy side for me, but nothing a cold glass of rose couldn’t handle. Ann Purna is dead (RIP), long live Bindi!

The restaurant is clean and bright. The service was great and the concept is really interesting — Bombay-​East African fusion street food. We had fried classics like onion bhaji and batata vada as well as mogo (cassava) fries and turmeric-​hued fried rice. The mango lassi was not overly sweet. While the food was good and fresh (if mostly fried), I am only giving Bindi 3 stars because one of the dishes we ordered (chili paneer) that was labelled «gluten free» was not really gluten free. It had soy sauce in it, which does contain wheat. For celiacs, this is a problem and you should check with the waitstaff before ordering. The owner apologized for not knowing that soy sauce contained wheat. She was really lovely, but celiacs do double check on the ingredients in the food you are ordering!

I came here a couple of weeks ago for the first time, and treated my dad to an inexpensive lunch. Everything on the menu is 4.95 euros, which really isn’t bad for most items on the menu. The café is close to the University of Edinburgh, making it a great spot for a quick student lunch.
The interior is clean and spacious, there are plenty of places to sit, though it seems to be gaining popularity these days so booking is recommended. I opted for the thali, whilst my dad took the veggie burger. The thali was very spicy and tasty, though the portions were quite small. There were two small fried chapatas, two curry dishes (one was very interesting and memorable, fried chickpeas balls in a spicy gravy), a small portion of saffron rice. My dad’s burger patty was also apparently very good and came with a selection of interesting spicy dips. The only thing that let it down was the quality of the bread, he said it felt like it had been defrosted and would have preferred a fresher tasting roll.
Bindi herself was very friendly, and gave me a free shrikhand for pudding, a strained yogurt pudding spiced with cardamom and saffron. It was delicious. The table water came served with mint and cucumber inside, which was a nice touch.
Overall, nice food but small portions, and the bread could be better. Will be back though!

This is probably going to read funny as i’m doing it chronologically rather than in any sensible order.
So we’re the first people to arrive at bindi on a friday night, no one hears us entering so we stand around chatting loudly for a few minutes before going looking for someone. It didn’t take long and an incredibly friendly and apologetic woman sat us down.
The menu isn’t standard indian fare and neither of us had a clue what to order so we asked for advice. There are a pair of tastery things, an exotic one and a down to earth one. Naturally we opted for the exotic one.
Believe me I was unprepared for what game next.
The eldest of the ladies serving arrived with a selection of tasty looking things, one of which required a demo. This lady pour some liquid into a little deep fried bowl thing and said ‘QUICK QUICK!” and popped the wee thing stright into my gub! Quite unexpectedly materal I tell you. amused my friend no end.
the starter platter thing consister of 4 things, which i’ll fail miserably to describe (see above deep fried bowl thingy.) So there was a crispy bowl with raw red onion and other things into which was pour a vinegar type liquid, Some bahjii esque things, something that was a cross between cous cous and bombay mix with pomegranate in it, and little lumps of sautéd african root vegetable.
They were all delicious, although the last one was a bit chewy like it wasn’t fresh. Everything else though was wonderfully light and zingy and i’d have happily eaten another round of them straight away.
For our mains we both had thali which i felt for a little small for a main on its own. It’s daft cheap though so i clearly didn’t order enough food.
I had a desert of a sweetened yoghurt, some thing that was like a rice pudding but made with vermicelli (according to the lovely lady who runs the place) and a semolina thing. Incredibly delicately spiced. I had an almond milk shake with it too which was mmmmmmmmmm devine.
Overall wonderful free delicate tasty spicy food, very reasonable but small portions.
I do have a pair of grievances however. firstly i ordered a diet coke and got a tiny glass for £1.50. It was clearly poured from a 2l bottle so I am rather irked by the stingyness of it. Secondly our water jug had a big chip in it, a concern at a lack of attention to detail.
That said they’re just starting up so i’m sure there’s some teething to be done, and i’ll definitely go back because plain and simple the food is good!

We had an amazing time at Bindi on Friday night, and it was easily the best vegetarian Indian food I’ve had in a long while. Their selection of dishes is truly unique and the restaurant is a very welcome addition to Edinburgh’s already colourful Indian scene. I’m already planning my next visit: D

Out and about on a Friday night and looking for some where new to try and the missus remembered about Bindi. Taking over from Anna Purna’s the owners have done a great job in giving the place a much needed face lift. On entering the restaurant we were greated by the very friendly Patricia who showed us to our table. The restaurant has a comfortable feeling about it with a cobination of clean modern décor and traditional Indian in places. We both fancied a pint so we opted for the Cobra which is the only draught available.
There is quite a range of food options available here that neither of us had sampled before, also worth noting this is a vegetarian restauarnt. We opted for the Nashto Sampler to give us a good cross over of dishes. To accompany this we also opted for Chilli cheese toast (A Bombay version of cheese on toast) and Vadhu Pau (Bombay’s version of the ‘Chip Butty’). Who could resist descriptions like that.
First up was the popadoms which were home made, as were each of the 3 dips. The corriander and what appear to be methi was a favourite. The main dishes were great with the chip buttie and the cheese on toast being my main favourites. The cheese on toast has a a bit of a punch and reminded me of bruschetta with chilli and veg. We had a chat with one of the owners and she said that the menu was based around food her and her sister like to eat but cannot find in Edinburgh.
I really enjoyed my experience here the food, service and setting were excellent.

We ate here for our first Thanksgiving in Edinburgh, and what a memorable meal it was. I’ve never come across a restaurant quite like Bindi before. The emphasis on vegetarian street food means the menu is quite different from most Indian restaurants in the UK. We started with the Bombay Chowpatty Taster, which was full of interesting things. The chaat was especially delicious. This was followed by a thali, which at £5 was probably the best quality-​for-​price main dish I’ve had in this city. The wine by the bottle was also delightfully well-​priced and drinkable. Service was friendly, welcoming, and accommodating.
If I have one little complaint, it is that my hair and clothes reeked of incense when I got home (and the next day). The smell of incense didn’t bother me in the restaurant, but I prefer not to come home with lingering odors. But incense or not, I will very much look forward to my next meal at Bindi.

This new Indian restaurant has brought someone, once again, new to the Edinburgh Indian dining scene: vegetarian Indian street food, at very affordable prices. Not to mention the lovely, relaxed restaurant itself, and the very lovely staff (with the beautiful saris and bindis!)
I came here with a larger group of Unilocalers for a delightful, delicious meal. First off, their chai mulled wine is delicous! £1.50 for a glass, it comes in a small glass, so it means if you order three it’s totally just the same as one big glass, and the same price too.
The menu is quite like a tapas offering. Lots of small dishes that can be ordered as starters, or a few together as a main. I took the special mango starter, and some chips; and the thali for main. £5 for the thali? At dinner time (not a lunchtime special)? Yes indeed!
It is all vegetarian, but I do think that Indian food is the best cuisine for vegetarian food, and you wouldn’t notice that there is no meat.
All of it was delicious. Beautifully spiced, each dish tasting distinctly different. Handmade with love. This tastes like good, home-​made Indian food like your mum would make, certainly not en masse bland creamy, red, ‘standard spice’ Indians that used to define a British Indian carry out. The lentil dish on the Thali had a lovely texture, and the nuttiness of the lentils wasn’t drowned out by spice.
They even did gluten free bread to go with the Thali for Claire and myself. That was a really nice, thoughtful touch!
I will certainly be coming back here. You can get a delicious, large feed at a very affordable price; possibly one of the best deals in the Old Town, and one of the most delicious!

5 stars and deservedly so!
Quiet but friendly staff and Bindi herself is lovely, telling us about different dishes on offer.
Food was superb! I like eating veggie anyway and don’t mind missing meat so this place is vegetarian heaven. Lots of little bites, shared platter type dishes and a thali — choice of curries with rice and chapati’s. Being gluten free I thought that I’d miss out on the chapati’s but no, myself and Jenny got GF versions which were lovely. The pumpkin curry made specially for our gang celebrating Thanksgiving was so yummy. I did order too much food — the chilli fries were lovely, as were Jenny’s casava chips. Lovely, freshly cooked onion bhajis and poppadoms — I was stuffed afterwards and felt guilty about leaving such yummy food. The attention to detail in the spice and combination of flavours was immense and blew me away — I am hoping to go back soon. I was in work the following day and recommended it to a friend (vegetarian) who went that night, loved it and is already planning a return trip this week.
Drinks reasonable — the sauvignon blanc was great value at £10 per bottle and went lovely with the food I’d ordered and a bottle at £10 is very good value as glasses are £4. I tried some of Cressi’s passionfruit juice which was gorgeous too so if you are avoiding booze then try this. Great little place, amazing food and service and such great value. Being GF, don’t let the menu fool you as some of it looks quite wheat based as it is based on street food — many dishes can be adapted to suit such is Bindi’s knowledge of dietary requirements :-)

The heady scent of incense filled the air in Bindi as the Unilocalers gathered for their vegetarian Indian Thanksgiving. The chairs were squashy and high-​backed, arranged around a quirky T-​shaped table arrangement. Among those of us seated next to the large and beautifully-​decorated plate glass window, there was a little shuffling and struggling to slip in and out, but the passing of plates and dishes to those least accessible made for a fun party game and added to the celebratory atmosphere of our gathering. Tanya L had brought hand turkeys, and Julie G, in addition to Gobbles the turkey Beanie Baby, who served as our table mascot, had brought two big boxes with her containing pumpkin pie. The staff, far from being offended that we’d brought our own dessert, were more than happy to take them into the kitchen until they were needed, and even brought out a specially-​made pumpkin curry to add to our dinner!
With two gluten-​free diners among our number, the waitresses were also quick to go and check suitable dishes with the kitchen. Clad as they were in stunning fitted dresses heavily laden with mirrors and detailed embroidery, it was a joy to see them float around the restaurant with giant smiles. It felt like they loved being there as much as we did. I had a chat with one of the waitresses about the gorgeous outfit and she confessed she had been thrilled at the opportunity to wear it when she began working there.
Looking at the prices on the menu, I assumed that all the dishes would be tiny tapas-​like things, so I ordered two from the starter-​ish part of the menu, and a side on my main, knowing full well that Julie G’s pumpkin pie was still to come for dessert. Big mistake! It’s a wonder I could drag my bulk all the way home after a bunch of little square poppodums, some of Claire L’s delicious sweet potato crispy curls, three amazing batata vada (sort of fried spicy potato patties), a grated carrot salad the name of which I can’t remember, a thali served in five silver dishes, and a royal raita of seasoned yoghurt topped with what I think was pomegranate seeds. And whenever I felt like my mouth was on fire from all of the spices (perfectly balanced to create, not disguise, flavour) I took a sip of my passion fruit juice. Yes, indeed, passion fruit juice. Why does EVERYWHERE not serve passion fruit juice? I had two glasses of that stuff. And what did my bill come to for everything I ate (apart from the sweet potato curls I snaffled off Claire and the delicious slice of Julie’s pie?) £13.50. I know, right?!
It took a bit of fiddling and faffing among us to sort out our bills individually at the counter but the staff remained helpful and cheery throughout the whole confusion, which ended the night with as much warmth and affection as with which it had begun.
They’re starting cookery classes here in January. If it’ll teach me to make food even half as good as what I had last night, I will be sorely tempted.
tl;dr version of this review: Go here.

Freshly opened where Ann Purna once was, Bindi Kitchen and Cookery School is a mighty impressive new place, showcasing vegetarian street food with a Gujarati and East African influence.
The extensive selection of dishes I tried were all excellent, with the spinach and aubergine curry the best among many wonderful items. I look forward to my next visit, later this month.
So overall, we said: «Bindi was an absolute revelation. Rarely have my socks been so comprehensively knocked off by a place. Each dish was outstandingly good, and the warm and knowledgeable service was truly joyful. I’d recommend you visit soon and you visit often, as this is a superb new addition to Edinburgh’s rich tapestry of restaurant excellence.»