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Curry
House Will Dish Up Famous Fare In Tasteful New Home |
(from
The Scotsman)
A striking
building in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town is to become the new
home for Scotland's oldest curry house.
Khushi's is to
open this summer in the Byzantium building, on Victoria Street, which
has been lying empty for more than five years.
The restaurant
was opened by Khushi and Hanida Mohammed in Edinburgh in 1947 on
Lothian Street, at Bristo Square.
Khushi's,
which is famed for its brand of home-cooked traditional Indian fare,
moved to Candlemaker Row in 1972, but stayed just a few years before
relocating to Drummond Street, round the corner from the Festival Theatre.
It relocated
to Potterrow, near the mosque, several years ago, while building work
was carried out in Drummond Street, but never returned.
A spokesman
for Khushi's said: "The original Khushi's set its own standards
when it originally opened in 1947.
"Of
course, we have moved with the times and now have a loyal clientele
who have long recognised the difference between traditional and
mainstream Indian food.
"We
believe our menu is unique in many respects, our cooking methods are
exclusive to us and our reputation exceeds that of any other Indian
restaurant in central Scotland."
Around
£150,000 is being spent refurbishing the Byzantium building
before Khushi's opens in mid-July, when it will boast around 200
covers, compared with 120 in the current restaurant.
In the
mid-1980s the former church, which has also been a pharmacist's
warehouse and a bookmakers, was transformed into a bohemian market
and restaurant complex.
However, the
building closed shortly after a health scare when a pigeon was found
in a nest underneath a worktop. Restaurant owner Gopal Chaudry was
banned from working in the food trade anywhere in the UK after a
probe by the city's environmental health department.
Four years ago
the building was linked to a bid by Glasgow entrepreneur Colin Barr
to create an Eastern European beer emporium, although the plans were
resisted by local businesses and community leaders. The building is
sandwiched between the Irish theme bar Finnegan's Wake and the
popular live music venue and nightclub, the Liquid Room.
One Khushi's
tradition that will be stay intact is the restaurant's BYOB policy,
because it has never had a licence to sell alcohol.
Altaf
Mohammed, one of the directors of the family firm running Khushi's,
said: "We've had our eye on this building for quite some time
and are quite delighted to be relocating there.
"The
Byzantium building was obviously very popular when it hosted a market
and restaurant before, and we're carrying out a very exciting
refurbishment. We hope people who visited before will be very
impressed by what we've done.
"Victoria
Street is obviously historic, with a real mix of shops and
restaurants here already and we're very much hoping to add to what is here."
Jos
Bastiensen, head of the Grassmarket Area Traders' Association, said:
"Although I've never eaten in Khushi's, Pakistani friends of
mine go there regularly and rate it very highly.
"I do
think it will help rather than hinder Victoria Street. We are a bit
anxious about the night-time activity there but I can't see this
business causing any kind of additional problems."
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