Tandoori Murgh

One of the most famous Indian dishes – with origins from the Punjab in the north of India. Beautiful chicken marinaded in yoghurt and spices until it takes on both a fantastic flavour and a rich red colouring is barbecued in the heat of the tandoor. This succulent tasting meat is one of the real treats of an Indian meal – and wrapped in a naan bread is impossible to beat!

King Prawn Lababdar

In northern India, a Lababdar is considered a great delicacy – whether you are enjoying vegetables, paneer or a range of meats. Here at Britannia spice we are taking this great tradition and adding our own subtle changes to wow our customers. The basis of this dish is a flavoursome gravy of tomatoes with a range of herbs and spices. For our version – we insist on the meatiest king prawns and simmer these in a lovely fresh tomato sauce (with a few other special flavours to delight your taste buds). Perfect served with freshly cooked rice – yum.

This month’s menu is a chicken feast – and we’ve gone with a dish from the main menu for a starter – just ask your waiter.

Starter – Badami Murgh Tikka

For starters – Badami Murgh Tikka – named after a beautiful district of India is chicken marinated with yoghurt, the smooth taste of almond as well as a selection of spices before being cooked to perfection in the tandoor. A beautiful rich flavour to start any meal.

Main Course – Ginger Murgh

For your main course, we recommend the Ginger Murgh with a side dish of Aloo Gobi, some lemon rice and a garlic naan.

Beautiful citrusy basmati rice, lovely buttery garlicky fluffy naan and the classic potato and cauliflower dish of aloo gobi are the perfect accompaniment to the Ginger Murgh. The Murgh is choice cuts of tender chicken marinades and cooked in the tandoor. It is wrapped in a spicy gingery sauce giving it a lovely warm flavour and garnished with the sharpness of fresh coriander.

All in all a perfect menu – and a meal that we are confident that you will enjoy.

We’d like to let you know all about an exciting new monthly event here at the Britannia Spice Restaurant.

On Tuesday 7th September 2010, our first Chef’s Selection Night is going to take place.  From 5:30-7:30pm our skilled head head chef, Babal Yal Ladav, will be cooking a fantastic range of special dishes that aren’t usually available on the menu.

Although we’re sworn to secrecy and can’t tell you what he’ll be making, the dishes will be displayed in advance of the event to whet your appetite!

To make the evening extra special our chef will be creating the dishes in full view of your table – so you will be able to see a master at work – and then sample the food he creates!

We promise you an evening like no other – with a 2 course meal of the most delectable Indian food you could wish for – as well as the opportunity to learn new tricks for cooking at home.

Tables are disappearing quick – and at £19.95 per person – it’s not surprising – so give us a call on 0131 555 2255 and book a seat next to the action.

You may ask why we’re telling you this – and the reason is as follows. Britannia Spice offer a range of gift vouchers for you to buy as a gift – and we guarantee that if you do – they will have a fantastic evening.

So – whether it is for a Birthday, thank you – or whatever – give them a Britannia gift voucher. Either ask a member of staff when you come to see us – or give us a call on 0131 555 2255!

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I have been busy with the restaurant, while also concentrating on my charity work, international work and my biography. And my son got married recently. It’s been a very busy time indeed!

What have you got planned in the restaurant this year?

We’ve got a really busy year in the restaurant in 2010. We are celebrating our 10th anniversary and we’re determined that it will go with a bang! We have an event planned for every month of the year, and we’ll be offering some VIP tickets to our loyal customers for some of the events. We are celebrating everything from Bangla New Year to the Beltane Fire Festival, so there’s going to be some really great nights throughout the year.

How have you found business has changed during the ten years Britannia Spice has been open?

Myself and my good friend and partner Ranil Saparamadu launched this restaurant when there were very few down in Leith. We took over what had been a derelict bonded whisky warehouse and turned it into the restaurant it is today. At the time, we were extremely ambitious with our launch, hiring an interior designer from Paris to create our vision in the interiors and ensuring we had the very best chefs available.

To be honest, on that side of things, very little has changed. We’ve kept the interiors fresh and the food tasty, just as our customers deserve. Of course, we have experienced the recession like all other businesses, but we have always strived to keep our prices low and our customers appreciate that. We have been lucky enough to win many awards over the ten years we have been in business and we are pleased to be still receiving these – we try to keep our standards at the highest and our awards and our happy customers tell us that, hopefully, we’re still managing! Our food is always fresh and prepared with skill – that’s all people want from us!

One way I have found the business has really changed is that we can use the internet and modern technology to reach our customers. We are now bookable online and we also have pages on Facebook and Twitter. We can also, of course, use the website to talk directly to our customers and we intend to make the most of that this year, offering discounts and VIP packages online and on our social networking pages. We certainly couldn’t have imagined that 10 years ago!

You are well-known around Scotland for the charity work you do – do you have anything planned for this year?

Britannia Spice is spearheading quite a big charity campaign this year. To tie in with our tenth anniversary, we have teamed up with the international charity, Concern Worldwide to launch an appeal to help street dwellers in Bangladesh. As the population of Dhaka continues to swell, the problem of street dwellers in the capital continues to get worse every year. We will work with 50 other restaurants and we will all be asking for just £1 from each diner. It’s not a lot but this appeal will allow Concern Worldwide to carry on with the fantastic work they already do in Bangladesh. Just one pound can go some way to building safe and secure shelter for people who currently live in horrendous circumstances. We have a responsibility to do all we can to help people who cannot help themselves and I am proud to say that Britannia Spice is at the very forefront of this campaign. It has been a lot of hard work organising the participating restaurants with Concern, but a lot of the owners are personal friends. Hopefully together we will be able to change the situation in Dhaka – so many people live on the streets with no shelter or access to medical care.

Check back on the website for updates from Dr Wali Uddin throughout the year.

Local restaurateur and business-man, Dr Wali Uddin MBE, is urging fellow restaurateurs to back the appeal to raise money for the pavement dwellers of Bangladesh.

50 restaurants across the UK are expected to sign up to take part in the scheme. Britannia Spice and the other restaurants will ask diners to donate £1 to the appeal, launched by international development charity Concern Worldwide.

The plight of the pavement dwellers of Dhaka was exposed in a recent magazine story in the Saturday Herald. Award winning journalist, Lucy Adams told the story of 50, 000 men, women and children living on the pavements of the Bangladesh capital. Most have fled floods and cyclones elsewhere in the country.

Unicef, the United Nations Children’s Fund, believes 400 women and children become victims of human trafficking in Bangladesh each month. Some of these people are sold in the UK. Concern is striving to build shelters to provide families with a secure place to sleep and keep safe at night.

Wali Uddin, who has raised millions of pounds for charities in both his homeland and the UK, said he was proud to be instrumental in helping organise the event. “As the population of Dhaka continues to swell, the problem of street dwellers in the capital continues to get worse every year,” said the eminent business-man who was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to race relations. “This appeal will allow Concern Worldwide to carry on with the fantastic work they already do in Bangladesh. Just one pound can go some way to building safe and secure shelter for people who currently live in horrendous circumstances. We have a responsibility to do all we can to help people who cannot help themselves.”

High resolution photography can be supplied. Please direct all enquiries to Leah Parker – Mobile 07871 052178 or Email ldparker@hotmail.com

Notes for Editors on Britannia Spice

• Britannia Spice opened 1999, the brainchild of Dr Wali Uddin and Ranil Saparamadu.
• The restaurant was converted from a whisky bond at the entrance to the former Leith docks, at the heart of the multi-million pound redevelopment of the previously derelict dock area.
• Paris-based interior designer Arshad Alam was commissioned to produce a design for the restaurant. Mr Alam’s design has attracted universal acclaim – it reflects the nautical heritage of the site and the ambience of the finest ships of the line that sailed to the mysterious east.
• Britannia Spice has won many awards: Les Routiers Best Newcomer (2001); Best in Scotland at the British Curry Awards for three consecutive years (2005, 2006, 2007); BIBA award (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007); Sunday Times Travel Magazine: Best Indian Restaurant in Scotland (2001) and 2008 Restaurant of the Year in the Irn Bru Curry Awards. This year Britannia Spice is the 2010 Bangladesh Caterers Association Restaurant of the Year. More details on request.
• Britannia Spice has been visited by both Alex Salmond and Lord Provost, amongst other venerable guests (high-res pictures available).

Notes for Editors on Dr Wali Uddin MBE

• Appointed Justice of the Peace (first Bangladeshi in Scotland to be given such an honour).
• Voted Young Scot of the year by The Junior Chamber.
• First Honorary Consul-General of Bangladesh in Scotland.
• Made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to race relations.
• Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lloyds TSB Asian Jewel Awards.
• Founding director of the acclaimed Edinburgh Mela.
• Chairman of the Bangladesh British Chamber of Commerce.
• Named as one of the Asian Power 100 in 2005.

Our friendly waiters are on hand to ensure your Mother’s Day celebration is the perfect indulgence for your mum – we have a few culinary surprises up our sleeve and can organise any special treats you should wish for. There’s a reason we’ve won every industry award going!

Our delicious three course Mother’s Day lunch menu costs only £14.95 and our popular three course Mother’s Day dinner menu is £18.95. So why not treat all the family to an award-winning meal they won’t forget – spice up Mother’s Day with Britannia Spice.

PS… For more exclusive offers and discounts, become a Facebook fan of Britannia Spice and follow Britannia Spice on Twitter.

HIMALAYA RUI KHUMBI

Spicy trout served with fried mushrooms, tomatoes, green chillies and fresh herbs, accompanied with a mild sauce.

THAI SESAME CHICKEN

Tender pieces of chicken fried until golden brown with Chef’s Special spices, capsicums, carrots, sesame oil, soy sauce and garnished with sesame seeds and coriander leaves.

ALOO BONDA

A typical South Indian snack served as a starter. Potato filling mixed with spices, curry leaves and mustard seeds dipped in gram flour and deep fried. Served with salad and red sauce.

LAMB HARA PIAZ

Tender pieces of diced lamb, fresh ginger and spring onions sauted with a mixture of specially selected mild spices on a  slow fire and garnished with fried green chilies.

BADAMI MURGH TIKKA

Tender pieces of chicken marinated in almond, yogurt, Chef’s selection of spices and cooked in Tandoor Oven.

Watch this space for details or contact us to ensure you’re guaranteed a ticket to the event of the year!