Alex Asacker is a freelancer living in Toronto's West End. 
Zest
With chicken tikka marsala named “Britain’s True National Dish” it is difficult to ignore the importance of Indian food in the UK. Soon after arriving in Edinburgh Paul and I checked out Zest, a restaurant serving contemporary Indian cuisine on North St. Andrew’s Street. We enjoyed it thoroughly and recently returned with our friend Nick.
We had about forty-five minutes until the doors opened at The Stand comedy club and were looking for a place to grab a quick bite to eat. Unable to order food on a Sunday night at the nearby bars I cheekily suggested Zest. To our surprise and delight our waiter informed us that we could order main courses in time and seated us quickly.
The decor is modern and feels smart and clean. The lighting is fairly bright but the restaurant is small enough to still feel intimate. The previous time we’d gone Paul and I enjoyed what felt like a private table set in the big windows at the front.
Paul ordered his usual chicken korma while Nick opted for a lamb dish cooked with spinach (I can’t remember the name for this one). Having forgotten my lactaid pills I passed the korma by and tried the jaipur chicken. And of course we had poppadoms to start and naan bread and pilau rice to accompany our meals. Nick and Paul each had a large bottle of Cobra beer.
As promised our food arrived incredibly quickly. Paul enjoyed the creamy korma, which I longed to try again. Though I don’t usually order lamb I liked Nick’s dish, and am a big fan of spinach in general. My jaipur chicken was delicious and I was so glad that my forgetfulness allowed me to try something new. The onion and pepper were flavourful and along with the red sauce made the dish colourful. I loved the cilantro and found the spices satisfying and not overpowering. Paul liked my meal so much that he is planning to order it next time. As usual the thick, light naan bread made the meal for me.
For the three of us, with the two Cobras, the bill came to about £50.00. We were all quite pleased with the meal and impressed with the quality and speed of the service.
