Review: Tuk Tuk, Leven Street, Edinburgh

A RECENT TWITTER chat between myself and fellow blogger Blythe (lunchquest.co.uk) identified the need to establish a new go-to Indian restaurant following the unfortunate closure of our favourite haunt Rivage last year. I had dined at Tuk Tuk before, although never turned my experience into blog copy.  Indian food is a regular thing in my life and filling that void would be difficult.

This contemporary restaurant on Leven Street sits opposite the King’s Theatre and offers a range of Indian street-food dishes alongside the usual array of sides you’d expect.  There are several decent gastropubs and reasonably priced places to dine around here so competition to woo theatregoers and the large student population in the area is rife. Tuk Tuk opened its doors in 2012 and expanded into Glasgow last year – a sign that they are doing something right.

Today we would focus on their set lunch menu which consists of one starter, two roadside curries, and a choice of naan or rice for the sum of £12.  Our server had suggested

this offering was ideal for sharing; this proved pretty good value for money, especially given the BYOB policy in operation here.

After munching on some poppadoms and a decent tray of chutneys (lime pickle, mango chutney, spicy onions, and a tomato/tamarind chutney) our order swiftly arrived in a tiffin box.  It provided a touch of appropriate theatre as we dished out the contents of each compartment, taking in the aromas of meat, spice, and nutty rice.

Sarah and I went for the chicken lollipops from the starter section and they were delicious.  The batter was crisp and mildly spiced, while the chicken was juicy and tender.  The tasty dip brought sweet and sourness that excited the palate.

For the main, Sarah opted for the Bombay chilli chicken while I ordered the railway station lamb curry.  The chicken boasted some well-balanced spices and a tasty whack of garlic synonymous with this type of dish. The chicken was moist and thoroughly enjoyable.

In the past, I’ve had some horrendous Indian lamb dishes. There’s nothing worse than meat that’s as tough as old boots.  Done right, lamb is a sheer triumph and really takes spice well – Rivage always executed their lamb to perfection. This railway lamb was cooked on the bone and brimming with spinach in a saag-style dish that was a real triumph.  The meat was so tender it required minimal chewing and tasted divine.  It was one of those curries you eat and think it could be a bit spicier, then get halfway through and are breaking out in a sweat.  They’re always the best for me. While the rice gave off an appealing aroma of clove and cardamom and was accurately cooked it was unfortunate to find it was lacking in the temperature department.  We added a garlic naan on the side (£2.30) and found it light and fluffy with a suitable hint of garlic.

Taking the BYOB policy into account, you could lunch at Tuk Tuk for under a tenner, and that represents superb value for money.  Their tasty Indian street food demonstrated an intelligent level of spice that can be hard to execute and the standard of cooking was commendable.  Would it fill the gap left by Rivage? That remains to be seen ….

Web: tuktukonline.com/
Menu:tuktukonline.com/menu-food/
Phone: (0131) 228 3322
Twitter: @TukTukStreetUK
Address: 1 Leven Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9LH

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 12-10:30pm
                          Fri-Sat 12-10:45pm
                          Sun 12-10:30pm

Lunch menu served 12-4