Whether it’s a late-night, cheap-as-chips job whilst wandering the streets in an inebriated stupor, or you’re looking for an authentic artisan experience, everyone loves a curry. King’s Balti clearly pitches itself as the latter, and as the oldest Balti house in Scotland, it has a reputation to live up to.

There are many positive things to say about the food, but more of that later. The dining experience was somewhat out of the ordinary. Having been greeted at the door by the very welcoming restaurant owner, we were herded towards an almost pre-destined table for our meal. Regrettably, however, it seemed that my accomplices and I had been mistaken for marketing consultants of one kind or another. We proceeded to receive a deferential grilling about marketing strategies from a delightful man named Ibrahim, who decided to accompany us throughout our meal. The restaurant appeared very empty; suspiciously empty in fact, as we, along with the owner and a friend, were the only clientele. This was either very concerning or artificially orchestrated - either way, it made it rather difficult to judge the ambience or quality of service of this outfit at capacity.

Onto the food, which was of a very high quality. The starter was extremely satisfying; crispy poppadums were accompanied an exquisite in-house lime pickle, and my vegetable samosas arrived with a deliciously sweet coconut based sauce. They were accompanied by a slightly depressing limp lettuce salad, of the sort that come in a Styrofoam cup with cheap takeaways, but a taste of a fellow diner’s onion bhajis was a reminder that these were home-made starter dishes not to be sniffed at.

My main course of vegetable byriani was very well presented; lots of interesting vegetables buried deeply in a tranche of pilau rice, accompanied by a sauce with an unusually aromatic tomato accent. Sampling my accomplice’s Tikka Masala sauce confirmed that this British delicacy was also as tasty as it looked – thick with the taste of almond and coriander. This seems an appropriate moment to mention the service, which was well-managed and unfailingly courteous. My fellow diner dropped his fork, and within seconds another appeared discreetly in its place; again, however, it is impossible to know whether such standards would hold up with a room full of diners.

As the owner lamented, times are hard, and competition is stiff on the Edinburgh restaurant circuit, with many businesses offering students curry at dirt cheap prices. The food at the King’s Balti certainly stands out from the crowd, so if it’s a high-quality meal you’re looking for, this is a place worth considering. The restaurant’s management are looking to change focus in the future to capture more of the student market, and if they can offer such high quality food at reasonable student prices, they’ll be onto a winner. It would be a real shame, however, if the current quality were sacrificed for quantity.