Description: Khushi's has a long tradition of serving outstanding Indian cuisine having been established in Edinburgh in 1947. When the new restaurant opened in Dunfermline earlier this year, I was keen to visit so on my birthday me and my sister treated ourselves to lunch there, keen to find out if Khushi's really did equal happiness as the menu proudly proclaimed.

We were greeted by a waiter and shown to our seats. Dining is on three levels but during lunchtime only the ground floor is used. I was impressed by the décor, the wooden floors, whitewashed stone walls and leather seating provided a stylish and modern backdrop to our meal. The restaurant is next door to Lourenzos nightclub and is separated only by a thin sliding door. On the day we visited there was an Old Firm game playing in the bar and the noise was deafening. We asked to be reseated but all the other tables were full. We did eventually get used to the noise competing with the crackly Indian music playing from the speakers but it did somewhat spoil our experience.

We ordered a chicken pakora between us for a starter. Instead of the typical bright red dish we were accustomed to, we were greeted by four long thin strips of chicken in a crispy pale brown batter accompanied by a bowl of chilli sauce. We devoured these deliciously spicy and moist morsels dipping them into the chilli sauce. The chilli sauce was also different from any we had tasted before. It was devilishly hot and had loads of deliciously crunchy chilli seeds inside it proving its freshness. I washed my pakora down with a luscious icy cold and thick mango lassi which was freshly made.


We ordered main courses from the special lunchtime menu which gives you a main course and a drink for £5.95. I ordered king prawn karahi and my sister chicken tikka masala. My prawn dish was delicious, huge succulent prawns in a delicately spiced sauce with deep fried curry leafs sprinkled over the top. I felt a little let down by the deep fried flat bread accompanying which tasted a little bland. My sister declared her curry to be the best she had ever tasted, and she has tasted several in her time! The portions were small yet enough to satisfy our appetites but some may find them disappointing.

Despite our bellies now being at bursting point, we simply couldn't resist ordering Indian sweets and coffee. I chose the rasmalai, cottage cheese dumplings poached in condensed milk and garnished with pistachios. These were like nothing I had ever tasted before but were delicious as were my sisters gulab jamun, fried khoya dumplings stuffed with pistachios and saffron and dipped in hot honey. The coffee was weak but drinkable.


The food overall was outstanding, far better than any other Indian food I have tasted before. I am going to mark the restaurant down for the poor ambience due to the proximity to Lourenzos and make sure any future visits don't coincide with major football games. The service was perfectly adequate even though the waiters were also peering through the cracks in the door to try and watch the football during our time there.

The bill came to just under £30 for lunch for two, more than we would normally pay but worth it for a treat. We will definitely eat there again in the future. The strength of the restaurant comes from its well though out and diverse menu which includes a range of vegetarian dishes, drinks and puddings unrivalled by other eateries.


Overall
Food=10/10
Service=6/10
Ambience=3/10

Special deal at lunchtime means it cost £5.95 for a main course and drink and £3.95 for an Indian sweet and coffee. Expect to pay around £10 for a main course in the evening.

For more info visit the website at www.khushis.com Close