Asian restaurant Voujon has been serving up aromatic Bangladeshi and North Indian specialties to discerning southside customers for the last 20 years but despite its “High Street” prominence -located on the main Newington Road – it may have escaped the attention of a wider audience.
The place was buzzing on a Thursday evening and despite a fairly earlyish table at 7pm I was surprised at how busy it seemed. Family friendly for sure – I counted about eight youngsters aged under 10 at various tables tucking in like seasoned curry veterans alongside parents.
Voujon is bright and modern in its décor and welcoming too with a friendly front-of-house team, so no surprise that service was slick, and in no time we had a couple of bottles of Cobra in front of us to help navigate the menu.
Eight vegetarian starters were atop the menu but my friend’s brief flirtation with non-meat-eating ended some time ago – he was really only playing at it – and so he plumped for a not insubstantial Chicken Tikka Stir Fry while I had King Prawn Pathia with Puri – king prawns in a tomato-based sauce with coriander, presented on a bed of puffed fried bread and salad.
For my dining pal this was a step up from his usual fare – he is something of a kebab expert and possesses intimate knowledge of every kebab shop located enroute from the city centre to Marchmont – and his stir fry passed the taste test.
“Tender and well-marinated chicken and juicy chunks of green pepper, both of which had seared stripes that added an excellent, smokey layer of flavour. Served with tasty, plump mushrooms, sweet, cubed onion and a handful of peas that added a surprising burst of sweetness,” he reported.
My main course ticked the right boxes – Katmandu Chicken Delicacy – which was chicken tikka kebabs with spring onions, cinnamon, coriander, lentil and fresh herbs and spices, while the “expert” opted for a Voujon Special – Chicken Jalfrezi.
By now he was in full Jay Rayner mode, spraffing: “A spray of green finger chillis delivered a fiery kick that made sure this had the heat you expect from a jalfrezi – but not overpowering. Too often, hotter curries are an assault on the tongue with flavour sacrificed for a macho spice challenge. This jalfrezi was elegantly spiced, with the coriander and ginger coming through and the chicken beautifully tender and flavoursome.”
Both dishes were mopped up with generous helpings of Sada Rice (boiled basmati) which was perfectly cooked, fluffy and nicely separated grains and a saffron Pilau Rice, alongside a plain nan bread which was on point and perfect for soaking up sauce without compromising the flavour.
The menu is fulsome without being overwhelming – Kurma, Rhogan Josh and Bhuna vying for attention under a Voujon Classics banner, with Jaipuri, Murgha and Passanda dishes listed as Voujon Specials, while a selection of Fish and Seafood dishes sat alongside a listing of kebabs and non curry dishes.
We skipped dessert but perhaps the proof of the pudding as to Voujon’s popularity and standing in the local community was demonstrated at the table of eight sat over from us, which included a successful business leader, who told us she has eaten here once a week, every week, for the last 15 years.
Voujon, 107 Newington Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1QW.
Telephone: 0131 667 5046
www.voujonedinburgh.com
Stephen Rafferty is a former crime correspondent at The Scotsman and was a staff reporter for the Daily Record and Edinburgh Evening News. He has freelanced for many of the Scottish and UK national newspaper titles. Got a story? Get in touch - stephen@theedinburghreporter.co.uk
