Since 2005, Voujon has been serving Indian and Bengali food in the Newington area of Edinburgh.
Here at Lothian Life, we’ve reviewed – very favourably – the restaurant twice over the last few years, so this time, we took the opportunity to try out the takeaway menu.
Since the onset of lockdown the rise of delivery service has grown exponentially – but the fab-food promises on slick websites can sometimes be a bit of let-down. We can forgive the less-than-pretty foil containers (they keep the food warm, after all) and we might not serve it as beautifully as the restaurant does, but it’s all about the taste.
Voujon (translated to ‘invitation to dine’) definitely delivers in all the important ways. We left the choice of menu up to the chef, and the restaurant carefully checked the general spice level with which we were comfortable. The food arrived at the perfect temperature to eat – and it was delicious and plentiful.
As well as poppadoms and salad, the starters were a double portion of mixed kebabs: chicken, lamb, fish. These were standard fare, nicely done, and soon disappeared. The accompanying sauce was an unexpected highlight: vibrant yellow, possibly, we thought, mango-based and a great alternative to the usual tomato-chilli or yoghurt relishes. There were also two small onion bhajis – and these were fought over! Unanimously ‘the best we’ve ever had’.
The main courses, two of the Voujon special dishes – served with fragrant, tasty pilau rice and a simple naan – were Lahori Lamb Curry (fried onion, fennel, methi) and Chicken Khatta Tarkary (garlic, herbs and tomatoes), plus a generous side of mixed vegetables. All moderately spiced – enough heat to be satisfying but not so much so that the flavours were overshadowed – these three dishes were distinctly flavourful and very well cooked. The meats were tender, and the vegetables firm and individually identifiable! The lamb was universally agreed as the most memorable.
These were not the choices I’d have made – which is one of the joys of having someone else make that decision – but they were excellent. And looking through the Voujon menus, the quality means I’d be very keen next time to sample the salmon dishes and some of the vegetarian main dishes.
I’ve said the portions were generous, and whilst sent to serve two diners, three of us, serendipitously, ending up eating. We all ate plenty and nobody had a negative word to say. Without doubt, Voujon’s takeaway menu is on par with its restaurant fare, and we’d all happily eat both any day of the week.
Voujon, 106 Newington Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1QW, Tel: 0131 667 5046
Voujon delivers direct from the restaurant, not via any of the third-party delivery services, so get in touch to check availability in your postcode area.