Curry house spices up menu with 'upmarket' restaurant

THE oldest curry house in Scotland is to expand to Leith – but admitted its fire-hit city centre restaurant will not reopen until summer 2011.

Khushi's has announced plans to open an "upmarket" Indian restaurant in Dock Place.

It is recruiting chefs from a series of Michelin restaurants to get involved in the new venture, to open in the former Sirius bar before this August.

But it also confirmed that the iconic Victoria Street Khushi's will remain closed for up to another 18 months, with work on a six-eight month revamp unlikely to begin before the end of the summer.

The new restaurant is to be a radical move away from the traditional Indian food in the former Victoria Street restaurant and at a newer outlet in Dunfermline.

Islam Mohammed, a partner in Khushi's, said: "It is a good area and it has a good name with other well-known restaurants.

"We thought that we would try something a bit different from the usual run-of-the-mill Indian restaurant and, because it is near the Shore, we thought we could try more fish dishes and a new concept with staff from Michelin star restaurants bringing new ideas and concepts in Indian food.

"It won't be the Khushi's that people know. We have always had our restaurants in the Southside so it will be exciting to get down to Leith and we hope it will become a restaurant that you don't just pass by but more of a destination restaurant."

The firm, which opened its first eatery near Bristo Square in 1947, is currently preparing to open a restaurant in Stirling before turning its sights on renovating the Leith restaurant in time for an August opening.

As with its other restaurants, the new Leith restaurant, next to the former Old Dock Bar, will not be licensed but customers will be able to bring their own bottle.

The expansion comes despite Mr Mohammed admitting that his family have been badly hit in the pocket by the Victoria Street fire, which decimated the old Byzantium building in December 2008.

"It has been a stressful year not just for us but Finnegan's Wake and Liquid Room too," he said.

"It's onwards and upwards now. It was a thriving business so that's not the kind that if you lose you don't notice. Fortunately we have had support from the banks."

Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city's economic development leader, said: "I think everybody would want to see us build on the good selection of restaurants already in the Leith area."