Britannia Spice burst onto the Edinburgh dining scene in 1999, and went on to wow the capital city. Founded as the new millennium dawned, the restaurant has won widespread praise for its exotic multi-ethnic cuisine, bagging accolades such as a Les Routiers 'Best Newcomer' and the coveted 'Best in Scotland' at the Best in Britain Awards. The restaurant has also been named 'Restaurant of the Year' in the Irn Bru Curry Awards, and held the 'Best in Scotland' title in the greatly esteemed British Curry Awards for three years running.

The restaurant was converted from a bonded whisky warehouse at the entrance to the former Leith docks, in the heart of the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the previously derelict dock area. This area is now a thriving district within Edinburgh, and many have followed Britannia Spice's lead, opening restaurants down on the shore - thus creating a vibrant and eclectic district boasting a myriad of bars and restaurants.

The spacious and airy restaurant is reminiscent of a ship's interior, and everywhere you look naval memorabilia hangs from the ceiling and walls. Unusual decor for an Indian restaurant, perhaps - but this is no ordinary curry house. Arshad Alam, a Paris-based interior designer, was commissioned to design the interior of the restaurant, and has captured perfectly the nautical history of the site. The interior may be a little unexpected at first, but it has been thoughtfully executed and successfully hints at what is to come in terms of cuisine. With a history of voyage and discovery, the building plunges diners into a world of new culinary experiences - this is one restaurant where it pays to expect the unexpected.

With such distinctly different cuisines served at this restaurant - North Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Thai - the menu is varied and tantalising. Erring on the side of caution, we were delighted to be presented with a wide selection of tangy sauces alongside a stack of crispy poppadoms. Seconds later our onion bhajees arrived, dressed beautifully with salad and a lemon wedge in a shiny silver squeezer. Biting through the crunchy shell revealed a melt-in-the-mouth taste sensation, the zingy lemon bringing out some really exquisite flavours.

Britannia Spice prides itself on serving a variety of healthy Asian cuisine. Amer murgh, a Bangladeshi dish consisting of chicken cooked in mango pulp, cream and spices, is a speciality, the freshness of the dish dazzling guests. The hotter shatkora gosht was packed with the rind of a special Bangladeshi fruit, with Bengal chillies adding a pleasing kick - delicious. It doesn't take a genius to see why this restaurant is a favourite among local celebrities and politicians. In fact, every dish served at Britannia Spice is testament to the skill of their chefs - after all, how else did they win all those awards?