Tantra in Edinburgh is far and away the oddest restaurant I’ve been to this year. In fact, perhaps my entire restaurant career can now be divided into a time before Tantra, when life felt simple, and a time after, when all other dining experiences are merely pedestrian. Tantra describes itself as “elevated” Indian cuisine, and the front of the building has the word “PROGRESSIVE” emblazoned across it, maybe as a warning to hang on to your pants, because these guys really mean business.
It’s not an eatery or street-food joint; rather, it is “a streetery”. It’s also a cocktail bar that serves the likes of a Queen of the Dragon, brimming with Midori, Cointreau, prosecco and something called “perfume myst” that comes with a lime-flavoured replica dragon’s tail poking out of a cloud of dry ice. Tantra loves dry ice, and it never knowingly misses an opportunity to open a cloche and waft some of the stuff your way, leaving you in a mysterious fog and resembling a Hanna-Barbera villain. The Peacock Pistachio, meanwhile, turns up on a glass tripod and is garnished with “mamam” jelly and faux peacock feathers. Those are two of the more casual, everyday cocktails.
