Doner Kebab, Pizza Paradise (George IV Bridge), Edinburgh

Offering: Doner Kebab

Establishment: Pizza Paradise, Edinburgh (George IV Bridge)

Date and time: 24th January 2017, 16:23

Price: £4.90 (Concessions)

Seating: Over 15 seats

For quite a considerable time, in 2013 I would visit Pizza Paradise during my then 20 minute lunch break for a nice slice of the their delicious pizza. It was a rich affair, 6 days a week I would wire into this £1.90 lunch time treat, and if the mood was fitting I would order doubles. After some time I felt I could no longer carry on such an unhealthy obsession and by then my work circumstances had changed and suddenly I was treated like a normal human being with an hour long lunch slot. I do still go into this fine establishment but often for their reasonably priced burger and chips, and just as a treat.

In those dark days, the bespectacled football obsessed chap running the show would only serve pizza, burgers, pakoras and a few other casual treats - it wasn't until 2015 that these guys bought the real nutrition to the game. That's right, they only started to serve the rotating feast a few years ago and it resulted in the house prices in the area sky-rocketing. Grown men were bought to tears, they divorced their spouses for they had witnessed one of the greatest moments in Pizza Paradise history!

Much esteemed city mayor, Donald Wilson was the first person to tuck into Pizza Paradises pleasurable slithers of lamb in 2015.

It would be 2017 when I would get round to enjoying one of their doner offerings and may I say, it was an experience worth undertaking. When I go for a doner, one of the main attractions is usually a feisty, spicy and not overly sweet chilli sauce. There was none of that on offer today. In fact, the doner served was seriously lacking in spice. If you get upset by doner kebabs not having a hot chilli sauce then Edinburgh, let alone Pizza Paradise is not the place for you. If you can however deal with a seriously mild and creamy kebab - almost as if it was tailored to Polish tastes, the Pizza Paradise wrap (they don't do pita breads) is going to be an enjoyable practise. The creaminess of this doner is probably it's biggest characteristic so I would advise that if that's something you're not into - it's well within your right to withhold the garlic sauce. Be warned though, you might not be in for the most flavoursome orgy.

It is a small offering though it's not particularly expensive if you work nearby you can ask for a concession. At £5.50, I would be slightly disappointed but at £4.90 (the price I paid), it is an economical choice. The size would be complimented with the choice of some chips on the side, this would definitely give this kebab a higher mark - unfortunately, they would only offer an entire portion of chips and charge you full price for that portion which to me seems a bit greedy for all involved parties.

There was a salad surprise in this kebab - a sliced gherkin! This is the first time I've had a gherkin in a doner and it adds a certain revered crisp not normally associated with the doner salad family. Normally, a pickled chilli would be considered a standard accompaniment and it would be devoured with passion however the gherkin added a slightly contradictory associate. Some may find it the true fore bearer to the pickled chilli pepper but I think the gherkin would have worked better in a spicy kebab and not one so mild. It was however still a pleasing and rare addition and I'm glad that there are establishments thinking outside the box, albeit ever so slightly.

This kebab is slightly smaller that the offering in Zenobia. It is also quite comparable in quality, from the bread to the meat. The meat tasted almost identical to Zenobia, save for the savoury cheese style seasoning. This kebab never had the oily green chilli sauce that's a main feature to the Zenobia offering either. The bread on this kebab was really nice and soft though - it was toasted but it didn't contain the crisp associated with the khobz wrap bread.

If you go into Pizza Paradise often enough, the staff do remember you and this is always a great indication of service.

When it comes down to it though, the doner in Pizza Paradise is not the finest offerings in Edinburgh. It's maybe just a bit too small for most people to be fully satisfied. It is a tasty dish though but it's underwhelming chilli might cause a riot one day.

Verdict: 6/10

 

*Please note, this Pizza Paradise is not the same as the eatery on South Bridge, that Pizza Paradise doesn't serve the quality of the GIVB establishment and, in my opinion isn't really worth visiting.