Offering: Doner Kebab
Establishment: Moratti, Edinburgh
Date and time: 23rd September 2018, 01:55
Price: £4.80
Seating: 2 basic tables 2 or 3 chairs and a side table with no chairs.
In this ultra competitive doner environment, one can easily overlook establishments of great repute. This might occur when an inn is so understated and in such a location that when passing, you are busy to-ing and fro-ing God knows where. Oftentimes, such an establishment has the most inconvenient opening hours that its easy to think that the place in question has long gone out of business as its rarely a thought or considered a viable option. Such a place exists in the Cowgate. Its called Moratti.
Owned and operated by Arabs* (like most don zones!), Moratti has been an understated champion for at least thirteen or so years but likely many more. I first visited Moratti in around 2005 and I remember ordering a pizza; the delightful crust and the right amount of grease to give the experience that full fat flavour.
Other reasons this place barely features on anyone's radar is also because it appears to be a two-man operation; they don't do deliveries. Its also situated exactly where the Cowgate stops getting much footfall. You know the place. It's where the new buildings start. You only ever go down there if you're A: new in town and want to see what's down there, maybe visit Dynamic Earth, B: been chucked out of a club, pished oot yer tits and want to forget about it all with some good old fashioned seclusion or C: a student wanker that stays in one of those horrible new builds. Still, there was not much else down that way other than some formerly affordable housing.
In fact, kebabs should only ever come in one size and that size, sizable.
The service here is always friendly - every time I've visited, I've been struck by how pleasant the man behind the counter is. His curiosity always piques when he sees an unfamiliar face and engages in a gentle discussion on doner warfare. Oddly, there always seems to be an abundance of American visitors to this eatery - every time I enter there are friendly Americans, usually students waiting to chow down delights rare in their homeland.
The kebab comes in only one size - its not gigantic but it is substantial. In fact, kebabs should only ever come in one size and that size sizable. A lot of places charge you north of five quid for a few slithers of their carved meat and send you on their way whereas most places that do only one size tend to leave you satisfied with their portions at least.
Immediately I am disappointed by the salad on the side - this is a minor inconvenience. The default stance should be salad upon the meat, the meat inside the carbs. The sauce is very light, slightly tangy, tomato based but mostly not very hot. It's a like a Pole's idea of a spicy sauce. There was an option of youghurt based garlic sauce that I opted to omit, being more inclined to a tangy salad liquor but the bar was dry. The meat had a satisfying moistness and a very delicate chew. As the evening progressed, the gradual lift was a monumental event, peaking at first bite the softness of the pita complimenting the slight sauce and the meaty collision. Whilst the salad was missing the more obvious suspects such as a red cabbage, its lighter leafed alternative seemed to fill the void nicely.
At a grand total of only £4.80, this doner kebab is the best you can get in the city centre, that is to say if your idea of the city centre does not extend to Dalry Road where you can get something rivaling this work of art in Lazeez. This price, this size makes this kebab a pilgrimage for Donerites in the city.
