Restaurant review: Indian restaurant curries favour

WHILE Ashoka is part of a chain of restaurants (with 13 across Scotland), it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

When you step into the Ashton Lane eatery, it is like stepping back in time — in a good way.

Ashoka knows what it is, and it’s good at it. The restaurant is an old style Indian, perfect for a group or a couple in need of a curry...

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To start, my friend and I chose king prawn butterfly to share. Before I get to the sauce, it would be remiss not to mention the size of the prawns.

In comedian Stewart Lee’s stand up, he discusses a primary reason often listed by those who emigrate as being the size of the prawns.

He waxes lyrical about his hate for “emigrants” and their boast of “MASSIVE PRAWNS, five times the size of your ludicrous British prawns..quality of life, prawns”.

Well it’s a long way for a shortcut, but basically what I am trying to say is that there is no need to flea to Oz if prawns are your primary reason; head to Ashoka, because the prawns are huge.

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Served with an absolutely delicious garlic butter sauce, you can taste the chilli, garlic and ginger — making it a quality starter.

For my main, I wimped out and went for the Desi lamb, cooked on the bone with onions, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, garlic and fresh coriander.

While it was delicious, I did face a bit of an inferiority complex as my friend’s order of south Indian garlic chilli chicken came with a warning and an offer of a glass of milk.

Our mains came with sides of Peshwari naan, topped with coconut shavings, dried fruit and flaked almonds — perfect for bravely dipping into the garlic chilli sauce.

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Ashoka has become a bit of an institution in Glasgow, and it’s easy to see why — because restaurants like this play a key part as to why Glasgow is consistently named Scotland’s curry capital.

Rating: 8/10

Ashoka

19 Ashton Lane

Hillhead

Glasgow

G12 8SJ

Tel: 0141 337 1115