Ashoka
Ashton Lane
Glasgow

The food was awesome. I've actually eaten here before and it was OK at the time, but may last visit re-ignited my view of what "the  taste" really is and how far I'm actually away from re-creating it at home it in reality.

Firstly, the Chicken Pakora was so succulent and the Nan Brad was the best I've tasted in a long long time.

For the main course I had Chicken Tikka Karahi Bhuna Madras which was amazing. In fact it is the best curry I've had in the last 10 years.

I remember posting a while back that curries from years ago were much better than the ones you get served up today - this one was a blast from the past !!!

PS. I've heard the "Wee Curry Shop" which is just across the road on Ashton Lane is very good also - so that's my next visit. Interestingly Ashoka (aka Harlequin Leisure) have a few restaurants dotted around the West of Scotland and they are not all equal - in fact, the "Ashoka Shack" currys shops are very very poor. On the other hand, Ashoka South Side in Clarkston used to be stunning, but I've not been there for years.

That sauce itself was err...meduim brown You could tell it carried a *lot* of oil. It was presented in a blackened Karahi metal bowl. There was no floating oil in the dish but the sauce had that distinctive sheen where the oil was all suspended in the sauce. The sauce was very thick.. thick to the point that the chicken tikka was also suspended in the sauce rather than sinking to the bottom of the Karahi bowl. It is really difficult to explain what sets this curry apart from most of the usual curries, but there was a real depth to the taste - there was a very a strong stock taste along with a subtle spice mix which is miles away from my current home made efforts - maybe it's down to their mix of curry powder or garamasala. It had minimal fresh coriander and green chillies as a garnish.

hth

It was a very rich tasting stock flavour - at the time when I was eating it reminded me of the layers of flavour I get when I make chilli con carne - in that I use beef stock and tomatoes (with ketchup). It tasted like a combination of these.

To my knowledge, beef stock has not been mentioned in any BIR recipe I've seen  so this is potentially another rabbit hole to explore

To be honest I am not a fan of the Harlequin chain. A place is only as good as the chef on the night, and the mood he is in, but I have had to many poor experiences in their places. Too much of a get-them-in-and-get-them-out attitude, especially with places like Mr Singhs who cater more to big office parties and groups of football players, than your fine diner.

The wee curry shop is excellent, and the one further down on Byres road is excellent as well. Then you have mother india and mother indias cafe by the same owners. Best curry places in Glasgow by a country mile.