Sheffield curry hotspot wows critics and customers

Sheffield’s premier Indian restaurant, Ashoka, has cooked its way up the curry ladder, emerging as an A-list entry in the 2007 Good Curry Guide. Published every two or three years, the book lists just the top 100 of the 9,000-plus curry hotspots in the country. Ashoka was classed among the top 60, an improvement from Ashoka’s listing in the last edition. The list is compiled through reader recommendations and inspections by the Guide’s team.

Earlier this year, Ashoka was awarded the Indian Restaurant of the Year prize by Westside magazine and was also nominated as one of the top five Indian restaurants of the year by Menu magazine as part of the annual Curry Capital of Britain competition.

The triple honours coincide with the boutique restaurant’s 40th birthday in 2007. Founded in 1967 by Bangladeshi immigrant Kamal Ahmed, it was taken over by budding Sheffield restaurateur Rahul Amin three years ago. Since then, although sticking to the adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, the Sheffield lad born to Gujarati immigrant parents has taken the eatery from strength to strength.

The varied menu includes old favourites like kebabs, tikka masalas and ghost dishes, as well as some more unusual dishes like traditional Farsi dansak and Ceylon-style chicken curry. Prices range from £1 to £14.

“Ashoka is one of the oldest restaurants on Ecclesall Road and one of South Yorkshire’s oldest Asian restaurants. It has a fantastic reputation in Sheffield and enjoys a high quality loyal clientele. This area attracts foodies, and Ashoka has done well competing with bigger establishments,” says Rahul. “We have added a few new dishes to the menu since taking over, like the fresh coriander chicken tikka, but by and large we have kept things as they were because that’s the way the customers like it.”

Rahul does have a few tricks up his sleeve for the future though, including a grand 40th birthday celebration. “It’s in the planning stages and will be unveiled soon,” promises Rahul.

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REF: ASH001 – Ashoka Good Curry Guide 2007