Sheffield curry hotspot in Times top 10 list

Sheffield’s premier Indian restaurant, Ashoka, has cooked its way up the curry ladder, figuring in The Times top 10 Indian restaurants. Earlier this month, The Times published a Saturday food special, listing the UK’s best restaurants, with Ashoka figuring prominently in the Indian food list.

“I found out when a friend called me. It’s fantastic. It’s great that a small neighbourhood restaurant in Sheffield is being recognised nationally. Over the last 40 years, it is consistency and personal service that has made Ashoka so successful,” says proprietor Rahul Amin.

The regulars of the Ecclesall Road restaurant have also been congratulating the staff. “They’re really happy for us. There are some customers who have been coming here every week for 30-odd years, except for their annual two-week holiday. They are just as pleased as we are,” adds an excited Rahul.

Earlier this year, Ashoka emerged as an A-list entry in the 2007 Good Curry Guide, classed among the top 60, and was awarded the Indian Restaurant of the Year prize by Westside magazine. The restaurant 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 honours coincide with the Ashoka’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. A new specials handi dish that changes every few days has also been added to the menu, slow-cooked in a bowl with spices, which is a classic example of the “rugged and rustic” traditional Indian food.

“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. Ashoka has done well competing with bigger establishments,” says Rahul

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REF: ASH002 – Ashoka in The Times top 10