Hector finds himself at The Ashoka Ashton Lane (9 Ashton Lane, Glasgow, G12 8SJ) mid afternoon. Completing the visits to all Harlequin Curry Houses north of the River Clyde, Hector is delighted that it is possible to eat here all day from noon. Not enough venues are open in Glasgow after lunchtime.
Hector’s ongoing dietary experiment of eating once a day means that dinner can be consumed at any time. Entering the Ashoka at 15.15 I was asked if I could vacate the table by 16.00. This puzzled, was a Coach Trip arriving? In a restaurant which seats around Sixty it says much about the volume of their business if they are booked out this early in the day. There were about a Dozen Fellow Diners all sat around the periphery of the room, all window seats were full, of course. I was shown to the far wall, a Table for Two.
A Young Waitress with the most charming of smiles came to take the order. A Lamb Desi would be the Fallback if I could not negotiate the Karahi – Hector-style. The Special Karahi Bhoona – A host of spices sautéed karahi style in a rich tarka base with an abundance of capsicums, and onions – read well until the abundance…
Ordering this dish a la carte would be £10.95. I was shown the Lunch Menu – Two Courses for £7.95 from a Prescribed List, or, any Two Courses with Rice or Naan for £9.95 (Sunday to Thursday). Very confusing. I had to ask if the Portion Size would change depending on my choice. Apparently not. So, who pays Full Price?
Can I have the Karahi without the Capsicum. I do not like Capsicum in Curry. Perhaps you could include Potato instead?
Would this be the last I would see of this Waitress, a new one was allocated.
The ritual question was repeated. If I ask for simply no Capsicum I usually get a Curry overloaded with Onions. She assured me that is what would happen. Substituting the Capsicum with Potato proved not to be a problem. Hector was impressed. Not every venue will do this. I had to choose a Starter – Fish? The Tawa Machi was individually priced at £5.45, this would be a test. Apparently this would take ten minutes to prepare and time was at a premium. They needed the table at 16.00, the whole place was booked out with Voucher Customers. Spicy Chicken Chaat ((£4.75).
The Ashoka Chain are into some hefty marketing and discounting, it would appear to be working. But is the Curry here any better than any other Harlequin Restaurant, and would it impress The Hector?
The Waitress with the Smile was back bearing the Sparkling Water. She offered to open it.
I think I can manage.
No sooner had I poured the Water into the Glass when a Chap came through the adjacent door with the Chaat. Two Little Chicken Pieces. Prague this was not. Had I been paying £4.75 I would have had something to say. Is this the Full Portion? If not, then The Waitress gave the wrong information, if so, then they’re having a laugh…
What Meat there was disappeared in seconds. The Sauce was Thick and Sticky, far too Sweet for The Hector Palate and the Flavour did not come across as Particularly Indian.
Just how soon would the Karahi come? Surprise surprise, in virtually no time at all.
This was Fast Food.
Enough Bitching. What was presented looked Totally Acceptable. The Portion Size was Favourable. Seven decent sized pieces of Tender Lamb, some of which had to be halved, so no complaints here. Three pieces of Potato completed the Solids. These were spooned on to the Mushroom Pilao which also included Peas. The Rice was an Ideal Quantity. Sliced Onions were contained within the Thick, and thankfully not Excessive, Masala. I had avoided The Onion Overdose. With Potatoes, Rice, Peas, Mushrooms and Onions, there was an Interesting Array of Vegetables and hence Textures. Perfect. The Onions may have been Caramelised, difficult to be sure but the slight Sweetness from the Onions suggested so.
The Lamb was spot on in terms of needing chewing but not being so soft it didn’t. There was no Flavour emanating from the Lamb itself. As in a previous visit to an Ashoka (Shak) Restaurant, there was the conclusion that the Lamb and Masala were strangers until a few minutes prior.
There was a Modest Kick, the Seasoning was not Remarkable, slightly under perhaps. In the Spectrum of Curry Flavours, this dish was Monochrome. One Indescribable Flavour dominated, at least it was there. No Methi was harmed in the creation of this Curry, indeed, does Methi feature in any dish on the Menu? I don’t see it.
Not Bland, but nothing to excite The Hector Palate.
Hector finished eating at 15.42. Twenty Seven Minutes for the Ashoka Experience.
The Smiling Waitress offered me Tea or Coffee. No thanks.
The Bill
£11.90. I went up to pay, Waitress #2 stood to attention as if she had been meant to bring The Bill. I was going to the till anyway, Mein Host was there.
This was indeed Great Value, no problems with the quantity. For those who rate Ashoka Curry highly, one can see why there is a Loyal Following.
The Aftermath
The Calling Card was handed over and the Website shown. I was asked how I found their Curry.
Too Mainstream for me. The List of Glasgow’s Top Rated was shown, he spotted Yadgar in #1 position.
Yadgar is amazing, that’s my favourite. So, he knows what could be served at the Ashoka, but isn’t.
Hector left the building at 16.00, there was no sign of an Arriving Throng.
This completes the Tour of Glasgow Curry Houses north of the Clyde, though there are three Takeaways with minimal seating to review still.
I couldn’t possibly be here and not have the Tandoori Lamb Chops. Normally I have to share some of the Portion of Six, not tonight. I informed Clive that we were having a Portion Each. Yvonne and Craig would share One Portion. I was set to go up to the Bar to order when a familiar Young Waiter produced a pad, we would be served at the table. This also means one is not paying in advance. The system is evolving.
The Lamb Chops are that Magnificent. Spicy, Succulent, almost OTT. If Craig can eat these, he can eat a Curry at any strength. There are two ways to eat Lamb Chops – as Nature Intended, or the Posh Edinburgh Public School way.
Both Craig and Yvonne were using their knife and fork. Que? In the end, Yvonne gave up, Her Weegieness disproved a long held myth – Yvonne would do that…
Meanwhile elsewhere, Craig was swearing at The Hector. He was thoroughly enjoying his Methi-Melange but he too was finding the Spice Level to be nearing Ten. If Craig survived the Lamb Chops, he will be fine with this.
A familiar face from the days of 
The Familiar Waiter, Akhtar, came and sat at the adjacent table. He knew my face, knew of Hector, but had not matched the two. He even has my phone number. There was a lengthy discussion about the Menu. That which is written above was relayed. The Desi List impresses, but where is the Fish equivalent? As I whipped out the Trusty Samsung to show the Fish Chettinad served at 
For many, this is a Bank Holiday Weekend, but not for Marg or Hector. Settling down to watch the Sunday afternoon Football on Sky Sports, Marg received a text inviting us to join former colleagues… on a School Night? They had today off.
Hector had been sated. This was an Impressive Curry. I shall have to go back and re-establish the 
Hector went to bed this evening with the knowledge that overnight, Curry-Heute would pass through the 3 Million Mark.
Lime Pickle and Mixed Pickle were added in a quantity which was enough to give the required Tang. When one goes down the Achari route, it is difficult to fail.
A Young Waiter resplendent in a Singh Tartan Kilt brought the Menu and took the order for Sparkling Water. Hector was tempted to order a Pint of Soda Water, smiley emoticon understood.
This was Hector’s second sample of Haggis Pakora on consecutive days. Last night on my Birthday Treat at the 
s, seating around 80 at an estimate, the place was starting to fill up. A Painting of the Scottish Football Team adorned the wall. The 1974 World Cup Team was my first take. On closer examination this is an – All Time Greats Fantasy 11. More customers and more staff was steadily streaming in. This was early for a Glasgow Curry House to be attracting custom. Why are more Glasgow Venues not open all day? Think back to 
The Masala was thankfully not Thin as it could have been presented. The Masala had a Rich Texture with the Oil visible but not to excess. The Dish was Piping Hot, as food should be served. The Paratha was well-fired. A bit beyond the – Flaky – I had in mind but better the slight Crisping than the serving of Limp Bread. 
Dipping the Paratha in the Masala revealed a Mysterious Flavour. The initial reactions were – More Seasoning – required, after a few moments this was re-written to – not so. The Very Tender Lamb was a mixture of on-the-bone and off. What was I tasting?
A New Lady came downstairs and presented a complimentary Spiced Potato Soupcon. Two, tiny pieces of Potato. This kick-started the palate. Tasty. pleasant, a good start. A Pre-Starter (?) as I encountered in 
More couples were arriving. A chap sat right behind me had some offer he was cashing in too. As one couple left so they were replaced immediately beside others. Why sit us on top of each other. The tables for six looked cramped, and this was with nobody sitting at them. The potential to squeeze a lot of people in is there. This place could be uncomfortable on a Saturday night. Were all the Voucher Customers being sent downstairs? If so, what was the portion size upstairs?
With the classic white tablecloths, this is very much a place – to dine. The Ashoka West End is far removed from my favourite haunts.
I have never had a Poor Curry in a Harlequin Restaurant, but I have never been blown away either. If I was regular here, no doubt there would be better communication and the Curry could become bespoke.
The monthly trip to The Staggs (Musselburgh), Scotland’s Finest Pub – by far, saw only three Weegies present. At the time of the return, The Faither went for his bus, leaving Craig to resolve that he would accompany Hector to the 
Chef Rashid was fronting the shop from the rear. No sign of Ayaz, and the New Chap who I have finally identified as Qaiser, was out on a delivery as we arrived. Hector’s Lamb Karahi was arranged with minimal exchange. The hand gesture was enough to establish that if there was enough Meat on the premises, Large was preferred. Time for Craig to negotiate.
The Spanish Lady brought the Modest Salad and later the Raita. We stared at them both. Is this a new coffee dispenser that is in situ?
Has Craig acquired a stutter? A Completely different ball game from my last time when I didn’t even order Korma. Absolutely beautiful!
One is regularly reminded that Yvonne would not eat like that. Craig had a different approach. The Knife and Fork. Unwavering, systematic, inefficient, and surely an erosion of the Sheer Enjoyment on offer. Or, maybe not… Even the Modest Salad was tackled with such a genteel manner.
Time was taken to admire the Dishes on Display. The Chicken Palak looked appealing. Is Hector building up to ordering a Chicken Curry?
At 16.30 there were two couples already established in Bombay Blues. They occupied the window tables, the young waiter showed me to a small table adjacent to the couple who had just arrived before me. Why do they do this? I would have to spend my entire visit trying not to hear other people’s conversations.
Spooning the large pieces of Tender Lamb on to the Rice I stopped counting at twelve. Most of this Lamb would be halved. This was an Excellent Portion Size. The Achari was Piping Hot and Well-Seasoned. Oil was very visible in the base of the karahi, off putting for some. Not excessive. However the Onion was Excessive in the extreme. The Onion pieces were not as large as some venues have served but there was certainly an over-abundance. Was this Dish meant to have 
The Masala was not as Thick as the Hector optimum, but still, fine. This was Achari. Where was the Pickle? There was no sign of it in the Mash, and no Citrus Flavour emerged. Was this Achari?