A Vegetable Biryani supper at Asha, Louth
- Tuesday 3 August 2021
We are having a new kitchen fitted which means that we can’t cook any meals at home.
However, this gave us an excellent opportunity to sample another restaurant in our local town of Louth.
The New Vegetarian wanted to discover how much the vegetarian offer had changed at a typical British Indian restaurant.
This evening, La Nova Vegetarano booked a table at a local Indian restaurant called Asha which describes itself as “modern authentic Indian cuisine.”
We were not disappointed!
The Pros
- Plenty of vegetarian dishes on the menu.
- As a vegetarian, you can have the same curry as your friends — just without the meat!
- There were some interesting, different dishes and flavours available on the menu.
The Cons
- None.
The Location
Asha can be found on the ground floor of a grand old house in the Eastgate area of Louth.
The town of Louth is is at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds where they meet the Lincolnshire Marsh.
It developed where the ancient trackway along the Wolds, known as the Barton Street, crossed the River Lud.
The town is east of a gorge carved into the Wolds that forms the Hubbard’s Hills.
This area was formed from a glacial overspill channel in the last glacial period. The River Lud meanders through the gorge before entering the town.
The Restaurant
Asha’s website offers the following description of the restaurant:
“Since 1987 our experienced head chef has been catering for the public up and down the country, mastering the art of traditional Indian cooking.
He has so far claimed the title of ‘Best Indian Restaurant 1994’ — Kingston upon Thames (Surrey), he was named ‘Top Indian Chef’ by The Guardian (Surrey) in 2006 and awarded ‘Best Restaurant 2008 & 2009’ — North East Lincolnshire.
All dishes detailed on our extensive menu are cooked fresh to order using the age old Indian methods of cooking.”
Our first impressions were of a clean, modern and spacious dining room, decorated to a contemporary style but still managing to convey its Indian heritage.
The Maître D’ seated us at a comfortable table in the far corner of the restaurant which gave us a good view of the Dining Room as it filled with other diners, and what they were ordering!
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The background music was authentic to the setting but just pitched at the right volume to be audible, but not too loud, which suited us perfectly.
The Meal
From the menu, I ordered Indian Garlic Mushrooms as a starter and the Vegetable Biryani as the main. My husband ordered Onion Bhajis and a Bandari Biryani. On the side we shared a Peshwari Naan. We had a couple of poppadoms while we waited.
Other vegetarian options at Asha include vegetable samosa, and vegetable versions of your favourite curry including korma, malaya, dansak, saag, bhuna, madras, and so on. A vegetable balti is also available.
The Poppadoms
The poppadoms were excellent and they were served with the usual tray of pickles and sauces.
The unexpected accompaniment, that looked like grated carrot, was a sweet and lighly spiced, grated coconut dish which was delicious.
The Garlic Mushrooms
The Garlic Mushrooms were not at all like the mushrooms that you would expect to be served in a French restaurant.
These were served in a bowl and were almost like a soup, with large pieces of mushroom floating inside.
They were creamy, sweet, slightly flavoured with garlic, and delicious.
The Vegetable Biryani
Asha’s biryani dishes are “cooked with various spices, topped with an omelette, and served with a vegetable curry.”
However, the vegetable biryani is topped with diced cucumber and tomato instead of the omelette which is perfect for vegans.
I opted to have the omelette on mine.
The rice and vegetable curry were well flavoured with spices and contained a good mixture of beans, beans, cauliflower and potato. Very tasty!
Areas For Improvement
Very little. There are a good range of options at Asha for both meat eaters and vegetarians.
I would have the garlic mushrooms again but some bread or naan with the mushooms would have been good to help mop up the last drop of sauce!
Conclusion
Asha Indian Restaurant in Louth delivered!
There were a good range of vegetarian dishes in a modern “indian restaurant” environment. When we left, the restaurant had filled up with customers so clearly popular with the locals of the town.
The staff were friendly, helpful and informative.
The food was excellent.
Score
🌿🌿🌿🌿 out of 5.
Thanks for reading.
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Regards
Andy the “New Vegetarian” x
@NovaVegetarano
