Indian Ocean

Stamford Street East, Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire. OL6 6QH

0161 343 3343

Monday 3rd December, 2012

Upon hearing that his, 'Indian Ocean Restaurant' had won an award in the 2013 COBRA GOOD CURRY GUIDE. Founder, Nahim Aslam invited his favourite customers for a celebratory lunch. Indian Ocean is a deceivingly spacious establishment with an equally spacious separate bar. Coloured lights and music videos play on a large flat TV screen which make for a lively evening in which to enjoy pre or post dinner drinks. Our coats were taken and discreetly hung on hangers in a generous cupboard in reception. I approve of this immensely, as coats on the back of chairs are so scruffy.

Photos: Reception displays Certificates, Awards and the Photo Gallery. You will spot Indian actor - Sayeed Jaffrey.

We all went through to the lounge bar and relaxed on large leather sofas, to enjoy drinks which were served with a varied selection of dainty canapés. The 'Shami Kebab £3.15 - a delicately spiced patty of tender chicken with lentils, coated in a light egg batter and gently pan fried,' were amazingly good and cheered us all up immensley on this cold and damp December day. Introductions were made by Faz, short speeches were made, many photographs were taken and Pat presented Nahim and his team with their certificate. After a huge round of applause and more flashing of cameras, we all moved into the dining room for a wonderful set lunch.

Photos: Regular diner Shaun is handed his personal copy - autographed by Pat, and Nahim, Pat, Dominique and Faz sit down for a celebratatory lunch.

Photos: The brightly decorated dining room.

The dining room is brightly decorated with a mix of tables and sofa-booths, which seat four very comfortably. This style of seating is not just my favourite but others too, so please be sure to book the booth when reserving your table on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

Starters included traditional Indian delicacies such as, 'Onion Bhajia £2.95 - Indian Ocean's classic, lightly spiced deep-fried onion with a light gram flour batter and fresh coriander,' and, 'Vegetable Samosas £3.45 - a meat samosa of finely minced lean lamb, onions, fresh coriander and Indian spices in a piping hot crispy pastry wrap,' together with more unusual Pakistani dishes, such as, 'Mushroom and Keema Pakora £3.15 - delicately spiced mince stuffed in a fresh mushrooms combined in the lightest coating of gram flour batter,' and, 'Lahori Fish £3.75 - two succulent pieces of flaky white fish coated in a light spicy batter of cumin, coriander seeds and onion seeds.'

Chef's Speciality mains feature dishes from the Punjab and Kashmir. Favourite choices are, 'Massalledaar Lamb Chops with Keema £9.25 - a delicious combination of succulent lamb chops cooked with minced lamb, green chillies, garam masala in a thick gravy. A tasty, well-spiced dish garnished with coriander,' and, 'Kali Mirch Chicken £8.95 - tender pieces of chicken thigh, onions and green peppers are combined in this yoghurt-based black pepper sauce and cooked Balti-style in an Indian wok. Midly spiced - totally delicious.' It is good to see chicken thigh being used as it has a much better flavour than chicken breast. Vegetarians are not left out with, 'Palak Dal £6.95 - spring leaf spinach an yellow split lentils cooked with onions, tomatoes, fresh coriander, fenugreek, green chillies and selected herbs and spices,' being a popular choice, along with the, 'Aloo Channa £6.95 - curried potatoes and chickpeas, garnished with coriander.' An original Indian Ocean side is their, 'Onion Bhaji Nan £3.00 - two all time favourite gourmet experiences combined in one,' which sounds like a good excuse for sharing!

Photos: 'Chicken Biriani £8.75 - gently cooked saffron-flavoured basmati rice with a mixture of mild aromatic spices.' A selection of chicken and lamb curries. Our Bread Basket contained a selection of stuffed and plain Naans. Pat takes a sip of his Cobra Beer, while enjoying lunch.

It was lovely to meet so many of the Nahim's regular customers and listen to their dining experiences. Proving that the Indian Ocean deserves its, 'BEST IN THE NORTH AWARD.' Congratulations and Happy New Year!

Indian Ocean

Stamford Street East, Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire. OL6 6QH

0161 343 3343

Table Reservations: info@indianocean.co.uk

Hours: 5 to 11, to 12 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday 3pm to 10.30pm