We tried the best Indian restaurant in Nottinghamshire as voted by you - and it did not disappoint

The Ashiana Mixed Grill, chicken korma, cheese naan, special rice and salad
-Credit: (Image: Laycie Beck)


Nottinghamshire is home to dozens of amazing Indian restaurants, but only one can be crowned the best. We recently asked our readers which they thought was the best Indian restaurant in the county, and the Ashiana in North Muskham was found to be the most popular.

The business, located near Newark, has been running for years and won a number of awards. The restaurant has also had a number of celebrity visitors, such as England defender Neil 'Razor' Ruddock and Paul 'Chuckle' Elliott.

After hundreds of our readers voted for the Ashiana, we decided to visit it for ourselves and see how good it really is, and it did not disappoint. As soon as I stepped inside the first thing I noticed was the incredible smell, I was already hungry but there were so many spices in the air that my stomach began to growl before we even got to our table.

We went through the busy entrance space, which was full of people waiting for their takeaways, along with the restaurant's various awards, and were shown to our table in the dining room area. The staff were incredibly polite, pulled out our chairs and adjusted the table to remove any additional place settings and glasses.

The atmosphere was very relaxed and at the heart of the room was a large chandelier which really added to the ambience. The menu was a bit overwhelming as there were pages and pages of all sorts of dishes, I think we probably spent a good 15 minutes deciding as there was so much to choose from.

The lamb samosas and the Ashiana butterfly prawns
The lamb samosas and the Ashiana butterfly prawns

After ordering our drinks we decided on the lamb samosas (£6.95) and the Ashiana butterfly prawns (£9.75) as our appetisers, and these also came with a bowl of a yogurty mint sauce. The samosas were lovely, crispy and full to the brim. Whereas the prawns were cooked perfectly, but I could not get over the size of them, they were definitely the largest ones I had ever seen.

There was a delicious red sauce and salad on the side of each dish, and the waiter explained that the sauce was made from a fruit from Bangladesh. I was a bit worried that it might be spicy at the first, but it was really sweet and tasty.

Moving onto the main courses, we ordered a Ashiana Mixed Grill (£18.95), which includes grilled lamb, chicken and seafood, and a chicken korma (£13.95) to share. We also ordered a portion of special fried rice (£4.50) which includes eggs and peas, as well as a cheese stuffed naan bread (£4.50).

The mixed grill arrived sizzling and everything on the table looked delicious. There was so much variety with the mixed grill and it came with a bowl of sauce that we weren't expecting, but tasted fantastic. The chicken korma was nice and creamy, and the chicken was beautifully cooked.

The Ashiana Mixed Grill, chicken korma, cheese naan, special rice and salad
The Ashiana Mixed Grill, chicken korma, cheese naan, special rice and salad

This was easily the best chicken korma I had ever had and would definitely recommend it. I'm so glad we ordered the rice and naan bread as well as it just added that bit extra and was lovely mixed into the sauces. Although, the naan was not quite what I was expecting as the cheese was quite subtle.

The portions were also really generous so it was all great value for money, I still felt full the next day and we didn't quite manage to finish it all. After admitting defeat but still finishing most of the incredible food the waiter came back with some hot cloth towels and then some mint chocolates with the bill, which we just about had room for.

Including my glass of Coke and my partner's beer the bill came to £67.75. I wouldn't say it was the cheapest place to go for a meal out by any means, but we can see why it is so popular.

Everything was great quality, the food was tasty and the staff were lovely, so we felt it was worth the money and can't wait to go back.

The Ashiana Indian and Bangladeshi Restaurant in North Muskham
The Ashiana Indian and Bangladeshi Restaurant in North Muskham