I expect other bloggers will agree that comments – actual comments on actual blog posts – have dwindled somewhat since the advent of Facebook Pages. It’s so much easier to dash off a quick response to a post via Facebook than it is to fill in your name and email address (not to mention those irritating little traps that websites set you to check you’re not a robot) at the bottom of a blog post. But the thing about Facebook comments is that if you’re not careful, you lose them. Whereas with comments on my website, I can return to them again and again to remind myself what my readers thought, suggested or disagreed with.
On my Indian restaurant recommendations page, two readers had drawn my attention to a grave omission: Ashoka. While the comments had been left in June of this year and August of last year, I’d not got around to visiting Ashoka until now – and I immediately regretted that it had taken me so long.
It’s on the Spuistraat – somewhere between a sex shop and a youth hostel, which doesn’t feel like a very promising start.
We tried the Chicken Madras and the Lamb Nawabi, although the latter came with a crunchy, fruity mixture of peppers, pineapple and cashew nuts rather than the aubergine stated on the menu, so I think we got the wrong dish. Not to worry – I’m not too fussy when it comes to my curry ingredients, and the vegetables we got were a fine substitute. The whole thing was lifted with fine strips of ginger and plenty of fragrant herbs. The Madras was spicy – still not as hot as I’m sure it’s supposed to be, but decently spicy given the clientele. But most important of all, the dishes tasted distinctly different – which, as everyone who has worked their way around a few Indian restaurants in Amsterdam knows, is no mean feat.
The curries are around €10-15 each, and there are a few bottles of easy-drinking wine on offer – the most expensive of which can’t be much over €20. Plus, they do delivery, so you can enjoy Ashoka from the comfort of your own home without needing to venture out into Tourist Land next time you fancy a curry.
It may have taken me a year to follow up on my readers’ comments, but now that I’ve discovered Ashoka I can feel it turning into my go-to curry house. Which just goes to show, good readers: your feedback is appreciated, so keep it coming!
