New Asia Restaurant

For some reason, when I hear the word Asia in a restaurant name I think of Chinese food, or even Japanese food, but very seldom do I put together the idea of India producing an Asian cuisine. No matter what you call it, it's undeniable that New Asia serves good Indian food at prices that won't blow your travel budget. They serve quite a variety of cuisines from different regions of India including recipes that represent these styles; Balti, Vindaloo, Korma and a variety of others that I have yet to see on other Indian restaurant menus that I find in the U.S. The restaurant was styled in a manner that was adequate for the customer base, tourists. There were linens on the tables, and artwork on the walls. The lighting was soft and set a nice mood, but the tables were a bit close. We had a choice of two restaurants for Indian food that evening, One was a take out/eat in restaurant, very modern and spare, while the other was New Asia which just looked more appealing.

We decided to split an appetizer and selected a very simple fried shrimp. It was more than we had expected and admittedly better looking. The two shrimp were butterflied and battered together with a breadcrumb surface that was fried and crispy.

I'm a big fan of the Korma style of cooking, I really enjoy the coconut and mild flavors. I've tried it in several countries and have discovered that it's different everywhere. It seems to be prepared differently in each country, As though there was a confederation of Indian restaurant owners who set a standard for each community. This time, I decided I had to go out of my comfort zone and try different things, as long as I had this opportunity that presented so many new options. We didn't stray too far, as we found ourselves ordering Vegetable Korma. It was, however, the first time that we have ordered it without chicken or lamb, and I found it less flavorful. Some Korma sauces are heavy on cashews, while others are predominantly coconut based. This one was definitely a coconut based Korma sauce. Now I find it very confusing to identify Korma sauce at all.

My dining companion, cannot break his habit of ordering Lamb Vindaloo. Even after being cautioned by the waiter that Vindaloo is very hot in England, he went ahead, and ordered it. All I can say is, his very large bottle of Cobra beer and a glass of water were gone in a very short period of time.  

To break the Korma habit I asked about something on the menu that I never saw before, and since it was described as being medium hot I decided to give it a try. Bhuna Gosht turned out to be delicious over the steamed rice. It was made with lamb in a tomato sauce with a very large amount of shredded onions that were not overcooked. They still had a little resistance in them, which added a very nice texture to the dish overall. The heat was noticeable, yet tolerable. No beer needed, although I did have a mango lassi available if needed.

I don't think one can dine in an Indian restaurant without ordering naan. We decided on the garlic naan, and to continue on the idea of trying something new, we also ordered a Peshwari naan filled with coconut. Not too much coconut, just enough to flavor it. It really was a delight to use this to enjoy the last of the Korma sauce; they were perfect partners. 

7 Hogarth Place

London SW5 England

Earl's Court Tube