Looking at the menu before we phoned to place our order, the first thing we noticed was how inexpensive the majority of the dishes were.
The standard cost of take-away curries seems to vary between £5 to, in some cases, £9 or £10 for speciality dishes.
At Akash, the menu is set out very clearly, with most of the curry dishes costing £5 or £5.50. The menu also has a classic curry section, with dishes such as a madras or bhuna costing just £4.
We opted for a chicken tikka jalfrezi (£5) and a lamb tikka pasanda (£5). To go with the curries we ordered a garlic nan (£2), a mushroom rice (£2.50) and some papadams £1). If you spend over £12 and collect your order, Akash throws in a free side dish, so we sampled the sag paneer, which usually costs £2.40. Considering how competitive the cost is, Akash by far exceeded our expectations. In fact, it was the best Indian take-away we have had a for a long time.
Both dishes were nicely spiced, with the pasanda delicately creamy with just a slight kick, while the jalfrezi, which was really spicy, had so much flavour.
The sauce had a large helping of sweet red peppers and onions, and the chicken tikka had a lovely distinctive barbecued taste.
The accompaniments were also delicious – the nan bread was fluffy and piping hot, the huge portion of mushroom rice was perfectly-cooked and the sag paneer was among one of the nicest we have tried. It had a lovely sweet taste from the spinach and onions, small chunks of cheese stirred through and a generous scattering of tomatoes.
The best part, however, was finishing our meal and not finding an oily residue left on the plates. Most Indian take-aways include an obligatory side order of grease, so I was very pleased to find this was not the case with Akash’s cooking.
In these penny-pinching times, it is nice to know you can order a take-way, without breaking the bank, and still enjoy a delicious, fresh, meal.
Akash, at 62 South Street, Tarring, is open seven days a week, from 5pm to 11pm. To place an order, call 01903 200071 or 217799.