Pasha

I HAVE fond memories of Pasha as it was one of the first restaurants I visited when I came to Worcester nine years ago.

I’d returned on a couple of occasions and had been impressed with the food and general ambience.

The restaurant, which has been serving up Indian cuisine in St John’s since 1987, underwent a revamp some months ago and I was keen to see how it compared with my previous visits.

Upon entering, a tad late, the three of us were met by friendly staff who ushered us to a waiting area, complete with comfy seats and TV, where we ordered a refreshing beer.

It was a busy Saturday night but the waiting staff were on top of their game, unobtrusively but efficiently going about their business.

We were soon escorted to our table by friendly manager Sam.

The restaurant has a spacious layout with subtle décor and background music and a relaxed chilled-out vibe – though it was a touch warm for our liking.

It certainly looked clean – Pasha has twice been awarded the top five-star rating for hygiene by Worcester Regulatory Services.

And we were certainly hoping to clean up in the food stakes.

There was a good range on the menu, with an extensive house specials lists.

For starters, my nephew and I shared a Pasha special platter for two (£6.95) – a selection of fish, chicken and lamb grilled in the tandoor and served with a mint dip. The dish was well presented, with the drizzled sauce a nice touch, and the meat was tasty and succulent.

My colleague opted for an onion bhaji (£2.75), which he declared delicious and crispy.

For mains, I chose lamb passanda (£7.95), accompanied by peas, pilau rice (£3.50). The lamb was suitably tender while the subtle almond and cream combination imbued the sauce.

My nephew opted for chicken tikka zalfa (£8.95) from the house specials, accompanied by pilau rice (£2.45). It certainly looked good – marinated chicken, roasted in the tandoor and cooked with green peppers, onions and tomatoes in a medium tikka sauce.

He doesn’t like his curry too spicy and he looks after himself so this healthier option certainly ticked both boxes and he polished it off with aplomb.

My colleague plumped for chicken pathia (£6.95) and fried rice (£2.45) which he said was just the right sweet and sour combo, with the chicken perfectly cooked.

Our desserts were fine – a couple of venezias, vanilla ice-cream with chocolate, and a raspberry and almond delight, which topped off a pleasant evening.

A colleague recently reported a disappointing experience at Pasha, but we really enjoyed our return visit.

HOW IT RATED
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambience: 4
Value for money: 3