We’ve tried a lot of Indian restaurants around Greater Manchester in our time, especially in this very lucky line of work we find ourselves in, but very few meals have compared to the feast the fine folks at Asha’s served up when we tried their new ‘Live Like a Maharaja’ menu.
This limited-time-only offering from the much-loved Manchester restaurant, bar and globally renowned Indian franchise is inspired by the royal cuisine of Rajasthan and it certainly lived up to that billing on our visit.
Located just below the boutique hotel, Forty Seven, Asha’s boasts seven sites worldwide including their location here in the city centre and has regularly attracted glowing reviews and famous faces in equal measure as their reputation has grown.
Countless celebrities such as Heston Blumenthal, Amir Khan, The Rolling Stones; Priyanka Chopra and Tom Cruise have eaten at Asha’s since it was first founded back in 2002 and, more recently, Travis and The Killers stopped into the Peter Street site on their trips to Manchester.
With that in mind, it’s fair to say our hopes were pretty high. They didn’t let us down – not one bit.
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There’s no better way to start a meal, is there?Credit: The Manc Eats
From the moment you walk into the luxurious entrance of Asha’s Manchester, you’re immediately met with a sense that you’re not just here for a meal but something special; from the warm welcome to the cosy but classy and stylish surroundings, we should have guessed we were in for a little something extra.
Namesake and founder, Asha Bhosle, deep-dived into how she came up with the menu through memories of her early childhood, where she spent years travelling around with her father’s theatre company.
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“The company all had food together”, she explained, “with my father presiding at the head of the table. I enjoyed watching the joy on the diners’ faces as they savoured tasty delights… Over the years, I attempted to learn the diversity of Indian food, which changes from region to region. India is the land of countless religions, cultures, languages, dialects and taste buds.”
But we won’t dilly dally around the dressings up for too long – we can’t lie: the thing that bowled us over the most was the pure indulgence of the spread laid out before us as we sipped on two delicately balanced and refreshing cocktails with just a hint of the South Asian spices we were about to sample.
We were fortunate enough to get to try the whole menu and we’re not exaggerating when we tell you these were some of the most plentiful, flavour-packed and beautifully presented plates we’ve had at a curry house in a long while.
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Each dish had big notes that you could discern from the next; the gravy base for every sauce was as thick and creamy as the last, but with the first mouthful of each you could instantly tell how the profile of, say, the rich chicken Jodphuri was entirely different from the lighter, more aromatic prawn Jaisamandi.
A ridiculous amount of punch with every bite.
We spent most of the meal trying to decide what we preferred most and it was genuinely overwhelming at times with the embarrassment of Rajasthani riches before us that we couldn’t help going back for more of. Even the rice options were so fragrant we kept grabbing another spoonful just for the sake of it.
And then there were sides and meat dishes that accompanied the curries: the Royal tandoori chicken, the larger Rampuri chicken biryani for sharing (complete with dried fruits, lentils, whole eggs and all), the frankly addictive almond patty battles, and not forgetting the saffron-stained tail-on Jaipuri prawns.
The Jungli maas was certainly the most fiery item on the menu, with some genuine heat going on amidst the slow-cooked pieces of lamb and spicy sauce, but we have to say that it was another lamb dish that proved to be the ultimate showstopper: the parda biryani.
Comfortably up there not just with the best biryanis but the best dishes we’ve ever had at an Indian restaurant full-stop, if this menu is supposed to be fit for a king or a queen, then this is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown.
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From the sheer pageantry of lifting back the dough lid to reveal the steaming gold pot of succulent meat, spices, yoghurt and fluffy basmati rice, to peeling off a piece of that crust kissed with the perfect amount of char and caramelised sugars that made for a perfect mini-flatbread wrap, it was exquisite.
A mouthful so good we couldn’t include the video due to NSFW noises.
Our mouths are genuinely watering just reliving what we’re now calling a culinary core memory and though the whole grand banquet may have been designed for India’s bygone royalty and their endless stomachs, even trying one of the dishes with a side or two would leave you beyond full and content.
ButAsha’s ‘Live Like a Maharaja’ menu isn’t just about serving up very good food, it’s a whole experience where the description of the background, herb and spice blends, as well as the all-round attention to detail, is just as much a part of your meal as the eating is.
Even the cookware and crockery were specially crafted not just for this restaurant but for this menu only, designed, burnished and maintained to the highest standard as only a Maharaja or Maharani would expect. We’d happily eat all of this out of a takeaway box but getting the full treatment was a real treat.
Asha’s has created seven truly divine dishes to be served up in the most decadent manner with the Maharaja menu and you won’t be disappointed whatever you decide to order, but this special selection of Rajasthani gems is only available for a limited time only, so we urge you to try it while you can.
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As the lady herself puts it: “The menu is inspired by the offerings of great chefs that I have met and I sincerely hope that you, your family and friends share in my family secrets and enjoy the recipes of my heart.” You can enjoy ‘Live Like a Maharaja’ now – bookings are advised.
A huge Stanley Chow exhibition featuring inflatable portraits of Manc icons is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Some of Manchester’s most famous faces are about to get even bigger, with a new Stanley Chow exhibition coming to town this summer.
And rather unusually, the artist’s portraits will be inflatables…
The huge new MCR Made exhibition is set to take over Manchester Arndale from 3 August all the way into the autumn.
Shoppers and locals will be able to admire 13 portraits of Manc icons, which will be up to six metres in length, whether it’s Oasis legends or Suffragettes, football heroes or creative pioneers.
The gigantic inflatable Stanley Chow portraits will be suspended right across the iconic shopping centre for an art trail that celebrates the figures who have shaped the city.
The impossible-to-miss exhibition features famous faces from the worlds of music, sport, science, politics, art and culture.
Along the trail you’ll spot the likes of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Emmeline Pankhurst, Alan Turing, L.S. Lowry, Lemn Sissay, Caroline Aherne, Aitch, and a host of other trailblazers, all in Stanley’s signature and distinctive style.
MCR Made showcases the work of legendary local artist and illustrator Stanley Chow in an exciting new way, encouraging exploration through photo opportunities and a social media competition.
Stanley Chow said: “The Arndale Centre for me is my Mecca, and I’m sure it is for so many people from Manchester. I’m old enough to remember when it first opened as a shopping centre nearly 50 years ago, and I haven’t stopped coming here since.
Inflatable portraits by Stanley Chow will take over Manchester Arndale this summer
“I’m a proud Mancunian, so I was very flattered and touched to be asked to do this. Art needs to be seen everywhere, and not always necessarily in a gallery. I can’t think of a better place for as many people as possible from all walks of life to be able to see my work presented this way.”
David Allinson, Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, said: “Manchester has always been a city that outperforms and exceeds expectations. Through music, sport, science, politics, creativity and innovation, Manchester’s influence is recognised around the world, and MCR Made celebrates the icons whose talent, ambition and determination helped build that reputation.
“The exhibition feels particularly at home inside Manchester Arndale, itself a Manchester institution that has been woven into the city’s fabric for almost five decades. The shopping centre provides the perfect backdrop for celebrating Manchester, its creativity and the iconic figures behind its global reputation.”
Manchester Arndale will also be giving visitors the chance to own a piece of MCR Made, with 26 limited edition A4 prints signed by Stanley Chow up for grabs. Two prints of each icon have been produced, with winners allocated their artwork at random. To enter, simply follow @manchesterarndale on Instagram and like the competition post.
MCR Made will run at Manchester Arndale from 3 August – 24 October, and is totally free to visit.
P1 Fitness – The Manchester gym that strikes the perfect blend of PT and group-based coaching
Danny Jones
We here at The Manc team are trying to get fit; it can be hard to find time for the gym when you’re busy, not to mention staying in shape when you’ve got a food scene as good as Manchester’s, which is exactly why P1 Fitness Studio is a perfect match for us.
Maybe you’ve fancied giving a personal trainer a go, or even tried a class or two, but perhaps the schedule, the price, the location or some other factor meant it wasn’t for you.
Whatever your reasoning, if you’re the kind of person who can admit they need a bit of a kick up the backside to get their arse in gear and actually stick at this gym lark, we can assure you this is an ideal place to build the right kinds of habits.
And trust us, they’ll keep pushing to make sure it sinks in.
Top-end facilities, secure lockers, every bit of kit you’ll ever need and much more (Credit: The Manc)
Aside from the anti-ego environment in general – you won’t catch anyone staring at themselves in mirrors here – it’s also just nice to be around people with similar lifestyles.
Boasting tonnes of positive reviews online, P1 Fitness is a place for busy professionals who aren’t willing to let work and all other time-consuming parts of ‘adulting’ be an excuse to not carve out less than an hour to better themselves.
And for most people, that really is all it takes to start seeing a difference; two 50-minute sessions might not sound like a lot to some, but the effort you put in during the group workouts is more than enough to get the benefit.
They focus on quality, not quantity, making sure every day that you turn up is worthwhile, and no drop of sweat is wasted.
Better still, they keep the numbers low and even break off into smaller groups to explain and tailor workouts to suit each person.
It’s not just weekly blocks stuck on a wall that you have to stick to: everything is flexible, and they do try and give everyone as much one-on-one attention as possible from the P1 staff.
Here’s what some other members have had to say in their recent testimonials:
“The biggest difference isn’t that I’m fitter and stronger. It’s that I don’t have to think about it anymore. Before P1 I’d spend all week telling myself I needed to go to the gym, then I’d be too tired, it’d be busy, I didn’t know what to do, and I’d end up doing nothing and beating myself up about it.
“Now I just turn up twice a week. Someone tells me what to do, I get coached to do it right, then shower, go back to work and my fitness takes care of itself. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
Louise
“I genuinely thought I hated gyms. In fact, when I saw one, I used to cross the street to avoid it… Turns out I hated the ‘usuall’ gym experience. Wondering what I was supposed to be doing, fighting for equipment in the crowd and being self-conscious about my form.
“At P1, I simply walk in, everything’s ready – someone coaches me through the session, we have a laugh in the group, and before I know it I’m finished. I actually look forward to training now, which is crazy.
Damien
One of our very own, Lonnie, says it’s given him a sense of “structure, routine and a community” in the gym like never before, and added that “it’s become that third space where people can come together to better themselves in a fun and unique way.”
Abby is ever the hard-working, friendly face; her husband and fellow co-owner, Peter, is a ‘BFG’ who will always push you to your limits but knows when not to beast you; Ben is a great instructor with a great way of breaking down movements, and Mel is the smiling assassin who is as dedicated as she is smiley.
Then there’s Katie, who is somehow juggling a PhD and working at P1 part-time, all whilst being an absolute Duracell bunny of a trainer. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better team.
Best of all, you can choose when to register for a session based not only on who you prefer working with, but whatever time suits you; you can even put your name down as last-gasp as you like – in fact, we’ve turned up with five minutes’ notice on more than one occasion.
It’s also great to see that they’re more than happy to roll out a mat or pick up a weight and properly get stuck in there with you.
Put simply: much like you, all of these guys have their own special traits, but one thing they do all have in common is an incredible amount of drive and passion for the work they do, not to mention the knowledge and experience to back it up.
We’re not going to give you any harder of a sell than that; all we’ll say is that we’re feeling more positive about our current fitness journey than we have in a long time, and if you want to make similar progress, P1 might just be for you.
So, if you are truly looking to get fitter in a setting where consistency, accountability and community thrive, consider this your sign to finally get serious.
You can find out more and enquire about joining right HERE.
You won’t find a friendlier team. (Credit: Supplied)
Danny Jones -
18th July 2024 
