Ashiana crowned East Midlands’ regional restaurant of the year at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards 2022

By Liselle | October 6, 2022

The Ashiana Indian & Bangladeshi Restaurant at North Muskham took home the title of Regional Restaurant of the Year for the East Midlands at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTA) 2022 held in London in October.

Owner, Sai Miah, spoke of his delight following the win, saying: “We’ve been here for 15 years now and this award shows that all our hard work has paid off.

Sai collects the Best Restaurant in the East Midlands award at ARTA 2022 at the O2 in London

“I think we won because of our consistency and the quality of the food, but I also think personality plays a big part in our industry.

“We have a friendly approach and we try to treat every customer as if it’s their first time with us so that they feel welcome in the restaurant.

“A lot of customers tell me they come to see the staff and having a familiar face is a really important factor in that as it gives them confidence in the service they receive.”

Sai also talked about how the restaurant has had to adapt over the past few years with the Coronavirus pandemic and restrictions placed on the hospitality industry as a result.

Sai and his team believe in putting customers at the heart of everything they do at the Ashiana Indian & Bangladeshi Restaurant. Photo credit: Newark Advertiser.

“During covid we put a lot of work into the restaurant, including adding the al fresco dining outside, which has been quite a niche that is paying off for us now, as not many other pubs and restaurants did that.

“After the pandemic customer habits have changed. They come out to eat less often, but when they do it’s for special occasions and so they want a higher quality meal.

Alfresco dining at the Ashiana Indian Restaurant — Alfresco dining is available at the Ashiana, both open air in the gardens and under cover with heaters and blankets for cooler months.

“Everything is important to us, from the food to how the restaurant looks. Keeping things clean, monitoring the car park, making sure litter and cigarette ends are picked up, it all plays a part.

“Being just off the A1 helps a lot with business too and we have now become a destination restaurant. Our customers regularly travel from as far as Doncaster and Leeds to eat with us and this award is evidence of our service and quality.”

The ARTA awards celebrate Britain’s vibrant Asian restaurants and takeaways and offer support to the industry which is currently facing the challenges of high energy costs, inflation and the lasting impact of the pandemic.

The competition’s organisers say more than 2,370 restaurants and takeaways across the UK were nominated. According to the organisers, each restaurant is given a customer nomination score that includes three key factors: quality of food, quality of service, and value for money.

This is followed by the ARTA score, which includes the food hygiene rating and reviews from websites such as Tripadvisor and Google.

The Ashiana also received more good news after it was named in the top ten percent of restaurants worldwide by TripAdvisor for the third year in a row.