Indian Ocean's News Feed

The Indian Ocean is doing its bit for Britain’s soldiers!

07/06/2010 16:34:51

The Indian Ocean proudly handed over their cheque to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity on Tuesday (25^th May).

We held a hugely successful charity night on Thursday 29^th April as part of the national ‘Big Curry’ campaign and raised a whooping £1200.00.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean says, “Guests really dug deep and gave generously on the night. On be half of myself and the Indian Ocean staff I want to say a BIG (Curry!) thank you to everyone who came along and contributed so generously to the cause. You made us all very proud indeed!”

Spring and Summer Entertainment Guide

15/05/2010 22:43:11

North-Wests best live entertainment on show at the best indian in the northwest.

The Big Curry a BIG success for the Indian Ocean!

06/05/2010 15:09:03

The Indian Ocean faithful turned out in force on Thursday night (29^th April) at the restaurant’s Big Curry Charity Night. The event in aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity was attended by more than 100 Indian Ocean customers and ABF committee members. Guests really dug deep and gave generously on the night as over £1000 was raised for the soldiers through ticket sales, a raffle and the auction of a rail trip for two to Edinburgh! Our favourite songstress Jennie Bonita entertained guests late into the night after a delicious three course feast of Punjabi and Kashmiry food had been enjoyed.

The Indian Ocean’s event was held as part of the national ‘Big Curry’ fundraiser, run by the ABF, and in line with the prestigious Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch in London, also on Thursday 29^th April.

Chairman of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for the Greater Manchester area, Colonel David Kirkwood was at the Indian Ocean on Thursday night and explains just how vital events like this really are; “It’s events like tonight that are the bread and butter of what the ABF is all about. We really couldn’t offer the help we do to our brave service men and women without efforts like tonight. I'm delighted to be here and to see the hard work the Indian Ocean has put into its Big Curry event and the generosity of its customers.What a fabulous night!"

The founder of The Cobra Curry Club and Big Curry ambassador Pat Chapman, who couldn’t make the event on Thursday night, had popped in earlier in the week to say hello to his favourite Manchester restaurant and assured the staff he would tell Prince Charles about their efforts at the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch in Westminster.

January 2010 Newsletter

07/02/2010 20:04:58

enjoy the read by downloading the pdf.

It's a Hattrick of Best in the North West

11/11/2009 10:53:41

We have proved that good things come in threes by being named Best Restaurant in the North West for the third year in a row at the prestigious British Curry Awards.

The honour recognises the continued excellence of the Indian Ocean experience, including its food, service and public profile.

Glittering Ceremony

The British Curry Awards created by Enam Ali MBE, are amongst the highest honours available in the spice industry, often being referred to as the Oscars of Asian cuisine. The night itself is one of the most spectacular on the British restaurant calendar and this year was no exception. The glittering ceremony was held at the Battersea Evolution Centre in London on Tuesday 3rd November and was attended by top industry figures and celebrities including host Sir Trevor McDonald, Conservative party leader David Cameron and TV celebrity Chris Tarrant. David Cameron highlighted the importance of the curry industry in Britain, which is worth £3.5 billion per year, and said that it is important that immigration policy allows the top chefs from the Indian subcontinent to enter Britain and further enhance the quality of Indian food.

The awards are judged on a regional basis and the Indian Ocean beat off stiff competition from across the North West, one of the biggest markets for Asian cuisine in the country, for the third year in a row. It stood out against its competitors as a result of its diverse menu which brings together authentic recipes from across India, the Punjab and Kashmir, creating a unique taste which has consolidated their place as the best restaurant in the North West, and amongst the finest in the country. They also scored highly as a result of their service and ties to the local community including their many charity events and support of local initiatives.

Enam Ali commented “Our winners represent the cream of the industry and have to achieve something truly memorable to win. We are delighted to see restaurants like the Indian Ocean come back with new ideas year after year and they and their colleagues are driving this industry forward.”

Celebrating Tradition as Well as Innovation

Owner Nahim Aslam said, “It is a great honour to be given such a prestigious award any year, but to get it for a third year in a row is particularly special. We work hard to produce the best and most authentic food possible, celebrating tradition as well as innovation. I am doubly pleased that a regional award such as this recognises our contribution to the local community. The pressure is on to win again next year!“

October newsletter

22/10/2009 15:43:12

640 Nans and a new World Record

06/10/2009 15:50:39

The Indian Ocean restaurant has beaten another world record this week as part of this year’s Tameside Food Festival.

The Indian Ocean team cooked 640 nan breads in one hour, obliterating the target number of 400, set by the Guinness Book of Records. The feat was achieved by a team of five chefs using traditional tandoor ovens under the watchful eye of specialist chef, Akram Jat. The temperature inside a tandoor reaches up to 400°C meaning the team really had to keep their cool.

The two official judges were John Fellows from the Willow Wood Hospice and Mark Garner, Managing Director of the Planet Confidential Group which publishes Manchester Confidential online magazine. Harry Kelly, a veteran athletics coach from local club East Cheshire Harriers was the official time keeper and made sure everyone knew how much time was left. The evening was held to raise money for the Willow Wood Hospice, and the naan breads were donated to the Salvation Army Hostel in Manchester along with curry for 300 people. Guests were treated to the latest Punjabi and Kashmiri dishes prepared by their award winning chefs.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, said “I knew as Harry began the last minute countdown we had not just broken the record, we had smashed it. I am absolutely delighted that we have broken another record and raised money for Willow Wood at the same time. Special thanks go to the judges; John Fellows from Willow Wood, and Mark Garner from Manchester Confidential. They really got into the spirit and helped us get the record. It is becoming quite a tradition here!”

The Fastest Tandoor in the West

22/09/2009 14:52:56

The Indian Ocean Restaurant announces plans for a Guinness World Record Attempt

Ashton Under Lyne’s Indian Ocean restaurant has announced plans for a Guinness World Record challenge on Tuesday 29^th September to celebrate the Tameside Food and Drink Festival.

The Fastest Tandoor in the West

The saying ‘if you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen’ certainly doesn’t apply to the chefs at the Indian Ocean, and they’re going to prove it. To break the world record for the most amount of nan breads cooked in an hour, they will repeatedly reach into a tandoor oven as hot as a furnace to try to bake over 400 nans. A traditional challenge among Tandoori bakers in Pakistan, it will take all the skill, expertise and knowledge of the Indian Ocean’s expert tandoori chefs – not to mention bravery.

The charity night will include a sumptuous 5 course Indian meal and entertainment from our resident DJ. With a prize raffle of gifts from local businesses, come and join us for a great party and all in aid of a fantastic cause – Tameside’s Willow Wood Hospice which care for people with life threatening illnesses. The fresh nans will then be donated to local homeless charities and hostels, along with curry for 300 people.

Head Chef Nahim Aslam said, “This is a great opportunity to show how to prepare healthy, fresh food, and show our support for the local community at the same time. We have been involved with Tameside Food Festival since it started five years ago, but this is our first time raising money for the Willow Wood Hospice. It’ll be a fun evening and hopefully a world record breaking one too!”

Tickets for the night are £14.95 per person and can be purchased in the restaurant or over the phone or you can contact us via our website at www.indianocean.co.uk.

New Website Wins Award

23/04/2009 15:29:43

“New Website is a Great Hit”

The Indian Ocean Restaurant – Bar - Terrace scoop an award in a matter of days after new website going live. Adding to recent success the new website has been awarded the winner of the “eTameside awards 2008 - Most innovative use of ICT in a Local Business”

Owner, Nahim Aslam comments, “In-line with our commitment to providing our existing and future customers with the best possible service, we're proud to announce the launch of our brand new website and for recognition it has received so quickly. Re-developed from the ground up with a focus on expandability and user-friendliness.

As the award-winning 'Best Indian Restaurant in the North West', we strive to continuously enhance our customers' experiences, going all-out not just with our award-winning menus but across every aspect of our service. We don't want to just be known as 'that Indian restaurant with the amazing food', but also as 'the Indian restaurant which created its own online community and revolutionised the food industry'.

See for yourself at www.indianocean.co.uk

New Website

30/03/2009 21:30:47

In-line with our commitment to providing our existing and future customers with the best possible service, we're proud to announce the launch of our brand new website! Re-developed from the ground up with a focus on expandability and user-friendliness, we'll be implementing a diverse range of high-tech gadgetry over the coming days and weeks, including video uploads, voting systems, and much more.

As the award-winning 'best Indian restaurant in the North West', we strive to continuously enhance our customers' experiences, going all-out not just with our award-winning menus but across every aspect of our service. We don't want to just be known as 'that Indian restaurant with the amazing food', but also as 'the Indian restaurant which created its own online community and revolutionised the food industry'.

You're only looking at a 'beta' version of the site right now, which means it's not quite finished and not all of the new features have been implemented just yet. Watch this space, because we’re going to be adding features and enhancing the site's functionality as time goes on, with an aim to becoming the world's greatest site dedicated to Indian cuisine.

Stay tuned!

Faithfully yours,
All the team at The Indian Ocean Restaurant.

£1,000 raised by The Indian Ocean for OXFAM

15/12/2008 13:34:23

The Indian Ocean Restaurant & Lounge raised almost £1000 on behalf of Oxfam during National Curry Week at the end of November. The highlight of the week was the Oxfam Charity Dinner, a five-course dinner in the company of guests of honour, the Worshipful Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Tameside.
Diners dug deep into their pockets to support a charity raffle and the Indian Ocean contributed £1 for every restaurant meal ordered during the week.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, confirmed: "We know that our customers are finding things tougher this year, particularly with Christmas approaching. Nevertheless, we are delighted that their
generosity has allowed us to contribute this fantastic sum to such a worthy cause."

INDIAN OCEAN SPICES UP LIFE AT LINDEN ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

10/12/2008 13:36:28

Children at Linden Road Primary School in Denton enjoyed a cookery lesson with a difference today as two chefs from the Indian Ocean restaurant in Ashton-under-Lyne cooked up a storm.

The 7-11 year olds were taught about Indian spices and their uses – and then had the chance to sample the delicious dishes that chefs had prepared in front of their eyes. With 5 different curries, peshwari nans and rice on offer, the tasting session proved extremely popular – and many of the children stayed behind to enjoy seconds!

Elaine Roberts, special needs teacher at Linden Road, organised the lunchtime experience. She explains: “We thought this would be a great part of our Food for Life programme and were delighted when the Indian Ocean agreed to help us. The children loved the demonstration and the tasting session looked like a scene from ‘Oliver’ with them all queuing up for more! It was a fantastic success and the Indian Ocean have agreed to return in the future, teaching small groups how to cook and possibly parents too.”

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, agreed: “We were delighted to be a part of this school initiative. Of course, many of our staff are parents too and we all know how important it is to look after the health and diets of our children. We are always happy to become involved with local schools so if any others are interested in a ‘spice cookery lesson’ then please contact us and we’ll do the rest!”

INDIAN OCEAN RESTAURANT SUPPORTS OXFAM APPEAL

10/12/2008 13:24:56

The Indian Ocean Restaurant & Lounge is once again hosting a series of events on behalf of the Oxfam Appeal during National Curry Week from 23-29 November.

The highlight of the week is the Oxfam Charity Dinner at 7pm on Monday 24 November. This year, diners can relax to the sounds of classical Indian music and enjoy a tantalising five-course dinner in the company of our guests of honour, the Worshipful Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Tameside. This costs just £19.95 per person and the Indian Ocean is contributing £1 to the Oxfam Appeal for every guest who participates in the celebrations during the course of the week.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, confirms: “This year alone we have raised £2000 for the NSPCC and are hoping to raise more than £5000 for the Oxfam Appeal. We are asking local companies for their help – we need gifts, prizes or signed memorabilia for our auction on the night and we are also asking for monetary donations made payable to the Oxfam Appeal. If any company books a table for 10 or more employees, then we will be delighted to include them in our publicity on the night and subsequent PR. We really do want to make an amazing success of our Oxfam Charity Dinner – but we may struggle without the generosity and support of our donors!

If you would like to contribute to the Indian Ocean Oxfam Appeal or make a table reservation please contact the restaurant on 0161 343 3343 or email info@indianocean.co.uk