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One has to assume that when a restaurant has been in business for as long as the Asia (est. 1979), someone, somewhere must have a pretty good idea what they're doing. They know what we like and they know how to give it to us. But fashions change and restaurants must too.
The Asia has taken this on board and relaunched itself in 2004 as Asia Fusion. The changes are characterised more by enthusiasm than by art. There is a harsh new black and white colour scheme. The sooty frontage merges in with the equally inky Revolution bar, next door. Inside, one is dazzled by the whiteness of the brightly-lit walls. The restaurant's web address is etched in glass for all to see and copy into their digital assistants. And here is the most puzzling change: the new name.
Implying some kind of east/west alchemy, the creation of a new genre of massala modernity, an Indian innovation, it is soon given the lie by the menu. All the old favourites are there and there is not a trace of rocket, balsamic vinegar, noodles or chorizo. In fact, they really ought to get the menu displayed in the window, or prospective diners might be lured in under false pretences.
On previous visits we have chosen from these old standbys and found them to be good, better in fact than most in Chester. But on our most recent visit, we decided to push the envelope and go for the chef's specials. There are five of these, listed in a shining silver panel on the menu. Their names looked unfamiliar and when I checked them on Google afterwards there were no matches. They are figments of the chef's imagination.
But what an imagination! These inventions were a tonic to palates that have become jaded from the routine of the curry house experience. One was superb and one misguided, but both could be justified by the excitement they gave us. The Sali Zarda Aloo was sweet with honey, apricots and almonds - too sweet to work as such a large portion. Perhaps it would make a better starter. The Lamb Shek Shek, like the Sali Zarda Aloo, was served on a large plate without accompaniment and filled it completely. One associates coconut with coolness in Indian cuisine, but here was a dish flecked with coconut and tasting strongly of it, yet as spicy as a typical madras. The meat was presented as strips of tender lamb, the sauce was thick with a glossy slick of oil on top. From the first mouthful it was a compulsive and memorable chew.
We had ordered pilao rice (subtly coloured and delightfully aromatic), sag aloo bhaji (cooked a point with a rich, buttery flavour) and a peshwari nan. It has to be said that none of these was a happy playmate for the lamb. We would have done better to constrain ourselves to a simple portion of boiled rice. Had this been an establishment charging twice as much, the choice would have been taken out of our hands and the dish presented with the chef's own ideal combination of foodstuffs. It might have been helpful if the same approach had been taken here. Maybe then, the 'Fusion' of the restaurant's name might be justified.
Our other dishes were faultless. We went for the 'Glasgow starter' - popadums and chutneys - and found the pops large, pale and crisp (though not warm) and the chutneys fresh and tasty (especially the red one!). We chose the only Asian dessert from the laminated menu, an excellent, creamy kulfi served in an attractive ethnicky pot. There was no draft beer, though with the excellent bottled Cobra, who would want it? No espresso, either, which is a slight disappointment. Service is efficient without being over-solicitous.
So long as they can hold on to this chef - we were told he is south Indian, though there is no south Indian tackle on the menu - this is going to be a fine place to eat. Though they could do a lot worse than change their interior designer. The Asia was Chester's first curry house: it deserves to carry on for many years to come.
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