Ashoka is named for the Indian Emperor Ashoka who came to the throne in about 268 B.C and ruled for about eight years before, horrified by the carnage of war, abdicating to become a devout Buddhist. His namesake restaurant also offers a change of direction for the traditional devotee of Indian food, promising “a new concept in contemporary Indian cuisine.” This is definitely a restaurant, not a curry house: there's modern, stylish open-plan seating not booths, the emphasis is on light-handed blending of seasonings to enhance the main ingredients not suffocate them and ten pints of lager are not a required precursor to dining. The extensive menu offers English and Indian dishes and combinations of the two (and catch the range of Indian- influenced pizzas). The ingredients are fresh every day and no artificial colourings are used.