Mother India

It’s the mother of all Glasgow curry houses, and pretty much the gold standard in Indian cuisine in one of the curry capitals of the British Isles. It goes through ups and downs does Mother India – and it could probably do with a refit sometime soon – but it remains a must-visit, as popular with its many regulars as it is visiting celebrities.

Since opening in 1996, Mother India has spawned several sister venues, such is its success – including the tapas-style Mother India’s Café and deli/takeaway Dining In, situated just along the road on Argyll Street, and even a branch in Edinburgh. But the main restaurant on the corner of Sauchiehall Street and Kelvingrove Street is where their confidently uncomplicated take on contemporary Indian cuisine was first tried and tested, and in many ways remains the best of the bunch.

It’s spread across three floors in all – a moodily lit cellar, a small ground-floor dining room with a bistro feel, and a main dining room upstairs decked out with dark wooden panelling and antique-looking tables and chairs. While dishes can be served in intimidatingly large portions, there’s an admirable dedication here to health-conscious cooking – more flavours, less fat. Don’t expect your standard korma or jalfrezi; do expect out-of-the-ordinary plates often with a Scottish twist, such as oven-baked spiced haddock, served piping hot still wrapped in tinfoil, or chilli garlic chicken dosas, or a lamb raan sharer for two (or one very hungry person). If you fancy taking some of the recipes home with you after your meal, Mother India has even launched its own cookbook.