Shimla Pinks

Glasgow, and the Southside in particular, have a huge array of Indian Restaurants and over the last few weeks I've been to one of the most well known and one of the newest.

SHIMLA PINKS
Shimla Pinks (see photo above) is a bit of a southside institution, sitting on a prime corner spot at the main Pollokshaws Road entrance to Queens Park. Its bright pink signage will be a familiar sight to commuters crawling to work in the morning.

Shimlas had a bit of a face lift last year (jet black and neon pink) but the place ended up looking like a nightclub from the outside which put me off eating there and I'm glad they've decided to repaint back to white.

I was really looking forward to be going to Shimlas - I've lived nearby for three years but always seem to end up going elsewhere for grub so to try it for the first time was quite exciting.

First impression when walking in the door was a bit of a surprise the inside is still black and pink with very modern furniture. While I think when the place is full and busy that minimalism might work well - we had gone just before 6pm on a Tuesday night and the place was dead and the decor made it feel very empty. The inside is more like a bar and I think the new owners intention with their last face lift was to make it half bar/ half restaurant. This however gives it a bit of an identity crises. What exactly is it supposed to be?

I was worried my expectation build up over the three previous years would taint my opinion regarding the food and I think it may have done to a certain extent, as while I found the food and service were both reasonably good, I just wasn't blown away as friends recommendations had previously led me to believe I would be. Not terribly bad - but just OK tasting, reasonably priced food.

I think my alternative recomendation for a good Indian meal is still the Village in Tradeston.

Other external reviews:
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-2795611-prod-travelguide-action-read-ratings_and_reviews-i
http://www.glasgoweating.co.uk/9088.htm
http://www.myglasgow.org/glasgow/restaurants-review-glas-shimla-pinks.htm