Balbir's Route 77

Trusted for 10 years

​I started working in the kitchens of Glasgow’s Indian restaurants in my last years at school and through my student years at Glasgow University. In my final year I was offered the lease for the Ashoka on Argyle Street, I bought the restaurant in 1973.

Over the years I opened La Petite France in Largs, The Ashoka in Elderslie Street, followed by the Ashoka Vegetarian and Balbir’s India Brasserie.  As business boomed I opened addional restaurants in partnership with two of my friends who worked for me at the time. (Charan Gill & Gurmail Dhillon) Spice of Life, Harlequin Bar, Ashoka southside and Ashoka Johstone. In 1991 I sold my share in all the restaurants and the ‘Ashoka’ brand.

I wanted to do something different. I continued to run a few restaurants on my own, Regent Sahib, Ali Babas Balti Bar, Bombay Bistro, Vino Vino, Balti and Dosa House, Assam Gardens and  Balbirs Pure Vegetarian. My wife, Paramjit, played a huge role in our success story. She is one of the best vegetarian chefs in the country and even today we still use her recipe for some of our signature dishes, including ‘Bhel Poori’ and ‘Chana Bhatura'.

In 2001, after taking a break, I bought the old Halfway House Hotel in Ayrshire. It was here that my family and I decided to try a different approach: no menu!!! We offered our guests a banquet style meal tailored to suit their tastes, this was overwhelmingly popular.

An important factor in our restaurants' success is down to having the right attitude. I have always believed that it is important to learn about food from as many people as possible, and to understand that it is a very personal thing.

Today we have two restaurants, Balbirs Church Street (west end) & Balbirs Route 77 (ayrshire) Mukesh Varma, looks after Route 77.  My son, Neki looks after our Church Street restaurant . This setup works well, allowing me to spend time working with my chefs to ensure the quality of our food is retained, whilst considering the types of ingredients we use because of their health benefits.

I know that our customers at all of our restaurants are happy with the results, and we hope to continue to serve them true Indian food that is health-conscious whilst still being as delicious as we know it can be!