Were you watching Masterchef The Professionals?

Well I was – and I thought it was fantastic. I tuned in at some point in the early elimination stages and was riveted. At the beginning, the chefs were nervous and clumsy (not that I blame them, mind you) and struggled with some of the basic tasks they were asked to complete in a nerve-grindingly short time frame and under the hard stare of the judges. Once they got past these initial lumps and bumps though, it was really wonderful. You got a chance to see quite creative minds at play – their ideas didn’t always work and their plates were not always beautiful, but you have to give them credit for trying so hard.

I’m not sure what was more fascinating – watching the precision activity and exacting standards in Michelin starred kitchens, watching these talented pros slice and dice and whatnot with speed and finesse, or watching Gregg Wallace and Michel Roux Jr. savour and comment on all these dishes. I’m not sure what my favourite plate was – there were far too many to choose from, involving too many fabulous ingredients (game and fish galore) and too many colourful garnishes. It seems that the key is the careful balance of simplicity and complexity – great food does (usually, anyway) tend to have an elegant simplicity about it without somehow actually being simple. Does that make sense – if not, I recommend you watch this series and you will understand.

I do, however, know what my favourite moment was. The contestants were asked to prepare dishes that reminded them of their personal heroes or people who were important to them. This was a great round as they all really put their heart into it and produced some of their finest plates. Steve (the eventual winner) made a complex dessert plate based around a simple banana cake that reminded him of his mother. Michel Roux Jr. took a taste of this dessert and actually giggled and said ‘yummy’. Watching this calm, elegant and seasoned professional, who is so thoroughly infused with dynastic culinary greatness, so thoroughly enjoy something, made my night. That’s what great food is about, isn’t it?

A yummy haven on Woodlands Road

Glasgow is full of those anonymous cafes and restaurants that you pass a thousand times before you notice them, if you ever do notice them at all. And it’s too bad, because at times they can offer the best surprises.

Wednesday night my husband and I decided we didn’t want to cook, but we couldn’t decide where to eat. We wanted to go somewhere inexpensive, but we were tired of our usual takeaway haunts. It’s when I was walking home from work, along Woodlands Road, that I remembered MBK telling me she quite liked Café La Padella, just up the road from the Sainsbury’s petrol station. I had always assumed it was Italian, but MBK had informed me it was Turkish, and that, while not actually a vegetarian restaurant, they do specialise in vegetarian mezze.

The food was amazing. Well, the Turkish food was. We ordered hummus and borek (flaky pastry filled with cheese) for starters. The hummus was rich, with plenty of olive oil and came with freshly made fluffy pita. The borek was tasty too, although it looked more like a plate of spring rolls when it came out. I am used to borek being wee triangles.

The main dishes were enough to fill us up and satisfy (I had a vegetarian lasagne with potatoes instead of pasta separating the layers, my husband had fried cod) but they were a bit stodgy. I’d like to go back and just get Turkish food next time – perhaps share a mezze plate and bring a bottle of wine. I don’t know if they’re fully licensed, I didn’t see a wine menu, but they do let you bring your own bottle, with a very reasonable corkage fee that seems to vary, but stays around a couple of pounds.

The staff were very nice and friendly. MBK tells me the owner says hi to her on the street, even when she hasn’t been in for a while. It’s the kind of place that deserves to be busy every night of the week because it offers real value for money, and something alittle bit different from the typical anonymous café.

What do you crave when you are sick?

Everyone it seems is sick at the moment. We were visiting friends on Friday night last week and since then, one by one, we have all fallen ill with whatever nasty cold-like bug is making the rounds. So, even more than usual, the topic of conversation in our house this week has been what to eat – what can we be bothered to make, what can we face in our weakened states and what qualifies as true comfort food? While my other half was ill, I was trying to find things to encourage him to eat and that might help. Turns out, his idea of ‘sick food’ is either (a) nothing but milky tea as he’s too worn out to try and feed himself or (b) cream of tomato soup and toast.

My soup preference would be for chicken probably but tomato is a wholesome (if slightly salty) option for those who grew up on tomato soup, who are vegetarians or who don’t mind the dairy in ‘cream of’ soups (which leaves me out). When I started to feel dodgy the other day, however, I immediately sought refuge in our favourite Indian takeaway and brought us home a spicy set meal for 2 (which since we were both sick took us two days to eat). Garlic, ginger and chilli are good for you, right? That’s my theory anyhow.

I think my ultimate sick food however has to be mashed potatoes. My mom always fed me this as a kid when I suffered with sore throats (and this was a lot). I know the traditional remedy for a child with a sore throat is ice cream but the thought of eating something so cold when I had a fever did not appeal to me in the slightest - and this is probably not the best place to start the sweet tooth vs salt tooth conversation anyway. The good thing about mashed potatoes (instant is fine in my book for these purposes) is that you can vary it based on how sick you are – bland with a bit of salt and butter if you are really in a bad way or with other flavourings such as chopped veg, canned corn, pesto, roasted garlic, sun blush tomatoes, etc. if you are needing a bit more oomph. It’s a bit like Chinese jook or congee – essentially a bland rice porridge which is fortifying and bland on its own but which can be dressed up with any number of garnishes to suit. Thousand year old eggs, anyone?

So, readers, what do you crave when you are sick?

Friday Afternoon Wine

After spending Friday sewing up the details of a project at work, I joined my colleague (you know her as ‘girl-e’) for a celebratory and much deserved glass of wine to wind down a bit. Working in the West End of Glasgow, we found ourselves at Stravaigin on Gibson Street. As they are something of an institution, I won’t take too much time to talk about the food – other than to say that they take beautiful Scottish ingredients and mix things up with fusion-y touches and you can get always get a tasty, reliable burger and chips. What I’d really rather talk about is the lovely wine that we had on this particular occasion. We treated ourselves to a Vina Chocalon, Cabernet Franc Reserva, 2006 from the Maipo Valley in Chile – a large glass to be sure (it was Friday after all). I don’t think I’d ever had a Cabernet Franc from Chile and as I’ve always been a fan of Loire Valley reds (which also tend to be Cab Franc) I though this was worth a try. Well – what a good idea!

Cab Franc tends to be a more medium-bodied wine than, say, its cousin Cabernet Sauvignon (and it is often used in blends with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - think Bordeaux) but this one was dense and rich and perfumed. It was a gorgeous dark garnet colour with hints of purple. The flavour was quite concentrated with deep, dark cherries, a chocolate-y finish and a lush texture. Girl-e commented that the wine made her think of rich, opulent fabrics and cozy winter nights. With time in the glass, the perfume became more vanilla-scented with hints of pencil lead (a trademark of the grape). It had a nice astringency which made me think it would be lovely with food – such as the aforementioned burger, their lovely haggis or with rabbit, duck or a cheese plate.

If you want to try this wine, then head down to Stravaigin – or, buy this wine from Slurp and start accruing their ‘cork points’ now!

The Mother of Indian restaurants

If you live in Glasgow, and for some bizarre reason you haven’t yet tried Mother India, my advice to you is do it – now. I’ve only been 3 times myself, but every time was consistently yummy. The food was fresh and delicious, and anyone I know who has eaten there has had consistently good experiences.

The place is popular. The last time I was there it was a Saturday night and even though we had booked, we still had to wait in a queue of people, all with reservations. This was quickly resolved, however, when I phoned the restaurant from my mobile outside and said, ‘Hi, we have a party of 10, any chance our table is ready?’ A waitress promptly emerged and took us downstairs to our table.

One bit of advice – don’t book online. The website requires that you give credit card details, but if you phone, they don’t ask for this.

With all the Indian restaurants in Glasgow, a place has to pretty amazing to stand out. With Mother India, you won’t get any of those bright red, obviously dyed dishes with pools of oil resting on top. You’ll just get complex flavours and plenty of fresh vegetables and spice. Delicious!

You can get all the info you need on the website, including menus. Visit www.motherindiaglasgow.co.uk.

How can I choose just one favourite restaurant?

The answer, I suppose, is that I can’t. There’s far too much to choose from in our fair city – and the choice is constantly changing. That being said, one of my favourite places in Glasgow has to be Asia Style on St. Georges Road. It’s not fancy and it’s not expensive but I’ve never had anything less than a fantastic meal there. It’s a mixture of standard Chinese restaurant dishes like green pepper and black bean sauce, sweet and sour, or Chinese-style curry (all done really well) and Malay, Nyonya and Malaysian-Chinese dishes like Hainan chicken rice, soft shell chile crab, rice porridges, curries, laksas and a number of dishes that are done ‘Malaysia style’. Don’t worry about the distinctions between the different cuisines – they are all delicious. Many people who have had the pleasure of travelling in Asia have sworn to the authenticity of the flavours. All I know is that it makes me very, very happy to have a meal there!

The décor is simple and basic and we are rarely lucky enough to arrive at time when there is no line for a table. Part of the enjoyment of the meal is watching what everyone else is getting and trying to figure out what it is. Staff are very helpful with this, as are your fellow diners generally speaking – it’s definitely the kind of buzzing atmosphere that would encourage you to lean over and ask your neighbours what that wonderful thing is that they are eating. It’s one of the best ways to zero in on something new that you want to try. In fact, one of my biggest problems in Asia Style is ordering something new – and not for lack of choice. Rather I have loved the dishes that I have sampled so much that it seems heart- breaking to try something new and leave a well-loved dish un-tasted for the day.

Another joy of eating here is that the portions are generous and I almost always have leftovers for lunch the next day. Of course, my colleagues are not always thrilled when I use the communal microwave at the office to heat up something that has shrimp paste in it – a common ingredient, rather like the Mediterranean use of anchovies, which can be a bit pungent for some but adds a marvellous savoury quality to everything it touches.

So what’s not to love - this is a stellar place for a meal; it won’t break the bank; it’s a great place for a group meal or a party (book first for this though) to enjoy lots of shared plates and last but not least, you can get take away and enjoy the fabulousness in your own home. Oh – and you can join the Facebook Asia Style Appreciation group if you need to connect with others who understand once you are hooked!

Details: 185 St Georges Road, Glasgow, G36JD, 0141 332 8828