Curry Wishes and Pakora Dreams.....

One of the best things about living in the City Centre of Glasgow is that we are surrounded by drinking, dining and shopping choices. We have been a bit extra lazy (or busy?) lately though and have been indulging more than usual in takeaway meals - and happily we are spoiled for choice. Our local favourite has to be the Balti Club on Woodlands Road, in the shadow of the Sainsbury's petrol station. At first glance, it's just your average neighborhood takeaway shop - but it is without a doubt a great choice for good, fast, fresh food. The staff are so nice and helpful and have been able to answer all my allergy questions. I've also never had anything from there that hasn't been excellent. OK - it's still takeaway food so to be consumed in moderation ideally - but what a great treat for those nights when you just don't have time/energy/inclination/etc. to cook.

We vacillate between the set meal deal for 2 for around £14 - and more food than we can manage in one meal - or a pizza (for him) and a kebab (for her). Don't judge me for the kebab - I get a chicken tikka kebab (chunks of marinated, chargrilled ckicken) served with sauce and salad and no bread (sticking with the gluten free theme). No mystery meat slices for me - just fresh, tasty chicken served with a most excellent chili sauce. The meal deal is a real winner too although hardly revolutionary in a curry-soaked city such as our own - a serving of pakora to split, plus poppadums and onions, plus rice and naan, plus two main course curries. Our favourites are the bhoona and the achari - I particularly love the achari as it has just the right amount of tasty pickley bits and just the right amount of chili goodness.

I would be missing something important as well if I didn't wax lyrical just a bit about the pakora. The batter is crispy and not too thick or bready and the assortment of pakora to choose from is fantastic. You get your 'regular' chicken, mushroom, vegetable type pakora - although the latter is notably more fluffy (this is a good thing) than crispy - as well as an array of unusual choices such as spinach and jalapeno, spinach and brie, caluiflower and cheese, etc. You can also order (with 24 hours notice) a party pack of 50 or 100 pieces (for £10 or £18 respectively) which seems like a great idea for entertaining!

Bibi’s Cantina

I’ve lived in Glasgow for over seven years and I can only remember a handful of times when I’ve eaten a decent Mexican meal (not including own cooking – which I quite like!). I’d walked by Bibi’s Cantina a year ago and had never motivated myself to try it. But, having decided to go for lunch last Saturday, I was not disappointed.

The Cantina is located on the outskirts of the trendy part of the West end, a few minutes walk from Partick Station going away from town. The outside of the building isn’t particularly memorable, but it is bright and airy for the size of the room. The walls are plastered with the usual kitchy Mexicana pictures and illustrations, but there’s enough white paint and wall space to pull it off.

Eager to try as much as I could on the menu, my partner in crime and I, shared our food choices. Our starters were fried jalapeno peppers stuffed with soft cheese and simple nachos, nacho chips smothered in cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and jalapeno peppers. The one piece of criticism I would give to the starters was for the nachos. While it was very tasty, with what you could tell was a very flavourful homemade salsa, the cheese wasn’t very melted and was piled in the centre of the dish rather than all over the chips. But, that wouldn’t stop me from ordering it again.

My partner’s main course was chicken burrito, while I ate the chicken fajitas. The burrito was tasty and filling, with a good mix of flavours. There was ample salsa and sour cream on it, but the side salad didn’t quite seem to match food flavours. I think a side of rice and refried beans would have really complimented the food and tied it all together, as long as it isn’t the stodgy lump that’s usually served... so perhaps the side salad was a nice change. The size of the burrito was good for a lunch, but probably not enough for a main meal at night (though we were there at lunch so hopefully a dinner portion would be larger).

My chicken fajitas were excellent. The chicken was marinated in tequila and lime juice and came served on a sizzling platter with a mix of grilled peppers, onions and chilli peppers. At first I wasn’t sure that three small tortillas would be a large enough portion size (I have big eyes when it comes to food) but actually, it was just right. There was a big serving of the usual toppings, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and cheese, and was more than enough for my needs. The flavour of the chicken and vegetables was scrummy and well worth a try.

I’ll definitely go back to Bibi’s Cantina and recommend it to others – whether veggie or meat friendly. There seems to be a good mix of veggie and meaty dishes and the service is fast and friendly, and the prices very reasonable (£8.95 for a two course lunch). Since I was only there for a lunch I can’t offer any opinion on a dinner meal ... but the margarita mixing machine was spinning when I was there and I’m keen to try some. Girls night out anyone?

Bibi’s Cantina
599 Dumbarton Road, G11 6HY
Tel: 0141 579 0179
info@bibiscantina.comwww.bibiscantiina.com

Solomon's Mine (so back off)

Stop what you're doing! Get off the net! Head down to Queen of Sheba, a new and totally brilliant restaurant in Glasgow's St George's cross. Not hungry? Who cares, you'd be stuffed halfway through the main course anyway.

Me and Girl-e were going to get the usual Friday night takeaway, although we've gone through something of a local restaurant trial seperation since we last dropped in on our local Italian; instead of seafood spaghetti, they gave me a Carbonora which was actually a soup-based dish served in melted Lurpak instead of water. She still likes the pizza.

Last minute change of plan - we head to fast food powerhouse Asia Style in St George's road, but seeing as they're off ushering in the year of the Tiger, we go next door; stepping through a front door straight out of a B & Q sale and into a beautiful, but quirkily unpretentious interior with mushroom-like woven tables and cute stools which leave you only a foot off the ground.

Still reading? Get down there and give them your money before they shut down. The place was deserted but for our smily waitress wearing, presumably, Abyssinian national dress. No alcohol, (byob) so I sip some fragrant black tea with a spoonful of sugar and we order a starter and main.

I never see oxtail on menus; my starter is similar - a clear, oily broth with shreds of lamb on the bone. Girl-e has Sambusa parcels with lentils. Very nice, but the mains are the thing, and I'm disappointed that we don't eat them as intended - everyone present dining off the same giant pancake.

Why did we ever eat anything that was less than 100% meat? Meat which includes not-meat is a sickening thought when you think about it - I've just eaten a plate of raw beef, and now I feel I could fight a cow for more. It arrives on a delicious sour pancake the size of a Turkey platter called an 'Injera'. The waitress warns me what I'm getting, and right enough, it's a mere flash in the pan away from standing round, eating grass and taking few life-changing risks. Has it been seasoned? What is the taste of beef, anyway? Prepared this way, the blood and fat take on a flavour of their own; the texture is only as surprising as sushi.

We get a spoonful of fiery spice, as powder and blended with butter, which we dip as we go along, eating with our fingers. Girl-e orders a combination of lentil stew and spinach on fried onions and can't finish hers, either; excuse the bland description, it was nice when I had a spoonful of the leftovers just now. There are several vegetarian options to run through when we come back.

Why did we eat all those curries and pastas? Why do we even heat things up? Our idea of a guilty pleasure is a plate of meat slurry with mayo on a bun. I get through half of the main and get the rest wrapped up, and I'm still on a protein buzz.

I'm off to Google Ethiopia now, it's gratifying Glasgow finally has one of their restaurants. I do know the Queen of Sheba was married to the great King Solomon. I'm going back with friends, soon. It's the taste of ... civilisation.

Office xmas dinner hell

No, actually it was pretty good. the Grill On The Corner is just along Bothwell Street from bums-on-seats overlord Witherspoons and across the road from dismal booze palace Madness, so I'm sure we weren't the only bunch of office workers on a night out. The bill was a not-exactly-cheap £27 including service charge, not including the decent Chilean wine generously bought for us by the boss, but the food was worth it.

Not crazy about the Grill's atmosphere and ambience; the table felt a tad small, it was super busy, the chandeliers most likely didn't belong to Louis XIV, and the clattering drone of other diners and musak made most of what was said at the other end of our ten-strong table incomprehensible. Plus, I don't like having to fill out a form to get special offer emails before the waiter takes our order for food, and being asked why I'm not going to take part.

Anyway, down to the food. Starter's very nice, crab meat and a generous amount of prawns on noodles with a few leaves of herb salad. Did I mention that Chilean wine? Nice and full bodied it is, and I seem to have my own bottle at this end of the table. Hic. My steak is slightly more done than the rare I asked for but is perfectly nice and well trimmed with fried potatoes and crisp veg. Finallly, although my sample of chocolate tart is as nice as it sounds on the menu, I'm glad that I opt for the apple and summer fruit crumble instead. How long has it been since I had crumble? Why did I wait so long?

Overall a pretty good xmas meal, but it was the food which carried the night out; leaving me with a similar impression of drinking a great real ale at Witherspoons - if you can shut out the oppressive noise and marketing around you, your taste buds will find something to enjoy. As for your colleagues, well, you can catch up with them any time.

I'll have what he's having

The wife can't be bothered cooking tonight so like a 1950s patriarch I generously offer to take her out to dinner at the greatest cheap restaurant in Glasgow, Asia Style, going dutch with a couple of friends; one of whom has written a blog entry on it before.

It's busy enough for a Thursday night be we get a table at 7.00 without booking. I've figuratively dined out on the thousand year egg in porridge I once manfully ate here but I'm still trying to work my way through the place's vast menu. Tonight I've been on a long train journey, so I go for something conservative.

The next table has a succulent-looking pile of cubed duck pieces with a pile of sticky white rice, so I order the ginger duck. For starters though, we share tasty salt and pepper ribs. When the mains arrive I'm slightly disappointed that the duck is smothered in a strong, dark sauce. It mixes nicely with the coconut rice to produce a sweet gravy, and slices of chilli give it a spicy edge. As my friend warned, I have to pick the bones individually from the pieces. I get dining envy for my friend's bowl of curried chicken broth, a swirling golden concoction full of deep flavours (Masterchef was talking about deep flavours a couple of weeks back). The wife gets her usual salt and pepper beancurd, a pile of beautiful fried chunks with stinging hot chillis, along with a side dish of garlic choi san. Cheapskates beware, the sides often cost more than the main dishes.

So, not my favourite visit to Asia style, but still worth it. Next time I'll be back on the tripe porridge, I reckon.

Beer beer want more beer

To the tune of 'Hail, Hail to Piracy' ... in my inaugural post as a food blogger I hearby plug the latest special offer at JD Witherspoon's, a vastly un-edgy chain pub normally stuffed with office workers and other plebs. Not only do they do a tasty full English / Scottish breakfast for buttons (supersize it into a hard-to-finish Farmhouse version for an extra quid), steak n chips, and perfectly respectable salmon, they do excellent guest ales, and annual beer and wine festivals.

It's the chain's 30th birthday, and this ale fest is even better than usual. For the price of a 1990s pint (£1.69 at my local), you get a beautiful obscurity such as ANKER GOUDEN CAROLUS AMBRIO, a fruity Belgian ale with a reddish colour and slight head. Being dull responsible types 'Spoons only sell you it in halves (it's 8% ABV) for 85p a glass.

A European ale? With foam? Does that happen? By God, I know nothing about beer. But maybe after I've sampled the other 49 I'll be on my way. For extra middle-aged-and-lovin-it fun, rate your ale on the Witherspoons website.

www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/promotions/2009-real-ale-festival/

As a grassroots, hardcore, two fingers to the mainstream type of chap I'm pleased to note that this festival is endorsed by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Only they've been online already giving their ratings and my lovely Anker Gouden only got 2.8%. Damnit, I will not be an entry-level know-nothing! I'm going to crack this ale lark even if it costs me (reaches for calculator) a further £82.81. Just like I cracked whisky by going to that Whisky Live! fest back in September.

While I'm not a fan of seeing the same chains everywhere you go in every city of the UK, if McDonald's had a one-off Bateman's Iron Lady (based on unfluffy former Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher) on tap I'd be willing to attend their birthday party too.

Is it boring to love penne alla arrabiata?

I suppose it is, but I really really do. I use it as litmus to test how good an Italian restaurant is, the same way I used to use grilled cheese sandwiches as an indicator of how good a diner was when I still lived in New York. Arrabiata sauces can range in quality so dramatically, and you can get those thin, watery, not very spicy versions even in restaurants that are pretty good in other respects.

I love the Penne alla arrabiata at Fazzi on Cambridge Street. I don’t know if it’s my favourite, but it’s on my mind because I just had it last night for dinner. The sauce is a bit sparse but nice and rich and full of chilli and garlic. And the best part is, they add black olives! I know olives are one of those things that tend to polarise people, so if you’re looking for a good Penne alla arrabiata and the idea of black olives gives you wiggins, go to Dino’s on Sauchiehall Street.

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