Comfort and joy at the ready
Published date | 22 January 2022 |
Publication title | Daily Record, The / Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) |
On the train home that night, it struck me. We should call it "can't be arsed". These are, after all, the emergency items we all turn to when we are too weary, grumpy or burnt out to crack an egg or open a tin of beans.
The editor loved this idea but many readers hated it. However I stand by the idea that this is public service journalism. If I can barely crawl to the corner shop, I do not want a katsu curry that's more like cat food or lasagne that looks like it's been beaten up.
I have taken the same idea, if not the catchy title, into my restaurant reviews. Of course, I want to tell you about all the fanciest new places and whether they are worth the sometimes eye watering prices. But I also want to guide you to the neighbourhood spots that have your back when you lack the resources to open the fridge.
21/
And while it has never been easier to summon a takeaway, I think there is a lot to be said for putting on a slick of lipstick, heading for somewhere brightly lit and inviting and letting someone else do the washing up.
The food should be cheering and hearty but fresh and relatively healthy too. Something that will raise the mood and replenish low energy, not wipe out what's left with refined carbs and sugar.
Lobo, a cosy new Mediterranean spot in Glasgow's Strathbungo, ticks these boxes and more. There is a dedicated vegan menu but even ordering from the regular menu almost guarantees five a day. There are a handful of nibbly dishes, five more substantial veg-based plates, then one chicken, one seafood and one meat, plus four sides. The waitress suggested ordering five for two people to share. She added the caveat that the portions were huge.
Did we listen? Of course not. Where's the fun in that?
I looked longingly at a roast fennel salad while Carb Boy gravitated towards gnocchi with mushrooms in a sauce containing both butter and parmesan. But when the deep dish of potato dumplings, buttery brown mushies and fat curls of cheese arrived, I was glad he had insisted. Sometimes this kind of bosky, creamy comfort food is exactly what is required. He was less taken with a warm compilation of cavolo nero, roast squash and ricotta. His loss - when spirits are low, the contrast of deep leafy greens and vibrant...
To continue reading
Request your trial