Gideon's Way!
So, The Mary missed had me so much she gave me a hug that
lasted all of two seconds before saying;
“What the hell are
you doing with your hair? It looks
absolutely all right!”
That lassie always manages to make a compliment sound as if
she’s about to attack me!
Anyway, it’s been a tough couple of
weeks so being with friends and family is the best medicine; even if it’s sometimes
bitter and a bit hard to swallow.
Well, all of the above and great
food!
I started my week off by meeting
my good friend Helen, who owns Sensations in Troon, at Il Pavone. It’s one of our favourite places and we know
there’s always a warm welcome and great food waiting for us. This is one of the places in town which feels
like home and the familiarity is both comforting and uplifting.
The food is consistently authentic
and great value for money. I choose from
the set menu and had the most delicious minestrone followed by salmon with
fresh, colourful, seasonal vegetables.
Helen had the same starter but chose pasta with meat sauce as her main
course. The staff are very friendly and
seem to know when to leave you be without making you feel ignored. Shona is delightful!
Because The Mary hadn't been out
for a while I thought we should do something a bit special; a visit to Guy's inMerchant City and lo and behold, when we walk through the door, there he was,
the Wee Man, blocking our way. Guy Cowan
is a man who always cheers me up. I only
have to look at his face and when he gives that cheeky sideways glance it sends
me into hysterics. From that point everyone is laughing because he's such a cheekily, charming chap he gets away
with even the rudest of comments!
He often uses the 'C' word but says it so poshly he gets away with it...just!
He often uses the 'C' word but says it so poshly he gets away with it...just!
Dinner at Guy's is always exceptional
and I often don't even remember what I've had because one dish blends into
another with such fabulousity I could stick a pin on the menu and have anything
my point lands on. Everything is
wonderfully wholesome and tasty. So don’t waste time deciding and have a stab at
anything.
Although, try the fish and chips at
least once.
Oh, and the Glasgow Tapas.
My Lord, the ravioli!
FFS! The Lamb!
Try everything once.
This is why I keep going back and
back and back and...
I've actually had a double Dose of
The Wee Guy this week; that doesn't sound right does it?
Although, I should be so lucky!
I went to see him performing a
Cookery Demonstration at Gideon Robinson on Great Western Road on Thursday
night and what a treat that was, for my taste, ears, eyes and hoose. This place is classic, affordable, chic
interior personified?
Guy looked right out of place but I
felt very at home!
Gideon Robinson are passionate
about design, product, detail and work very closely and carefully with all of their customers, suppliers
and designers. They’ll provide whatever
you need for your kitchen, bedroom, living and dining room. They offer a bespoke service including a home
office; blending fabulous 'design with robust components, using sustainable
techniques'.
As soon as Guy got comfortable in
his new habitat he automatically reverted to the genius he is with pans and produce. Give some people ingredients and they make a
meal but do the same thing with my Guy pal and he produces magic!
First up for fingering on the
buffet was Maki Sushi and to tell you the truth when he asked me if I wanted
some I didn’t quite know what to say. You see, we
don’t have that kind of relationship and
he has the gorgeous Debbie but then he held out the plate.
I did feel a bit silly!
His fine, finger rolled sushi were
filled with spicy tuna, pickles, cucumber and they were delightful. Every day’s a school day with Guy and he
informed me to let you know sushi means Vinegar’d Rice, it does not refer to
raw fish which is, in fact, sashimi. He
also made Sushi Nigiri topped with seared beef seasoned with chilli which, to
use his words was,
“Fucking Awesome” and I concur!
Guy also created a collection of beef,
tuna sashimi and spinach which was a delight on a Thursday night. Ricotta
ravioli with butter and sage was the finale and the applause was both deafening
and filling!
Food of champions!
You can follow Guy for fun frolics and recipes at Guy For All Seasons for starters then follow the link to his blog!
One guy I’d never me before was
John Quigley of The Red Onion who made the most delightful mini ‘bang bang’
chicken dishes. Initially John’s bang
wasn’t sticky enough for me. Although he
made it sweet and juicy after a good thrashing with a ‘pang pang’!
He also made a delicious salad of
‘compressed’, (by means of vacuum) watermelon and feta cheese. I'm not sure what all that means as it sounds both technical and scientific but I walloped it anyway.
I love the idea of a thrashing bang
with instruments so I’m going to be giving him a visit on Monday with The Mary!
Fabulous!
Best…
