Glasgow – Cafe Salma and Comedy of Errors

This is a busy weekend – the Curry is calling too

Hector leaves Helensburgh and heads to The City. Meanwhile  some of The Chaps have left The City and have gone to Helensburgh. Wot Bierfest? This is Curry-Heute night and Comedy of Errors are playing their first gig in  some 20 years this evening. Abel Ganz (again) and Credo are the other attractions. Prog lives!

The table at the window is the preferred seat of Hector, especially when the place is quiet and one dines alone.  An entire family with weans, prams, the lot, entered and were well known to Hassan.  The regulars are no doubt genuinely regular.  I am still going through the process of getting to know the new staff; there is even a broad West of Scotland voice active in the cooking area now.  The Kaftans appear to be consigned to history but the Fez is still sported by the waiters.

Garam Masala, I have not had this for a while.  I ordered it hot but in the excitement forgot to ask for the Lamb on-the-bone.  The customary chat with Hassan (still no hug) between the complementary Popadoms and Chutneys this evening included plans for a mass visit, indeed an occupation of the entire downstairs area later this year.  Time will reveal the numbers and the purpose.  Hassan in stage whisper instructed the Chef to make my meal special: ‘there is a Curry Connoisseur in the house.’

One could immediately tell this was Garam Masala, the powdered Spice was most evident having been sprinkled over the dish at the time of serving.  On my first visit this dish was more powerful in taste than my now normal Lahori Karahi.  I suspect the latter now has evolved in the past year to the special dish it has become.

This is still a very enjoyable dish with the thick Onion-rich Masala revealing the familiar Village/Café Salma smooth, rounded flavour.  The Mushroom Rice was as ever massive, always enough to share and permit an order of Bread of sorts.  Alas, the solo diner cannot justify ordering this as a serious quantity of food would be wasted.

Scottish Prog Night at The Ferry

Arriving (with Marg, via the Bon Accord) at 20.00 the doors were yet to open.  One can gain an early entry by buying – the meal deal, why – do they serve Curry?  Jim Johnstone the keyboard player, and now only writer of the Comedy of Errors material, was outside being greeted by the loyal following.  Loyal?  It is twenty years since last I saw them play, though I did chat with Jim at a recent Pendragon gig and he revealed that something was in the pipeline.  A new CD – gosh!  Mark Spalding on guitar was first spotted as we boarded the boat.  You haven’t changed at all! – was my greeting – who the…?

Mobile phones, Laptops  – these were not part of our lives when last they performed

The new material sounded ok, but it was the sections of The Student Prince that made the night.  There is another song, not played, which has been my favourite since I first saw them some twenty five years ago – but as the vinyl is secreted somewhere upstairs – this saga ends here.

Fortunately it was the full version of Abel Ganz who played this evening, not the cut down acoustic variant.  Always a pleasure, and I really should buy another of their CDs.  Credo are a band I did not even know were Scottish – are they, no. I bought a CD by them again some twenty years ago and thought nothing of it.  They played a couple of songs tonight and we left.  So nothing has changed there.

Photos may well appear after Marg’s camera come s into my possession.