THE STABLES, Glasgow Bridge, Kirkintilloch G66 1RH Tel:

01417 776088

IT was one of those lazy Sunday afternoons. The sun was shining, the week had been hard and I was all set for the big sleep as the a mellow blues played in the background.

Tec Towers was a sea of tranquillity.

"Tec," bellowed the love of my life.

"I need excitement, I want to live it up .... and my stomach is grumbling too."

It was all this ol' tec needed to get his act in to gear and rev up the Buick.

The city was just a little too hot to handle right now so we headed off to a little place I discovered many moons ago.

The Moll was getting impatient, red talons tapping on the dash made my heart beat that little bit faster.

"Are we nearly there?" she growled.

"All this fresh air is giving me an appetite - feed me."

The sweat on my forehead evaporated as we pulled up at the The Stables, a secluded little place between Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch and a favourite watering hole for the hardy cyclists and walkers on the canal towpath.

Handling her mink to the maitre d' she wafted in and grabbed a window table.

And once seated the Moll wasted no time in grabbing the menu from the young waitress.

"Gimme a red ... a large red, the sooner the better," she said.

Smiling gamely, the youngster beat a retreat while Toots cast a jaundiced eye over the scran scan.

I opted for the Peroni, I needed something to take down the heat.

All that nervous energy was giving me an appetite.

And if I didn't know the Moll better I'd have said she was drooling, but that's not the dame's style.

She plumped for the prawn cocktail while I kept the cost down with the battered mushrooms.

The seafood dish ­appeared and then disappeared at a rate of knots while I savoured the great flavour of the mushrooms and dip.

It was a good way to start a meal and the Moll was looking less grumpy, she even took time to glance around at the rustic decor.

It was classic family eating and obviously a favourite, judging by the numbers packing the tables.

But the Moll's nose was twitching - her beef and Merlot pie with its flaky pastry topping had arrived. The smell caused a rush of saliva, usually only generated by the Moll's love of all things shiny and sparkly.

They say a look can take the place of a thousand words and her's was out and out ecstasy.

The Sunday roast also hit the spot with a couple of slabs of cow and a generous helping of the green things.

With a side of fries and garlic bread, our fuel boxes were almost at max.

But there's always a little space for some sugar, I say.

"A sweet for my sweet?" I tentatively asked.

"Mmmmm," she ­answered, "but sharies."

The Brownie Tower seemed to fit the bill.

Chocolate fudge cake, cookie dough, vanilla ice cream and lashings of choc sauce.

Hardly able to lift my spoon, I took a swallow of my coffee to help the chocolate fest down my throat.

Even the Moll was looking distinctly bleary.

Two large reds and enough food to keep her going until breakfast had done the job.

"Take me home Tec," she said as she flung on the mink and slunk out of the joint.

The Moll was full and my wallet hadn't taken too hard a hit - a success all round I'd say.

STARTERS: Prawn Cocktail £4.75

Battered mushrooms £3.99

MAINS: Sunday roast beef £9.95

Beef and Merlot pie £10.50

Side of chips £2.50

Garlic bread £2.00

DESSERT: Brownie Tower (for two) £5.95

DRINKS

Bottle of Peroni £3.50

2x Merlot £10.90

Coffee £1.95