THE Moll’s eyes lit up with her first surprise of the day: the Christmas Village in George Square.

“Oh, Tec, it’s looking beautiful!” she said as we strolled towards her next surprise.

“It’s even more exciting when the lights are on around the Square,” I smiled. “And we’ll pop back to see that later.

“Right now, I have been doing the research thoroughly and uncovered an adorable European kitchen that I think you might just take to.”

And so, with a choice of entering up the fine, handsome steps from St Vincent Street or a simple walk-in from Hope Street, we arrived somewhere new on the Glasgow scene.

With a welcome as wide as the Clyde, the cheerful, friendly and rather dapper staff were on hand to welcome us to a little piece of Spain.

“Oh, Tec. You’ve done it again and I’m not even at the table!” the fair one said as she gripped my arm, perhaps a little too tightly.

“Welcome to Ibérica!” said our host.

The high-ceilinged restaurant is a burst of Mediterranean colour and style, from its jaunty tiles to archive maps and finely polished woods.

Time for the third surprise of the day: a menu rich with flavours reminding me of some of my earlier days in Madrid. Part of it reminded the Moll of a West of Scotland staple, fish and chips.

“It’s rather different to what you might be expecting, Toots,” I said with a smile.

Mine hostess arrived with a chilled glass of Cava for my cheerful chum and a perfectly prepared tomato juice with fresh celery for me.

“Salud!” I proffered. “Och aye, I think the salad looks great,” was the response.

The menu is extensive and offers great dining al la carte. We opted to sample the great-looking range of tapas on offer from Ibérica.

“Let’s go wild!” said the Moll. “Later, my dear, let’s focus on the menu first.”

And so, with that focus, we did indeed go wild.

Our selection explored the plentiful options from the land to the sea.

Pumpkin salad; pear, spinach and apple salad; patatas bravas; crispy chicken; beef cheek carpaccio; fish and chips; and broken egg with ham.

Our perfect hostess confirmed our collection and told us the dishes would not all arrive together.

Eyes lit up opposite me, the Bri-Nylon lashes shimmering with delight. “Oh, I’m awfy glad to hear that!” she said.

With crystal-clear tap water regularly replenished in our glasses we embarked upon this magnificent feast.

The fish arrived, Andalucian style with lemon alioli and a mojo verde and served with chips. The batter sat crisply on hefty bites of white fish that just tumbled out.

“That tastes lovely,” said the Moll as we both eyed up the generous helpings landing plate by plate at our table.

“Here, Tec,” she stage-whispered, “I thought Tapas was meant to be small. There’s nothing tiny here.”

The pumpkin retained its rich, orange colour and those cubes were caressed by goat’s cheese, lemon thyme and an orange dressing.

We were both almost silenced as our Ibérica selection seduced our eyes and our palates.

The pear, spinach and cheese salad was delicious, with a central feature being the rare, blue Peral cheese. “That’s just made for you, Tec,” said my dining partner.

“And here, there’s some cheek for you,” I said, indicating towards the beef cheek carpaccio.

That divine, oh so thinly cut meat, just melted on the tongue, and is an arresting taste with truffle potato puree, sweet potato crisps and a modicum of tartare sauce.

The crispy chicken crust covered a beautifully moist dish and the patatas bravas were most welcomed.

And for that typical Mediterranean breakfast, we tucked in to broken eggs with ham. Now, that’s a comfort dish.

“You dreaming about me again, Tec,” inquired Toots as I sat in a gaze.

I snapped out of it to say that in all my days of detective work, it was proving almost impossible to single out any one dish at Ibérica.

Everything, including a delightful sample of Spanish lomo – a cured pork tenderloin that was moist and soft - is simply a joy here.

With a smile, we said thanks and adios.

Later, as we stood by the City Chambers gazing in wonder at the lights on George Square, the Moll wrapped her arms around me.

“Smashin, Tec, just smashin!”

And yes indeed, it had been rather a smashing day.

Ibérica Glasgow

140 St Vincent Street

Glasgow G2 5LA

0141 530 7985

Pumpkin salad £5

Pear, spinach and cheese salad £5.50

Patatas bravas £5

Crispy chicken £7

Beef cheek carpaccio £6.50

Fish and chips £6.50

Broken eggs with ham £7.50

Cava £6

Tomato juice £2.10

Total: £51.10

Atmosphere – 4 stars

Food – 4 stars

Service – 4 stars