I was tired. So tired. I hadn't slept for days, though it felt like weeks. Thoughts about a complicated case were whirring through my head every second of the day, and the Moll's handy work with the central heating meant the house felt like the Bahamas, despite it being below freezing outside.

Friday night came, and I sat mopping sweat from my brow while sipping my favourite Isle of jura malt, Toots tottering around the house in her latest pair of stilettos.

“C'mon doll, let's get out of here” I cooed.

“But it's so toasty warm inside, it's far too cold out there...You know I hate winter.” she replied, moaning.

I didn't dare mention the entire wardrobe of fur coats she had upstairs, that I had to have especially built. If they weren't suitable for this weather, I didn't know what was.

“Well, there's a swish new place in town I think you'd like....how would you like a slap-up meal on me?” I said.

Although I had been eyeing up Halloumi on Hope street for a few days before hand, I couldn't care less about food at that moment. All I could think of was getting out of this sweat box. She didn't seem to realise though, and her eyes lit up when I mentioned grub. The deal was done.

We jumped in the Buik and I headed for the bustling city centre and a new Greek restaurant that promised to be a delight.

As we stepped inside Halloumi the modern, warm and bright décor looked impressive. The white walls, colourful chairs and wooden furnishings made the place look inviting and crisp. A friendly waitress sat us down at a cosy table on the left hand side, with a view of the kitchen and serving area. I knew the Moll would be pleased. She always seems to prefer restaurants where you can see them preparing the food. I put this down to her inner control freak, though I would never mention it.

We scanned the menu – humous, lamb kebabs and, of course, a LOT of halloumi cheese.

I settled on the delicious spanakopita – layers of flaky, golden filo pastry stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. It was to die for. The Moll went for a greek salad, and we ordered some avocado and olive houmous and olives with stacks of warm pitta bread. I was a bit sceptical of the houmous at first – why mess with tradition? But I wasn't disappointed. The black olive flavour was quite strong but it was a surprisingly nice combination with avocado, and went well with the soft fluffy pitta.

The restaurant's small plates were ideal, meaning the Moll could get stuck in to whatever she wanted without making her usual dent in my meal too. We were both stuffed after sharing grilled octopus with paprika, pork gyros, meatballs, a rich beef and shallot stew.

The octopus was a particular favourite. It looked rather alarming when it arrived – literally a whole octopus leg, with suckers and all. If you're into sea food though, it was spectacular - perfectly cooked and seasoned.

The beef stew was another gem and a little went a long way as it was so rich. It was again seasoned well, with unusual spicing, cinnamon and nutmeg perhaps and the little shallots were soft and juicy.

We slugged it down with two beers, and a jug of iced water. Perfect.

As if we hadn't had enough, we decided to order dessert and it was worth it. The rice pudding was sweet and creamy, with a hint of cinnamon and orange. It reminded me of the desserts I'd have as a child, but with a spiced twist. The real showstopper were the loukoumades though – little round balls of dough, with a chocolate syrupy sauce. They went down a treat with Toots and she sat licking her fingers long after the plates had been cleared.

Sufficiently stuffed, we headed back out onto Hope Street and looked for the nearest bar. The night wasn't over yet.

Halloumi, 161 Hope Street, Glasgow

0141 204 1616

http://www.halloumiglasgow.co.uk/

Drinks

2x Moretti – £8.80

Starters

Olive and Avocado houmous - £4.95

Pitta bread - £1.45

Spanakopita - £3.95

Greek salad - £5.50

Mains

Grilled Octopus - £6.95

Beef stew - £5.95

Pork Gyros - £6.40

Meatballs - £5.45

Desserts

Rice pudding with cinnamon - £4.95

Loukoumades donuts - £4.95

Total - £59.30

Food – 4

Service – 4

Atmosphere – 4