SUMMER, if you could even call it that, was taking its toll on Toots and me. 
We’d forgone our usual holiday to Spain this year, opting instead to save the pennies and splash out on an all-inclusive to the Bahamas for some winter sun.
It seemed like a good idea at the time, but spending weeks on end with the Moll nagging me about new shoes and lipstick for our luxury break was starting to get on my nerves.
Maybe if she stopped worrying so much about her holiday wardrobe and more about my credit card bills, we could have taken the extra holiday after all. 
Regardless, my logic didn’t seem to be getting through to Dollface, and as the swimsuits, hats, sunglasses, flip-flops, sandals and – of course – shiny new stilettos piled up in her living room I decided to take some drastic action.
“Look, darling.” I said, sweetly. 
“You always look magnificent in whatever you wear. I think you’ve got plenty that we can take when we go away.” 
She stared up at me, suspiciously, from the catalogue she was rapidly flicking through, circling items that she planned to order at a later date. 
I could see my powers of persuasion weren’t working. The only way to stop her was to physically remove her from the situation, so after prying the catalogue from her perfectly manicured hands, we jumped in the Buick and headed in to town.
The Moll was silent and huffy for the whole journey until we pulled up outside a new Japanese joint – Ramen Dayo – and her face lit up.
“I’ve heard good things about this place, Tec. Good choice” she said, and kissed my cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick print. 
The restaurant on Queen Street described itself as Glasgow’s first restaurant dedicated to Japan’s most popular food – a bowl of hot, rich broth, with noodles, meat and vegetables called ramen.
As we went through the small door, we were plunged into darkness until our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.
When I could finally see, 
I was greeted by a smiling waitress who escorted us to a table close to the toilets. We quickly swapped to a pair of high stools at the bar , and scanned the menu below colourful lanterns and shelves full of Eastern snacks. 
To start, I ordered two types of Japanese dumplings – one pork and one beef – for us to share. The main courses were a no-brainer really, given the speciality on offer. 
I opted for Tonkotsu miso, a richer version of the standard beefy broth with miso paste. I chose extra spring onions, and a soft boiled egg to top my slices of pork belly and noodles swirling in the soup.
The Moll chose the spicier Tantamen ramen, made with sesame and spicy ground pork, angel hair chilli and chilli oil. 
Everything came at the same time and we tucked in, the delicious aromatic broth wafting up from huge steaming bowls in front of us. The gyoza dumplings were tasty, but a little tough in places.
The ramen was a flavour explosion of sour, sweet, spicy and salty all at different times. Everything was perfectly cooked too – the pork was not dry, and the egg perfectly soft. 
The best thing about the meal however was the fact that for a solid 15 minutes I had silence from my dining companion. It made it a zen-like experience, and the food tasted even better for it. 
No flip-slops, no sarongs, no sun cream or ‘dresses for the evening’ conversation.
We skipped dessert as the broth was so filling, but happily sipped on Japanese-inspired cocktails – a Lychee Chuhai and Yuzu Margarita, which went down a treat.

Ramen Dayo!

25 Queen Street,

Glasgow

G1 3EF

0141 328 3202

http://ramendayo.com/

Ratings

Food - 4/4

Atmosphere 4/4

Service 4/4

Drinks

Water - Free

Yuzu Margarita - £5.95

Lychee Hi - £4.95

Starters

Bulgogi Beef Gyoza (3) £4

Pork Gyoza (5) £3.50

Mains

Tantamen ramen with egg and spring onion - £10.50

Tonkotsu Miso ramen with egg - £10

Total - £38.90