IT had all started well – Moll was in the kitchen planning one of her dark chocolate cake dreams.

But the smoke filling up Tec Towers told me she'd got it wrong ... again.

I could feel the daggers in my back as she fixed me with an icy stare.

'Whatcha going to do about it Tec'? she barked.

Luckily I'd been down this Highway to Hell several times and knew what turn-off to take.

The Buick was made ready and Toodles was whisked off to a hot joint that would match her fiery mood.

We arrived at Southern Spice, an Indian slap bang in the middle of Sauchiehall Street.

It was quiet but the staff were welcoming and Blondie loved them fussing over her.

Off came her fake fur and she scanned the scran.

Her peepers homed in on the fizz and, even on a school night, she was a gal in need of a glass or two.

I got us some poppadums and dips to keep her sweet. As Blondie began to relax I ordered a few starters.

When they arrived, the medu vadu, a plate of spicy doughnuts, looked like something I'd eat on my coffee break.

But they tasted good and were savoury rather than the sugary kind.

The little suckers were too dry for our liking and we washed them down with prosecco.

The fish fry was cooked to a T.

The flesh was tender inside and it was Moll's favourite starter by a mile.

Then the waiter swung by with the vegetable Manchuria.

These deep fried veg balls were a winner.

We watched the world go by on the busy street outside and Toots began telling the waiters about her baking disaster.

Luckily our main courses came before the story got juicy.

The dal spinach, a bright green dish full of nutty lentils, was perfect and didn't leave an oily aftertaste.

The paratha were slightly overdone and a bit too crispy, but tasty all the same.

Blondie had never tried the South Indian bread – and her face gave the game away – she was not impressed and stuck to naan, which she dipped into her Kerala fish molee.

The dish, however, she was much happier with.

The fish fillets in the stew had been simmered with coconut milk and herbs, and Toots called it "amazing". Her dark cloud had finally lifted.

It felt like we were there for hours finishing off our food.

But that was because we wanted to scrape our plates clean – and I had two portions of bread to finish.

We skipped the deserts and ordered tea and coffee. And by this time I was almost non existent.

The Moll was already planning her next foray into the kitchen and had promised to bake French macarons for the waiters.

I knew we'd never get past the smoky oven, though.

I sipped my coffee while she got on with the flirting before asking for the bill, which didn't break the bank.

There was only one other couple in the restaurant and I decided it would be a good place to see on a Saturday night when the atmosphere was buzzing.

I made a mental note to pitch it to the The Moll.

We won't have any cakes in tow when we do visit, that's for certain.

SOUTHERN SPICE, 325 SAUCHIEHALL STREET, GLASGOW TEL: 0141 333 9977

Food 444 Atmosphere 44 Service 444

STARTERS

Poppadom

and dips, £3.50

Medu vada, £3.25

Fish fry, £4.95

Vegetable Manchuria, £2.75

MAINS

Dal spinach, £6.95

Kerala fish molee, £11.95

SIDES

Naan bread, £2.75

2 paratha, £5.90

DRINKS

Prosecco, £17.95

Tea, £1.65; Coffee, £1.35

TOTAL: £63.95