Where, I wondered, should I take a visitor from the Outer Hebrides for dinner?
Not seafood, she gets enough of that at home. No burgers, pizzas or other young people favourites because she's older than me and even less interested in loaded fries and cauliflower repackaged for vegans.
She's a very good cook, resourceful and patient enough to order za'atar online and grow her own kale.
I surveyed my spreadsheet, rejected most of the west coast options and wondered about Silk Road Deli.
During the day this is a sandwich shop and unassuming takeaway in the southside's Minard Road. On weekend evenings, owner Tanya Gohil of Million Pound Menu fame uses the same dynamic flavours that make her filled rolls sing in a set menu.
It's exactly the kind of urban eating adventure that is missing from Benbecula. I booked us in.
Silk Road is not licensed, which should have been our signal to buy some really good wine to enjoy at retail prices. Sadly we were too disorganised and ended up with some nasty sauvy B (as our daughters call it) from across the road.
The £6 corkage was almost as much as the abrasive vino.
Tanya's menu changes with the season and we were the last of her summer diners. She is a British Indian who is unafraid to mix up flavours from up and down the Silk Road. With 4000 miles of trade routes, crossing Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, there is plenty of ground to cover.
The Visitor located our summer crudites, with whipped beans and a puddle of green oil, around the eastern Mediterranean. The raw veg - cucumber, radishes and endive - were exactly the bitter, crunchy elements that appear in a traditional mezze spread.
The bean dip, mercifully light on the preserved lemon, was a great match with the herby depths of the oil. All that was missing was something spongy to soak it all up. Its absence was explained by the many carbs to come.
Our next course was a Levantine take on bruschetta, the toast and tomatoes supplemented with a generous blast of sumac. This lemony, peppery berry sat very happily on the fat, sweet toms. And the bread was soft enough to drink in all the sumac-specked, tomato seedy olive oil.
Then, potatoes. Spectacular tamarind roasted potatoes, sitting in a pool of yoghurt.
I loved the confidence on show here, giving a humble ingredient a full spot on the bill, with only some sticky, sour crusting and a sprinkling of sesame seeds for support.
These reminded me of Five March's amazing roasties, although with a different flavour profile. But there, they are part of a spread of small dishes that are shared and eaten together. Here, their star billing meant we savoured every one.
They were a delight. Tamarind, the eye-puckering date-like fruit used in south Indian cookery, is a favourite of mine. The potatoes alone had great texture and colour and the tamarind gave them the giant whack of flavour that they needed.
They were also robust enough to stand up to the wine, which was rather more assertive than either of us would have wanted.
The last dish on the set menu was mushroom shawarma. This came in a typically Middle Eastern set up, with whole green herbs, pickled turnips and chillis, sumac-heavy onions and two sauces. And, finally, flatbread.
The mushrooms were pretty filthy - dry and spicy on the outside, juicy within, which is not an easy thing to pull off. They were good on their own and a joy to combine with all the bits and pieces on the plate.
The mango harissa, which happily bore no resemblance to the bitter red putty sold in jars, was a particularly good thing to dot on top. There was also an intensely garlic tahini paste, a bit like hummus without the chickpeas.
We had a lovely time mixing and matching it all.
Desserts are not included in the set menu but we were weak in the face of hot tea with tahini cookies. This was a clever bit of alchemy.
On their own, the tiny biscuits tasted like damp sand. But combined with the sweet, black brew, they became nutty and moreish.
Thankfully there were just two each, otherwise we would have been rolled home.
Silk Road is not a fancy dining experience. It's better than that, a chance to eat some bold, unexpected food that's been cooked to order and served thoughtfully. If it was all brought out at the same time, in the small plates style, it would be far less impressive .
I can't wait to see what Tanya is cooking for autumn.
SILK ROAD DELI 34 Minard Rd, Glasgow G41 2HW Tel: 07400 425417 Book at: silkroadbookings@gmail.com
Opening hours: Thursday to Sunday, 6-9pm
Bill for two: £65.50
Food 7/10 - Thoughtful, flavour-centred cooking
Decor 3/5 - Could be comfier
Toilets 3/5 - Basic but clean
Service 4/5 - Delightful
Value for money 4/5 - Banging
Total 21/30
