Can a curry blog – even a highly-respected, award-winning curry blog – truly stay on top of the world's spicy news when it only updates once a week? Probably not, which is why Trampy and The Tramp's Glasgow of Curry occasionally orders up The Monday Side Dish: a platter of grilled titbits to tide you over until Thursday. Pass the raita ...



Big news in the Sunday Post yesterday ... turns out Daphne's boyfriend isn't half-French and half-Polish, he's actually just a French polisher! Also, in their capacity as media sponsor of the Hungryhouse.co.uk Scottish Curry Awards 2011, the Sunday Post revealed the nominees in five of the major categories. And there were a few surprises! Here's the rundown so far:


(Click here to read more ...)
CHEF OF THE YEAR
Mahrukh Butt – Bukharah, Glasgow
Ajmal Mushtaq – Mushtaq's Restaurant, Hamilton
Kantesh Chowdury – Bombay Joe's, Dundee
Sajawal Hussain – Manzil, Perth
Gurwinder Kumar – Karma, Whitburn


TEAM OF THE YEAR
Taj Mahal, Biggar
Mushtaq's Restaurant, Hamilton
Ashoka Johnstone
Maisha, St Andrews
Cafe India, Glasgow

TAKEAWAY OF THE YEAR
Cafe India, Glasgow
Durbar, Kirkcaldy
Banana Leaf, Glasgow
Monsoona, Aberdeen
Eastern Spices, Edinburgh

SUPERMARKET CURRY OF THE YEAR
Asda, Marks & Sparks, Tesco

CURRY LOVER OF THE YEAR
Hector's Curry-Heute
Tam Cowan!
Trampy And The Tramp's Glasgow Of Curry (that's us!)

An impressive line-up! Of course, TATTGOC vowed earlier in the year to try and get nominated in the Scottish Curry Awards 2011 in a category other than Curry Lover of the Year, labouring under the misapprehension that once you'd won it, that was it. So it was a genuine surprise to hear we'd been shortlisted, and we'd like to thank whoever nominated us (last year we asked our mums to do it). If the curry-lovin' award was for the largest amount of curry consumed, Hector would be a shoo-in – when he says on his blog that "every day is a good day for curry", he's no kidding. But no-one should count out fitba pundit, Daily Record restaurant reviewer and former Pilau Talk: The Legends interviewee Tam Cowan, who has nabbed a couple of awards recently so is in good form. An intriguing match-up!

The ceremony takes place in Glasgow on Monday May 23, so expect a special Tuesday side dish with all the results. The lifetime achievement awards and Curry King/Queen of the year will be announced on the night, and if memory serves, there's also a Sunday Post Restaurant Of The Year category, which is a biggie. Ready? Aye ready!


In other epochal news, it's The Bulldosa's birthday today. So many happy returns to TATTGOC's resident god of mischief and general roustabout. And for the ladies – TATTGOC saffrongettes or otherwise – here's a pic of the man himself. Spicy!


SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC NEWS POSTS
STOP PRESS! Scottish Curry Awards 2011 Nominations Close Today
The Monday Side Dish: April 11
The Monday Side Dish: March 14
The Monday Side Dish: March 7