Season's Greetings From TATTGOC ... And See You In 2013


REVIEW: Can't Stop This Singh We've Started

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Mister Singh's India



The Time: December 7, 9pm

The Pub Aforehand: Lebowski's, Argyle St

In Attendance: Trampy, The Tramp, Ravi Peshwari, Bobo Balti, Rabbie Shankar, Rumpole Of The Balti and The Duke.

Decor: Perhaps Mister Singh's India's most distinctive interior feature is the tapered, mosaic-strewn pillars that – along with a discreet, split-level design – help make what could have been one big open dining area more interesting to look at and navigate. Neutral walls hold eyecatching art and blackboards; the sturdy tables and chairs are clearly there for the long haul.

Expectations: Pretty high. TATTGOC likes to push the boat out at Christmas, and Mister Singh's has represented Glasgow in the Curry Capital competition many times. Also we were aye keen on their chicken ambala curry pies last year (just like Kenny Dalglish).



The Experience:

It's been a year of experimentation for the Tramps, with the blog decamping to Edinburgh for an entire month, tipping their hat to the saffrongette movement by inviting the ladies along for a special Valentine's curry at Kama Sutra and even staging an official outing at a pop-up restaurant. But while TATTGOC should always be flexible enough to adapt to what's going on in the world, there are some traditions worth sticking to, especially at Christmas. In December, the Tramps like to go somewhere pretty established, they ask the squad to put on a goddamn tie for a change and there's a Secret Santa-esque present ceremony where each Curry Clubber can have a rummage in Trampy's sack. This year, soon after celebrating their fourth year "in the biz", the Tramps settled on Mister Singh's India for their festive dinner.



First, though, the squad had to assemble in a nearby pub, and while the Tramp had his eye on Orwell's for a while, ultimately the decision was made to start off the evening in what would probably fairly lively environs. And so, it was Lebowski's on Argyle Street, the Dude-themed bar and restaurant that even early in December, was packed to the gunnels. But by the time the first even currynauts had squeezed inn the door – Ravi Peshwari, Bobo Balti, Rabbie Shankar, Rumpole Of The Balti, veterans all – the Tramps had managed to bagsy an oddly shaped booth that (almost) all seven of our heroes could squeeze in to amid the madness. With loud music, crammed bodies, breathless chatter and a rising sense of hysteria in the air, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

Oor Wullie Annual 2013 – flanked by our heroes?
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A strange week at TATTGOC Towers. Just as the blog was about to go to press – as if that's even a thing any more – came the sad news that Ravi Shankar had passed away at the age of 92. The first thought of the Tramps was to put together some sort of salute or tribute, especially as the last time Shankar featured in the Tramp's Jukebox Puri it was way back in episode 6 of Keep Calm And Curry On. Rather than knock off something in a hurry, the Tramps have decided to save their tribute to the sitarist until the next episode of the podcast, where it will be possible to play out to some of his fantastic music. So what does that leave in the spicy docket? Only TATTGOC's appearance in the Sunday Post at the weekend! After texting a lot of friends and family about this development, a lot of them got back in touch to say hey were particularly impressed that Trampy and The Tramp had apparently inspired the front-page headline.




Of course, that was inaccurate. The Tramps weren't freed in a jail blunder, they merely got let out thanks to a last-minute intervention by TATTGOC's legal counsel Rumpole Of The Balti. But the real story was in the centre pages, and while the Sunday Post's website isn't comprehensive enough to include every little story, you can get a flavour of it in the picture below. You may have to squint a little.


Some of the best passages include: "... similar to the scene in Lady And The Tramp when the two dogs shared a meal"; "Trampy and the Tramp went on to scoop the accolade"; and "Graeme and Chris have lost none of their appetite". The picture caption is also a belter. As long-time fans of The Broons and Oor Wullie, it's long been an ambition of TATTGOC to be featured in the SPost, especially as it was the media sponsor of the Scottish Curry Awards in that magical year of 2010. We also got a big bump in site traffic on Sunday and also on the Monday. So thanks to Stevie Gallacher for making it happen. Next time, our burly heroes will be angling for a guest appearance in The Broons – either a curry with Hen and Joe or a double-date with Maggie and Daphne. Apparently Trampy is half-French and half-Polish, or so the twins say ...

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC NEWS POSTS

Gosht Of Xmas Past: It's TATTGOC's Magical Kabana Experience (2010)!


With Christmas fast approaching / There's magic in the air
And TATTGOC's looking backward / At the best of Xmas fare
Kabana wasn't licensed / But the Tramps had an idea
They'd get the food delivered / To facilitate the beer

Kabana, Seaward Street


The Time: December 16, 2010, 8.30pm


Booking Name: Chris Kringle

The Pub Afterward: The Ben Nevis, which was proper hoachin’. There were even some TATTGOC Saffrongettes in the joint – those fair ladies habitually described as “long-suffering”.

In Attendance: Trampy, The Tramp, The Bulldosa, The Duke, Rumpole Of The Balti, Lime Pickle, Rogan Josh Homme, Ravi Peshwari, Rabbie Shankar, Sir Spicy Lover and The Gheezer ... pretty much a'body, in Oor Wullie terms.

Décor: This tucked-away restaurant has a diner feel, and while it’s undoubtedly big enough to house the massed Curry Club, the fact that it’s unlicensed means it would be difficult to herd them in there any time other than January. But the Tramps had a cunning plan ...

Expectations: No Curry Clubber had any first-hand experience, but Kabana is well-regarded by trusted sources, and looked promising enough that one day Trampy and The Bulldosa did a recce round Paisley Road.

Here’s a slice of reality pie: TATTGOC has been trundling onwards long enough now to have had three Christmas parties, each one potentially more deleterious than the last. The first one – and only the second Curry Club ever – took place in notorious late-night lifesaver the Spice Garden, where the service was attentive, even elegant, and the Tramps got their Christmas presents mixed up (in that The Tramp got the lager). The second party was a dizzying Southside adventure in the sophisticated, almost Tron: Legacy-like environs of Shimla Pinks, where the Tramps marshalled a spirit-raising lucky dip and the evening ended on a suitably deranged note with Jalfrezi, TATTGOC’s Man Of The Year, wrestling The Tramp on a deserted railway platform, having previously been snapped pretending his Michael Jackson calendar was actually a King of Pop mask. So how, exactly, does one top that?