Rasam

We didn't go out on Valentine's Day - restaurants are always too packed, with an impact on service. I just don't find the experience worth the effort. But I did get my roses (we picked them in Lidl together while doing our weekly shop - the 5.99 bunch is absolutely gorgeous. They're short-stemmed, a lovely deep red, nice and tight, and they look beautiful! When I was working in an office, I used to love for Brendan to send me a big bunch of fancy roses (he used to be travelling a lot in those days), as I could show them off around the office after picking them up from reception. But nowadays, I really don't need a fancy bouquet, and I think these roses are going to last longer than the €50 ones I saw in one of the florists.

But enough about me - it was Brendan's birthday last week, and we tried a new Indian restaurant. Well, it's not new actually, but it was our first time there: Rasam in Glasthule. It's upstairs from the Eagle House pub. The decor is really nice - cosy, but with plenty of room between tables. We picked our dishes from the Early Bird Menu. Not as much choice, but what we ate was lovely. I had a chicken starter, and Lal Maas for main course, a slow-cooked lamb. Brendan had the pork for starter and the chicken for main course. The dishes were served with pilau rice, naan bread and a potato side dish. All excellent. We might have liked a little more rice, but really there was plenty! Very good value at €19.95 per person, including tea/coffee (which we didn't have). The only thing to watch out for is the price of the beer - Brendan had 2 glasses of beer - they were €5.50 per glass - not that unusual in a restaurant, I guess - but we found it a bit steep, particularly offset against the value of the menu itself!