The mmm in mugwump

It has a strange name and makes delicious dishes that are out of this world, as Alison Craig discovered

ON a wet July night I met an old pal for a drink - and, suffering from the bad weather blues, we agreed that cheering ourselves by eating lots of food was a good idea. Sitting in Bert's Bar in Edinburgh's William Street with only a very embarrassing waterproof jacket between the two of us, it was vital we found somewhere very close by to sate our hunger.

Just round the corner in Stafford Street there was a place which we thought looked like a bar, but which someone suggested was actually a restaurant. Investigation was called for. We rushed round, skidding to a halt outside, and agreed it did look like a wee basement bar due to the name McEwans dominating the sign. However, in much smaller letters underneath was printed The Mugwump - which confirmed our friend's suspicion that it was in fact a restaurant after all.

It was, as they say, small and bijou - and on this occasion the only other diners were two women sitting at the window table, deep in conversation. We were made welcome and invited to sit down.

The first question everyone presumably asks is: 'What is a mugwump?' Our guess was a character from a Doctor Seuss book, but the rolled piece of parchment on the table soon corrected that. A mugwump is a person that changes character regularly, which reflects the frequency with which the restaurant changes its menu.

True to form, it was impossible to categorise what kind of restaurant this was. Foodwise it all sounded great, and happily there was no theme bursting off the wall or menus at you. We ordered a bottle of Chablis Moreau at #17.95 and a jug of tap water as we tried to decide what to choose. Anne went for Thai green curried vegetables with glass noodles to start, and was alerted by the waitress to the fact they were "very hot". It was good to be pre-warned.

She was presented with a dish of delicate transparent noodles, cupped fresh mushrooms, aubergine and baby corn - all crunchy and challengingly hot.

SIPPING water to quell the heat and savouring every mouthful, we wondered why blokes like to order the hottest thing on the menu and then - with unmistakably bulging eyes and sweaty oxters - insist on declaring in strangulated tones that it is not, in fact, hot enough for them at all. A funny bunch. A woman, however, is far more likely on impact to return the food to its plate at great speed direct from her throat while lunging at a pint glass of water. But Anne is a hot chick, as she tells me regularly, and she lapped it all up.

I went for the stilton, spring onion and pine nut pots. Yes, that's what I thought - what are they? The answer is a ramekin filled with a mix of stilton, spring onions and pine nuts, served with a small, perky salad and pastry straws to dip into it.

The bread sticks were tasty and made of flaky pastry peppered with sesame seeds. Choosing between Mediterranean fish casserole or chicken gumbo proved a trial, but the gumbo won - a big plate of it with large bits of chicken breast, cooked with lots more fresh and tasty vegetables which are obviously a speciality. Extremely tasty.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan lamb with okra, apricot and prune tangine looked and tasted as though it had been marinating since time began. Glossy, tender, rich and tasty - complete with large black olives. It was served with boiled rice and a small timbale of cous cous.

Sweets were blatant greed - but hey, that's a speciality of my house. So I plumped for the Victorian ice cream laced with dried fruits in a port sauce. Reluctant to part with even one spoonful for Anne to taste, we agreed it was creamy, rich and dreamy. Sticky toffee pud was her choice - a moist pudding smothered in thick toffee sauce which proved too much for her full tum.

We felt like mugwumps having changed from wet and despondent to dry and happy.

Alison Craig presents Grow For It on STV, Tuesdays at 7.30pm. Her Scot FM show broadcasts on Saturdays, 10am-2pm

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