It was Alasdair’s 25th birthday yesterday and when we asked him where he would like to go for his birthday meal he opted for Benihana, a branch of which has recently opened in Glasgow. I had never heard of it, but apparently it’s an American-Japanese restaurant which is well known around the world (except to me!) and first opened in New York as far back as 1964. The western-influenced Japanese meals are theatrically prepared in front of the guests by a knife-wielding chef who tells jokes and throws his knives about alarmingly while producing delicious food. He does much chopping and grilling at a “teppanyaki” table (a very hot steel plate) and then passes the food over to the eating surface which surrounds the grill. It was great fun and very entertaining. One of the chef’s best tricks was to slice an onion and arrange it into a volcano shape, which he then set alight so that flames and smoke shot out of it.
Just after we arrived at the restaurant, Cat also arrived. She had travelled by train up from London a day early so that she could surprise Alasdair on his birthday. He was so delighted, it was really sweet. He had asked me the previous day if she might be coming but I successfully feigned ignorance. So when she did arrive we asked Ally how much he had suspected that she might surprise him. He replied, “I didn’t suspect but I hoped!” Ah, young love!
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