With Christmas not long off, Glasgow’s restaurateurs have gone into overdrive launching new venues.

Here is news of a couple of recently opened ventures with more to follow on Monday.

If there were awards for punning names then The Mad Platter on Great Western Road would be in the running for a medal.

It is owned and run by Kirsty Watson who describes it as a ‘café for the people’.

With plans for live music, book clubs and poetry readings, it is certainly a place where local residents can feel a big part of proceedings.

Feel at home

The food offer is also designed to make people feel at home.

As well as the fish, cheese, veggie and charcuterie platters suggested by the café’s name, The Mad Platter also sells mince and tatties; an all day breakfast; a fine fish pie and baked camembert cheeses to share.

The café is fully licensed but also has tempting non-alcoholic drinks such as the house hot chocolate and their own make lemonade.

Quirky

The decor is deliciously quirky.

Look out for a chandelier made from old crockery and decanters; a doggie table for small pooches and a splendid collection of top hats and bowlers.

Kari on

On the other side of town, in Newtonmearns, Kari Restaurant is a recently opened Indian.

All light walls and fun, simple pictures, it’s a fresh looking space that promises some fresh-looking cooking with dishes from many of the subcontinent’s different regions.

We never thought we would say this about an Indian menu but the 5pm Dining blog likes the look of the salad selection.

The pomegranate and chicken salad is described as a ‘a juicy jumble of chicken tikka, pomegranate, orange and spinach leaves’ – which does it for us.

Naturally, alongside the Goan king prawn kari; the venison kari and the Bombay prawns there are more traditional choices.

If you want a chicken chasni or lamb bhoona, they are also available.

Unusually, at least for the time being, the Kari sells Indian wine as well as the more conventional beers and Old/New World wines.