REMEMBER Commonwealth Games President Prince Imran struggling to get the top off the Queen's Baton in front of millions?

Well, the Prince was later seen in Glasgow's Mussel Inn, accompanied by about 30 of the Malaysian team, where he was tucking in to a lobster bisque.

Staff were gobsmacked when he struggled to get the pepper grinder to work - and someone had to quietly point out he was holding it upside down.

Blades of glory

NEW York restaurant critics are trumpeting the latest restaurant opening in Brooklyn - a place called The Gorbals.

Oh please, stop the stereotypes, it does not serve chips and cheese, sausage rolls or crisps.

Owner Ilan Halls named it after the Glasgow area where his Jewish dad came from, to mark the fusion of different cultural dishes. As we say, no stereotypes, so we pass on without comment that Gorbals owner Ilan is also the star of an American TV cookery competition - called Knife Fight.

Greetin' card

OUR picture yesterday of the poor spelling on the greetings card reminds Ian Sommerville in Largs: "As a greetings card wholesaler we came across many such slip-ups, including the card titled 'To my husband' which inside had the message 'Sorry you're leaving'."

Match of the day

REACTION to that TV debate rumbles on.

Crime fiction writer Ian Rankin told fans: "Bit of a surprise outcome tonight, with the underdog outplaying class opposition and emerging victorious. Dunfermline 1, Raith Rovers 0."

Starr quality

COMEDIAN Jim Davidson is returning for two night's at Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre.

We remember when Jim appeared in pantomime at the Pavilion and popped into Nick's in the west end for a beer.

The barmaid asked a regular who he was and he told her it was Freddie Starr.

So the next time she served Jim she said: "My Mum wants to know if you really did eat that hamster?"

Davidson, to be fair, exploded with laughter.

Magical mystery

MAGICIAN Alan Hudson, appearing at the Gilden Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival, still remembers his first job on a ferry.

Says Alan: "It was my first night, and I asked someone what card they were thinking of and it would be the only card turned over in my deck. The first three guys I asked couldn't speak English.

"I finally found an English speaker who said 'the three of Hearts' but when I went in to my pocket the deck wasn't there. I'd left it in the dressing room.

"When I returned with the deck and revealed the three of Hearts there was no applause. They all thought I turned it over in the dressing room.

"The cruise director made me do the bingo instead for the whole two months."

Tails of the unexpected

A COLLEAGUE wanders over to tell us: "We had to toss a coin to decide on the name for our son. Welcome to the world, Tails."