The Doocot Café and Bar

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

As you might expect from The Lighthouse, Scotland's centre for architecture and design, there's a breezy sophistication to be found in its stylish café bar. The Doocot is a bright, almost dazzling space, even on the dullest days, with prints of clouds on the walls adding to the airy ambience. A makeover in 2007, with assistance from Swiss company Vitra, has put the emphasis on comfort as much as quality design. There's even 'designed' music – a bespoke audio service quietly streams contemporary Scottish tunes in the background. There is also a national provenance to the food – while there are sandwiches and salads, the menu has a lot of hearty, rustic fare like woodland mushroom risotto and 'Burns Country' steak and chips. Slightly cloying cream sauces seem to be a favourite – oddly, to a repetitious degree: the chicken and leek pie has a suspiciously similar sauce to that in a starter of scallops with black pudding. It turns up again in one of the daily specials, which, nevertheless, are admirably strong on fish and avoid the predictable – a delicately flaky fillet of tilapia, on this occasion. Coffee and pastries are served from 10.30am and meals from 11.30am. The Doocot is closed in the evenings.

• High point: Inspirational surroundings
• Low point: Rather uninspired food