The Pipers' Tryst

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

Scottish traditional music may be a taste not easily acquired in a single sitting, but if anywhere can convert you to bagpipes and fiddles, The Pipers' Tryst could be the place. It should certainly convince any remaining sceptics of the glories of Scottish cuisine. It's housed in the National Piping Centre on the northern edge of the city centre, close to many of Glasgow's theatres and cinemas. There's a large auditorium upstairs used as a gathering place for competitions and conventions as well as weddings and ceilidhs – so expect things to get busy at weekends. The bar/restaurant is modern and mercifully free of any tartan twee, and there's an honest, no-fuss approach to the food. The cold smoked salmon, for example, is lucent and plentiful, presented plainly with a light caper sauce. Main courses, such as the three tournedos of succulent, ruby red pan-roasted venison, or the tower of smoked haddock with Stornoway black pudding, make the most of outstanding Scottish ingredients. For dessert, the cranachan is an absolute paragon of the dish – fresh cream whipped with whisky and a touch of lightly toasted oatmeal, shot through with some lip-smacking raspberry coulis.

• High point: Efficient service
• Low point: Gluey sauce with the venison