Café Andaluz

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

There are two Café Andaluz restaurants in Glasgow – at St Vincent Place in the city centre and Cresswell Lane in the West End – and there are plans to open another in Edinburgh's George Street in 2008. The tapas format fits well into each location, with a steady stream of shoppers, workers and revellers keeping the tables turning throughout the day. The hours, prices, Moroccan-inspired décor and largely Spanish menu are identical in each outlet, but while Café Andaluz shows many of the characteristics of a slick chain operation, the food remains reasonably 'real', with decent meat and fish and some genuine Spanish ingredients such as serrano ham. Old favourites, including brochetas, patatas bravas and tortilla, are fine, and puddings (such as a very generous crema catalana) are even better, while some more inventive combinations – like spiced minced lamb in a pocket of mashed potato – are less successful. If you're hungry and you really can't be bothered choosing, there's a menu del día for £16.95 a head that comprises eight dishes changing on a weekly basis, or there's a fairly priced 'lunch' (noon–5pm weekdays) of three tapas for a tenner.

• High point: Delicious puddings big enough to share
• Low point: Questionable attempts at originality in some dishes