The Brasserie at Òran Mór

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

With its substantial timber doors, thick stone walls, flickering candles and cosy private booths, Òran Mór's brasserie creates an instant sense of comfort and warmth. Specially commissioned paintings from Sheila Tandy, a descendant of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, are a draw in their own right, and their art nouveau motifs are echoed in the graceful curves of the smart wooden bar and elegant loops of the wrought iron work. A small team of approachable staff serve a menu produced from traditional Scottish ingredients with the odd Continental surprise. Scallops come with a chorizo mash, the small cubes of cured meat adding a strong peppery note to the seared seafood. Richly flavoured roasts of venison and lamb are served with, respectively, a playful chocolate sauce and thinly sliced, creamy Dauphinoise potatoes. However, a vegetarian risotto is a little bland and oddly textured: fluffy instead of creamy. Desserts include an apple and pear crumble eaten from the hollowed-out apple. At £15 the three-course pre-theatre option, including a glass of wine, is excellent value, as is the rib-eye steak brunch for less than £8. Conveniently, after-dinner drinks and entertainment are only seconds away in the well-stocked whisky bar upstairs or the popular nightclub below.

• High point: Quality service and surroundings
• Low point: Running out of vanilla ice-cream