The Left Bank

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2009 – in the shops now or buy online.

The Left Bank boasts all the understated cool of a bar kitchen while at the same time remaining as relaxed and versatile as a café bar. Aesthetically it’s modern and sophisticated, with local designers having contributed many of the converted bank’s best features, including the patterned wallpaper by Timorous Beasties and the smooth, smart concrete bar from Glasgow Sculpture Studio’s Chris Bannerman. Wind your way up the steps on to the mezzanine and you can gaze out across the bar area and through floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows on to Gibson Street beyond. Breakfast options (served from 9am on weekdays) include oatmeal porridge and beans on toast. For lunch you can get a modestly priced salad, ciabatta or wrap and add soup on the side for just £1.50. There’s a broad geographical spread across the menu: starters, smalls and sides can be mixed and matched Spanish tapas-style, while amongst the various South East Asian-influenced options there’s delicious Yangon spiced free-range chicken. The humble British fish supper gets a look-in, too, in the shape of fresh beer-battered North Sea haddock served with chunky Ayrshire chips and mushy peas with a minty twist. The mood shifts with the day – from laid-back in the morning and afternoon to lively around dinner time to buzzing as drinkers file in come late evening.

• High point: Extensive vegan options
• Low point: Meagre ice-cream portions