The Grill at Dakota Eurocentral

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

The Dakota Hotel is a gloss-black, armoured monolith sheathed in a cobalt glow that stands guard over the Eurocentral interchange on the M8, ten miles from Glasgow's centre. Past the forebidding exterior, the inside is altogether warmer and more comforting. The bar marries the industrial chic of exposed ducting and brickwork with country club sofas around a feature fireplace, and is a popular place for light grazing and latte-sipping. An evolving series of spaces leading through the restaurant cleverly create intimacy, although the ever-present blue light slanting through black screen dividers remains eerily reminiscent of the Matrix films. Decorated as a shrine to wine, classic Bordeaux provides the backdrop for a classic menu that changes daily through a passionate fresh food sourcing ethos. Perfectly seasoned steak tartare comes with slivers of crisped sour-dough while a simple crab linguine, delicately laced with fresh chilli, equally allows its core ingredient to remain at the forefront. While the kitchen is rightly proud of the quality Inverary butchery, showcased through traditional calf's liver or a variety of popular steak options, fish is also well represented. Char-grilled squid with bacon and pepperonata is tender and imaginatively offset by its salty and sweet companions. Despite its location, high hotel occupancy and the food's lure for the well-heeled Lanarkshire set make reservations advisable.

• High point: Well executed classics with fine ingredients
• Low point: Taking the motorway there is efficient but it's hardly an out-of-town adventure