Stereo

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

Stereo's move from the West End to this Mackintosh-designed listed building down an alleyway in the centre of town has not only given the venture a 300-person capacity live music and club space in the basement. It has also allowed for the creation of a smart, bright and welcoming café/restaurant with large windows, red tiles and fairy lights – not to mention friendly and relaxed service. The ethos behind the menu remains the same as before with all food free from any animal products, while bread is not only organic but baked in-house. Breakfast is served all day and includes a tofu scramble or breakfast burrito, and there are also light snacks and salads, such as butterbean and pepper with sun-dried tomato dressing. A main course of fajitas is exemplary, with glossy roasted vegetables that retain their firmness sitting alongside two piping hot folded tortillas – with jalapeño peppers, guacamole and tomato and lime salsa on the side. The Turkish roasted vegetables and chickpeas with home-baked flatbread is a dish designed for bigger appetites, with a spicy after-kick counteracted by a cool, refreshing tzatziki. As we go to press, a new tapas selection was being added to the mix. A dessert of caramelised apple and walnut cake is both chewy and light. Like Stereo itself, it has everything balanced just about right.

• High point: Off the beaten city centre track
• Low point: Navigating its alleyway at night