Bistro Saint Germain

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

This entirely French-run operation – featuring a deli packed with cheeses, pâtés and wines as well as a dinner menu of honest, home-made food – stakes a good claim to being the most Gallic few square metres of Glasgow. While some stereotypes are employed (strings of onions, thickly-accented staff sporting berets, Piaf and Brel dans le stéréo), it only adds to the affably relaxed, rustic nature of the operation: the draughty doors, work-in-progress basement and rather basic toilet all capture a certain insouciant charm that would characterise a simple bistro in the motherland. Beyond the deli/kitchen/foyer, two small rooms host a handful of candle-lit tables and shelves of wine from which diners can choose. The food, which includes classic casseroles and confits, is refreshingly unfussy and reasonably priced. The generous meat platter of salamis, chorizo, sausage and ham is one to linger over with wine. A bourguignon is packed with soft, red wine-infused cubes of beef, while the confit chicken is of excellent quality and complemented by a summery ratatouille. For pudding, a filled crêpe can be dramatically set ablaze tableside with a shot of Armagnac. Coffee and baguettes are available to takeaway, while sit-in bookings incur a £10 deposit to discourage no-shows.

• High point: Cheap and honest food
• Low point: Very basic interior

The LIST Card F17

The LIST Card is a dining scheme that gives you promotional two-for-one offers at a range of restaurants in Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond. Find out more.