Scran Barley

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

Who, or what, is Scran Barley? To find out you'll need to go down a precipitous flight of stairs off the end of London Road to a smallish basement underneath the Richmond Hotel. At the time of writing, the décor is (quite rightly) under renovation, but the menu and the philosophy are already fully formed. A similar approach is taken with the food as with the surroundings, as chef Pete McElroy strives to get back to fundamentals. This means that the menu bursts with the kind of unashamedly bold flavours that signify a well-stocked Scottish larder. A potato soup (with home-made bread, naturally) is subtly herby and rich, while the goat's cheese panacotta on crostini with a chilli jam successfully fuses the smooth, tangy cheese with a satisfyingly sweet and fiery kick. Mains such as pork olives with sage and onion suet stuffing or Arbroath smokies with creamed leeks and cheese and potato griddles really satisfy those cravings for home-cooked comfort food. And Scran? According to Pete, he's the imaginary patron saint of the restaurant: red-haired, very Scottish and with a passion for simple food cooked well. He'd like it here.

• High point: Portions are generous, to say the least
• Low point: Bizarre choice of 70s acid jazz-funk on the stereo