Tchai-Ovna House of Tea

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The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.

Tchai Ovna is small but perfectly formed with comfortable chairs arranged casually around tables, books and games available to help pass the time. (If the weather allows, sit outside on the lovely terrace which resembles a tree house for grown-ups, overlooking the River Kelvin). The food is produced in a tiny kitchen, and is healthy and wholesome. Dolmades, olives and baba ganoush are some of the starters on offer, and for mains the red dahl curry, which comes with warm pitta bread, herbs and yoghurt on request is fabulously filling and only £5.90. The Middle Eastern "platter of delights" is indeed delightful, with hummus, baba ganoush, dolmades, falafel, olives, pitta and mixed salad for £10.50. Desserts are decadent but still (kind of) healthy, such as the goji slice, made with raw chocolate with super food goji berries. Many hours could be spent picking one of the 80 teas from all over the world on the menu, with names like The Golden Flower of Healing (with lavender, camomile and passion flower), Jasmine Golden Dragon and Mate Boom Boom, intriguingly described as "not for the faint hearted".

• High point: Syrup-drenched baklava
• Low point: Service needs to speed up