Babbity Bowsters

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2009 – in the shops now or buy online.

Housed in a historic building designed by the Adam brothers in the 1790s and tucked away in a cobbled lane just off the High Street, Babbity Bowsters pub and hotel is a Merchant City treasure. It has grown steadily in stature since opening in 1983 thanks in no small way to the heavy mark of personality stamped upon the place by owner Fraser Laurie. Upstairs you’ll find Scottish-French restaurant Schottische, which serves quality, rustic Celtic-Gallic cuisine in the evenings only (lamb, venison and sea bass are among the menu samples). Similarly hearty grub is available in the ground floor pub, too. Expect warming soups (the cullen skink here is excellent), stovies, home-made pies, Toulouse sausage and mash – it is well above average pub fare. The bar is a cosy, down-to-earth haven of traditionalism – there’s no piped music, but there is an extensive selection of real ales and malt whiskies, and there are often live folk sessions and ceilidhs which can run on late into the night. RESEARCH REVIEW

• High point: The cullen skink
• Low point: Stovies are not as good as your gran’s