The Glass House Restaurant

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

The Glass House is a Salvation Army church hall that has been transformed into an airy, contemporary open eating space, mostly using glass: on the facade from the roof down through a glass-fringed mezzanine, along with modern glass installations and minimalist seating and tables inside. Against industrial brick walls there's a faux wood burning stove with a flue reaching from ground to ceiling, offering an immediate first warming impression. The next is the busy open kitchen. The menu is aimed at its primarily student market with Italian staples. The house bruschetta has cherry rather than plum tomatoes, but bread and dressing green pesto are excellent, with liberal use of high quality olive oil. The Italian theme develops through risotti, stonebaked pizza and fresh pasta dishes such as ground pork, smoked bacon meat balls with spaghetti and smoked paprika and onion chutney sauce. Good for lunch and early evening deals, in the evening the emphasis is on specials featuring local fish, scallops, crab and venison. A short wine list makes choosing easy and the house wine is good. The buzzy atmosphere makes for a fun venue and meeting place.

• High point: Well priced set lunch
• Low point: Disappointing puds

Listed in The Larder – in the shops now or buy online.

What was once a Salvation Army hall is now a split-level, contemporary space with a regularly buzzing atmosphere. Locals come back for the evening specials which emphasise well-sourced seafood and venison, and the students enjoy keen pricing deals (£5.95 for a two-course lunch) and reliable Italian classics based on good ingredients. In summer, the outdoor patio on the second level is a good place to try the decent house wine.