1055 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
Style: Sofa lounge gallery
Price: Pint of Kronenbourg £2.70; shot of Jack Daniels £2.10; glass of orange, £1.35
Best for: Ill-advisedly purchasing a watercolour after a few too many
Not for: Pint chuggers
Wheelchair access: No

A short, tree-lined stroll through Kelvingrove Park from the University of Glasgow, The Tap, as befitted its name, catered to a passive student lifestyle. It had pool tables and big screens for watching the match and the drinks were cheap. Towards the end, though, it was starting to look quite tatty and tired.

In its place, Canvas has flipped over a bold new leaf. Completely refitted, with a sofa lounge off the bar and a cafe-style arrangement of tables and chairs beyond, it would seem polished with the annoying optimism of a corporate coffee chain, were it not for its commendable appeal for local artwork. This patronage has cultivated an eclectically shifting interior aesthetic, with each piece hanging for six weeks or so, both for exhibition and sale.

Unfortunately, as Pablo Picasso was wont to observe, bad artists copy and great artists steal. One way or another, they're all at it. The name "Canvas" is owned by another Glasgow company, and so another rechristening will take place shortly. Plans are also in hand to make the outdoor tables and decking more appealing for summer.

Even so, the bar already has a number of punter-pulling initiatives, which may prove too gimmicky for those simply seeking a quiet pint and a chat. On Mondays, a classic film is screened and there's a quiz on Tuesdays. Live comedy features every second Wednesday and Thursday is reserved for open mic spots and acoustic tunes. DJs play on Fridays, while Saturday is club night. And Sundays? Sunday is a day of rest, for yielding to leather sofas and playing boardgames by the fire, which flickers timidly against starkly exposed brickwork.

Tellingly, for an establishment so eager to embrace the creatively hungry, Canvas promotes itself with the tagline: "Food. Drinks. Art". The menu reveals the owners' own artistry, with £3 tapas proffered with the suggestive label "pint-sized portions". Sandwiches are £4.45 and mains around £8.

It's simultaneously early and late days for Canvas. Although the rebranding will purportedly change little, artists, at least, are fickle about where they pickle their talent. Mind you, the prices are competitive enough to maintain impressions of starving genius and may even tempt passing students.