Art's Cafe

Art is at the heart of this laid-back, versatile cafe/bar-cum-restaurant near the Corn Exchange. Works by professional artists cover the walls & music can range from Brubeck to Berlioz. The place appeals to vegetarians who like its sympathetic menu (potato & vegetable samosas with baba gannouj & a carrot, mint & coriander salad, followed by butternut squash Thai green curry served with cumin-scented basmati rice), while the range of magazines & newspapers make it one of the city’s hottest chill-out venues. Lunchtime brings snacks, sandwiches & platter deals from £6.50, which might include marinated artichokes, olives, potato salad, chorizo, cured ham & bread. Dinner menus offer more sophisticated stuff along the lines of venison terrine with marinated beetroot & pickled mushrooms, then confit duck leg with garlic & rosemary potatoes & braised wild lentils.