Urban Angel

There has been a cafe of one sort or another on this site for years: the venerable Laigh Bakehouse, then the short-lived Juniper, which morphed into Urban Angel in 2004. Tucked away in a city centre basement, it has a modern, yet rustic look (white walls, wooden floor) & is very upfront about its approach to food, embracing Fair Trade, free range & organic (the short wine list is exclusively organic, for example). During the day it’s a cafe-takeaway & you can have brunch from 10am – three different kinds of omelette (£6.50), three versions of eggs benedict (£6.95), French toast, organic porridge, own-made bread & jams – with lunch adding sandwiches, salads & more. But the evening brings dinner & daily specials. Urban Angel's tapas are very good & work well as a starter: three split between two diners could bring fresh anchovies, char-grilled artichoke hearts, & the best hoummos in Scotland (with lime & coriander). Mains choices might include crayfish & pea risotto, or a Loch Duart salmon fillet with mustard mash. The Mediterranean vegetable & mushroom tart meanwhile (made with parmesan pastry) has a quality that would shame the vegetarian option in far more aspirational venues. Hearty puddings too. Relaxed, popular, & decent.