The term 'bistro' may not be entirely just to this new venture in Newcastle which is a blend of patisserie, restaurant and café but I'm sure you get the drift. During the day it's all pastries and the most lethal cakes with lashings of all the things everybody except the late Dr Atkins says you shouldn't have.

Lunch is tasty snacks both for slimmers and those who don't give a monkey's, and is very lively. In the evening the mood cools, a transformation is effected and more sophisticated though perhaps less challenging dishes emerge as the romantic couples move in, the anniversary parties enjoy their quiet pleasures and the velvet night takes over.

The Café Royal has caught the Newcastle trend in a timely fashion. For those who recall the more robust manner of entertainment in Newcastle in former years, which is still available if you know where to go, the word 'sophistication' really says it all, and it is long overdue and very welcome.