I must lead a sheltered life because until I encountered Maxi's I had not heard of shared premises for eating-houses. The more you think about it the more you can see the benefits, though I could see a few of the other sort as well. But let's remain positive. The most obvious benefit as that the arrangement allows for a complete re-think on daytime and evening menus, as well as that subjective matter of atmosphere.

To talk of menus is risky in this instance because they are in what might be termed an evolving stage. This makes the dishes no less good, just more unpredictable. Expect to find substantial bowls of spicy chorizo with soured cream, smoky Parma ham, salami, olives and well spoken of homemade pesto, served with fresh bread, pursued by desserts with an extremely high temptation rating.

Prices are impressively reasonable in a city where such things are becoming increasingly difficult to find. This is a neighbourhood café of the best sort and at the time of writing (Oct/2005) the present evening tenants seem to be well on their way to doing their own thing - all day.