Black Wheat Club

Tomasz Mlynarski and Marta Obuchowska are the enterprising Polish couple behind this recent arrival on Fossgate, increasingly a hub for independent bars and restaurants. Originally, they opened for brunch, with coffee, pastries and more substantial dishes served with their wonderfully damp sourdough or a soft morning bun. You can still drop by for scrambled and poached egg dishes alongside more striking ideas such as salt beef with sauerkraut, brown-butter hollandaise and cucumber pickle or leek, celeriac and Cheddar served on a toasted morning bun with black-garlic aïoli and pickles.

More recently, they have extended into the evening with a diverse menu that ranges from delicate cheese and potato pierogi with brown sage butter, sour cream and crispy fried sage (an outright winner) to tender 12-hour roast pork, topped with celeriac and a leek and lovage sauce. Chunky braised and charred celeriac also comes into its own with a fermented squash salsa and a heap of spicy dukkah. The smash burger is paired with rhubarb ketchup, black-garlic mayo, lettuce, pickle and cheese, then served in its own BWC paper wrap.

There are just two desserts but they are both exceptional: bread and butter pudding with brown-butter ice cream, and a burnt cheesecake which, in homage to the owners' Polish roots, is served with a Krakow-style berry sauce. A concise, intelligent wine list and fresh modern decor (dark panelled walls, light oak furniture, bright kilims) make for a relaxed and welcoming bistro with food that's hard to resist.