Metropole

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• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £5.95 (set lunch)
   £7.50 (evening meal)
• House wine: £10.50 per bottle

• High point: Laid-back vibe
• Low point: Sticky tables
• Food served: Mon-Sun 8.30am-10pm
• Open since: 1995
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of menu), Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Take away

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

This Southside café is a haven of calm among the stresses of everyday life. Come here to while away the day in an intimate booth or at one of the odd assortment of wooden tables sheltered under towering potted palms. It's open from early morning right into the evening, serving breakfast (including good old porridge), scones, cakes, soup, sandwiches and more substantial meals for lunch or dinner. A hearty tomato and lentil soup is served with texture still intact, chunks of celery and carrot providing real warmth in every spoonful. The panini vary from chicken with mango chutney to roast pepper, pesto and mozzarella. Bacon, gouda and turkey is crammed full, with cheese dripping from the sides, though the addition of cranberry makes it just a little over the top. Look out for the early evening deal, offering dishes such as beef lasagne, vegetable curry or falafel with salad plus cake and a drink for £7.99. A recent art deco-style refurbishment has added fresh paint, new wooden floors and comfy chairs where you can let your meal subside as you relax and read the paper.