Bolshie

Send us more details about this place.

The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

A one-woman operation run by Carolyn Manson since 2006, Bolshie is part boutique shop part funky café, all squeezed in behind a tiny bright-red commercial shop front on a West End residential street. Linking the two halves of the enterprise is a broad dedication to ethically sourced goods – be they organic, Fairtrade, sustainable or recycled. All the ‘buzz words’, as Manson puts it. The menu is seriously limited and there are only three small tables and two counter stools (plus limited outdoor seating when it’s warm). But the feel of the place is snug and inviting, and all about the personal touches. Manson will gladly talk through her menu options of the moment. Provencal broth supplied by Naked Soup comes packed with big vegetable chunks, while sandwiches – with cheese and pickle, chutney or tomato – are made with doorstep-thick organic bread baked by Trusty Crust. Sweets range from apple pies and fluffy scones to chocolate brownies care of Frea’s Fancies. With Glasgow University so nearby, a steady trickle of customers usually browse in the shop – which stocks everything from vintage dresses to designer bags and hemp sandals – lending a gentle ambience to a charming little place that blurs its roles with unassuming ease.

• High point: Full of personality
• Low point: Very scant menu options