Sugarvine

In the last 10 years or so, the south Manchester suburb of Chorlton has changed - we were about to say out of all recognition but in truth it's only in affluent pockets (which have been completely swallowed up by supertax incomes and lifestyle to match). Scratch the surface and you will find that despite the inflated house prices much of the area remains almost the same as it was when the only 'eating out' options were a bag of crisps in the pub or a visit to the chippy.

Barlow Moor Road, the main thoroughfare through Chorlton, still has its fair share of basic shops and charity emporiums. Here, there are also survivors of the first wave of cuisine which hit the UK in the 1960s. The New Mai Wah, for example, has been around in one form or another for the past 30 years. Its menu will be very familiar to the millions who treat themselves to the occasional Cantonese -- chicken and sweetcorn soup, crispy duck, sizzling steaks, and so on. The set banquets offer the time-honoured combos of ribs, sweet and sour pork, 'seaweed', and stir-fries. It's a marker of how times have changed that this kind of fare was once regarded as expensive. It's now at the cheaper end of Chorlton's options -- about £20 a head for a big blowout with wine.

Likewise the wonderfully retro Azad Manzil. Also on Barlow Moor Road, this long-established Indian has (oh joy!) those cosy 1970s booths where you can sit and hide away while tucking in to your rogan josh and poppadums washed down with pints of lager. Not quite red-flock wallpaper, but almost. However, it 's good food here. The restaurant boasts a proper tandoori oven, all the favourite curries of varying heats, and even throwbacks like mushroom omelette and chips and steak Diane. Cost is even less here -- about £15 a head for two courses with alcohol. Apparently, the restaurant is expanding next door and due to be refurbed. Watch this space.

Two more survivors from another era are worthy of mention. Michaelangelo (sic) is Chorlton's much-loved neighbourhood trattoria. It's family-run, and offers honest fare like pizza, pasta, minestrone and all the other comforting choices which once seemed so exotic. They're brilliant with kids, too. Turkish Delight, on Barlow Moor Road, is a real gem. Proper mezes, succulent stuff like spinach in yoghurt and garlic, spicy meatballs, vine leaves stuffed with rice and meat, and tiny little filo pastries packed with cheese. Their kebabs are second to none -- firin kebab (lamb with roast potatoes and a spicy sauce) is particularly recommended. Turkish wines are worth checking out, too. But stick to reds, which are syrupy and densely flavoured. If you have room, there are the Turkish sweets which, much like the Greek variety, come packed with honey and nuts.

And now to the trendy stuff. Back in the early 1990s, Beech Road was getting a bit above itself. A bistro, Café Primavera, had just opened. There was a wholefood shop. The area was obviously on the up. These days, it's positively awash with places to eat and expensive delis. That means, sadly, the local butcher and greengrocer have long gone. In their place is Buonissimo, an upmarket deli selling gourmet breads (baked at Barbakan just down the road), salads, Italian hams and sausages, and fine cheeses and pates. Vegetarians have Chorlton Wholefoods, everything organic you could possibly want -- and more. It's a great place to find spices and herbs at prices much lower than the supermarkets.

Spice Café is for the chilli junkies. Its set menu is £10.95 for two courses and £12.95 for three. Starter choices include sweet potato, coconut and chilli soup, and mushroom and tarragon pate with ciabatta. Mains include imaginative fare like baked cod with sauté potatoes minted pea puree and jalapeno oil, and lambs liver with black pudding and bacon mash. A la carte is a little more expensive - but not much. Around £11 or £12 for mains with lovely stuff like Poussin with lime or salmon and spinach fishcakes.

If you want something lighter, The Nose Wine Bar is a good place to hang out. Equipped with the ubiquitous wooden tables and a soothing green and cream décor, it does light breakfasts, BLTs, hot paninis, and salads. In the evenings, they also do basic stir-fries and pasta plus 'combos' of the Asian, Greek, and American variety. It's not exactly sophisticated fare -- basically a plate full of bhajis if you opt for the Indian, chicken wings and nachos etc if you go American-style -- but the emphasis here is on fun rather than fine dining. The wine list is great with dozens to choose from. Prices start at £4.15 for a huge glass of house Rioja. They also do cocktails at £9.95 per jug.

A little echo of Chorlton's past as a hippy haven is Diamond Dogs -- a wholefood café, albeit playing the latest rap music and decked out in 21st century style. Here you can tuck into organic breakfasts, soup at £3.50, Thai green curries, and nice veggie fare like gumbo and casseroles of black-eyed beans, red peppers, sweet potato and coconut for about £7. They do cheesecakes and smoothies as well.

Not all the action is on Beech Road. Heading towards the town centre, Palmiro straddles the border of Chorlton and Whalley Range (this outstanding Italian restaurant is featured in our A-Z section this month). Closer in, the Iguana Bar on Manchester Road (pictured above) is the only bar in the area to enjoy a late licence and it takes maximum advantage with events six nights a week - everything from open mike nights and comedy to salsa and jazz. Iguana is also open during the day and offers light bites and vegetarian food as well as being a relaxed venue for just a coffee or a drink.

The place which probably typifies Chorlton's rise to Islington-like cachet is the site which was Café Primavera. It is now Sasso -- a stylish New Italian restaurant which is more River Café than Roberto. So there's stuff like fritto misto, moules with wine and garlic, pizzas with Spek (German smoked bacon), rocket and Parmesan. Pollo Sasso is breast of chicken with fontina cheese and rosemary; there's also grilled seabass, with crushed potatoes, plus imaginative pasta dishes. Lots of daily specials, linen tablecloths, all very chi-chi.

It may sound grudging. But it seems a shame that some of the slightly shabby eccentricity of this desirable area has gone. However, that's probably an argument which wouldn't hold much sway with Chorlton's newer residents. Even the Chorlton Green chippy (a place people used to fall into out of the pub) is now licensed. If you must, the only possible alcoholic accompaniment to our national dish is champagne -- otherwise stick to tea.