A CHARMING hotch-potch of styles greets you when you enter Willows Caf Bar.

Situated in the heart of Southampton's trendy Oxford Street, the bell on the door as you enter makes you think you could be walking into a quaint newsagent.

But turn the corner and you are greeted by something quite different. Parisian caf chic meets traditional English pub with helping of trendy wine bar is the closest I can get to describing the effect.

Black leather sofas and simple chrome-and-black tables and chairs contrast with a wooden panelled bar. The converted milk churns used as bar stools make the place even more unique.

It is a fascinating place. You could sit here all day and still not quite work it out.

Festooned with house plants, there is a non-smoking conservatory situated behind the main bar for eating and drinking although the main eating area was slightly heavy with smoke.

Willows has two menus to choose from - a lunchtime and a dinner menu, which starts at 5pm.

As the 5pm crowd propped up the bar, we chose from the lunchtime menu.

A wholesome selection of English dishes are available and all very reasonably priced considering the local competition.

We chose the steak sandwich on onion bread, which came with chunky chips and a mountain of eye-catching salad, and the omelette, served with chips and a similar spread of salad. For 50p a go you can add extras into the omelette, which on this occasion included prawns, mushrooms, onions and tomato.

The steak, if a little thin, did hit the spot and the fat omelette was one of the best I have tasted. But best of all were the chips. One of the menu options is "chips with everything" - literally.

A bottle of diet coke and a bottle of lager to wash it down meant the total came to a reasonable £14.50.

Would I come back? Absolutely!

Reservations: 023 8022 0785.

Willows Cafe Bar, 21 Oxford Street, Southampton