Café No.8 Bistro sits happily among the enterprising indie ventures, shops and eateries on burgeoning Gillygate, just outside York’s ancient city walls. By day, it’s a cheerful little pit stop serving breakfast, sandwiches, soups, salads and a few specials, while evening brings a slightly more ambitious bistro-style menu tailored to the kitchen’s capabilities (and its size). You might kick off with fresh fig tart accompanied by Yorkshire Blue cheese and plum chutney, before moving on to duck breast infused with blood orange and juniper, Yorkshire lamb ‘two ways’, an ‘extra-mature steak or slow-cooked, outdoor-reared pork belly with star anise, fennel, pak choi and caramelised peanut sauce. To finish, pannacotta with rhubarb compote rounds things up, while tables in the leafy split-level garden at the back expand this small operation in summer.