Those who come to live and work in Aberdeen - the 'oil capital of Europe' - in time come to accept the city's little idiosyncrasies.

For example, the fact that Aberdeen Fun Beach might only be considered fun by those of a masochistic temperament, given that it edges what is officially the coldest sea on God's Earth. Also, the fact that what in Glasgow would be called a roll - a soft bap designed to hold cheese, egg, bacon, chips, or preferably all four - is in Aberdeen-speak a 'softie'. A roll is instead a lump of solid fat, cunningly wrapped in a couple of layers of flaky pastry. It has the nutritional value of lard, particularly when smeared in butter. It also tastes far and away better than anything the finest boulanger of toute la France could manage.

Cappuccino?

However, in the past the biggest quirk of the city was its café culture, or rather, lack thereof. The city, on paper at least, could legitimately call itself cosmopolitan. It has a student population embracing many nations, and an equally diverse group of workers due to the multinational companies providing services to the North Sea oil industry. And yet, and yet... While Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee have a café culture which has escaped the all-pervasive Costa and Starbucks, Aberdeen had succumbed. With the exception of Michie's the Chemist to the west of the city centre, and the valiant little Beautiful Mountain in the city centre, Aberdeen's coffee shops had a strident lack of individuality.

A New Age

Lo, it came to pass that the city's fathers remembered why they had been appointed, pushed the brown paper envelopes to one side and allowed the arrival of five - count 'em - new coffee shops.

A Tour

The first for critical assessment is Books and Beans in Belmont Street. The shop operates on two levels: the main part of the café is downstairs, while upstairs are the second-hand bookshop and the comfy chairs. The café does the second-best cappuccino in the city (honourable mention for the best - Pannino's in George Street), the sandwiches and toasties are freshly-made and delicious, the baking is first-rate, and the soups are always vegetarian - often surprising (banana korma?)- and never less than appetising. The staff are friendly and obliging, even in the presence of toddlers who have a Jackson Pollock approach to handling their food. The bookshop has regular events with local poets'/writers' groups, and the café itself displays the work of local artists. The only criticisms would be the lack of adequate seating at busy times, and the infernally ugly and wobbly metal tables. Nonetheless, this is an exceptionally good establishment, and a welcome addition to the city.

Round the corner on Little Belmont Street, just above Dare Hair Salon, is Kilau Coffee Company. Two flights of stairs lead into the mellow surroundings of the café - no metal tables here, just good old-fashioned wood and leather. It offers sweet and savoury crepes filled baguettes, cakes, coffees and teas. The pancakes are sizable and delicious, the coffee less so. Those in search of a gunpowder charge from their coffee, look elsewhere. On the plus side, the café offers a book exchange/borrowing scheme, an internet service, games in the form of chess and dinky wee card sets, and - best of all - late opening hours (for those who might like to finish the night gently).

Manhattan's Coffee and Bagels, back on Belmont Street, does exactly what it says on the tin. There's a good variety of filled bagels, the coffee is better than that offered at Kilau, the service is again friendly and obliging, and it is one of the very few places open before 8am. It is, however, a place to stop, but not to linger - the stools guarantee that.

The Aveda Lifestyle Salon, housed in James Dun's House on Schoolhill, is very much a place for 'ladies who lunch'. It is, of all four so far, the most elegant and expensive. The tableware alone would give David Dickinson rude dreams. Again, seating is limited, but if the purse strings can be stretched occasionally, the soups are rather special, and come with freshly-made bread and a splodge of goat's cheese on the side.

Last but not least is The Hub (relatively a veteran) and a little away from the city centre in John Street, but worthy of notice because of the cheap - but cheerful - grub, the comfy surroundings and the chance to personalise the musical background.

Suddenly, Aberdeen's not 'the world's biggest fishing village' any more...