FOR the most part, French Living is one of those Nottingham culinary institutions that needs no introduction. Run for a decade-and-a-half by Anglo-French couple Stéphane and Louise Luiggi (he's Corsican, she's from north Notts), the King Street restaurant, shop and cafe has earned a reputation as a place where proper French countryside fare is served, and nobody will ever tell you that somebody else needs your table.

The ground-floor cafe and shop bustle during the day with diners having baguettes and French pastries, or looking through shelves of hard-to-find imported groceries. And downstairs in the basement restaurant, customers often linger a little longer than they might have planned in a place whose owners pride themselves on providing the generous, unhurried experience of the French village restaurant.

But it's those very attributes – the antipathy towards rushing the customer, the ethos of proper food and proper conversation properly enjoyed – that can make the restaurant a less-than-ideal option if you're ducking in for a 45-minute meal before a show or a film. So a new plan has been hatched. The ground-floor cafe and shop, formerly a daytime-only operation, has shifted in the evening hours to a wine bar with a menu of cold plates and cheeses.

"In the evening, we dim the lights and light the candles," Stéphane said.

"You can come to have one of these little pleasures – the right wine with the right food – and it doesn't have to be a long-winded affair."

When it comes to the right wine with the right food, Stéphane's not taking any chances. He's penned a menu that's heavy on cheese-and-wine pairings – some well-known, some more obscure or of his own creation.

The wines on the list are the same as in the shop – uniformly French, many sourced personally by the Luiggis from small, little-known wineries. It's all part of the authenticity they've sought to bring to the place since they opened it in 1994.

"In the end, I think people know when it's authentic or when it's not," Stéphane said.

French Living isn't licensed as a bar, so every order must include some food. That's why Stéphane has sought to make sure that the light menu includes small enough plates that even people popping in for a glass feel they can come there. Likewise, "wine by the glass" does not mean "if you only want a glass, you'd better be prepared for the two cheapest bottles on the wine list." Have a glass of whatever you'd like.

"If you've got something to celebrate, you can have champagne by the glass," he said.

"We just want to be known as an early evening venue whether you want to have a full meal or a small plate and a drink."

Stéphane's not looking for late-night business – upstairs is closed by 7.30pm. But he believes this will tap into a good market – people who want a convivial after-work drink but might not be in the mood for crowding into the pub.

"Sometimes, people want to chill out after work and go somewhere civilised," he said.