THE concept's been tweaked, but the style still works. As does the entrance. You turn off Middle Pavement or Bridlesmith Gate and into Bridlesmith Walk. The little pedestrian street – the upper-end shopkeepers probably don't like "alley", but it does give it a hidden-world charm – connects the busy tram and car street with the popular pedestrian one. And at its Middle Pavement end, sat in a corner where the little alleyway widens, sits The Walk cafe.

It's been open at this location for several years, but a recent change in proprietorship has meant some conceptual tweaking.

You still walk in past a counter filled with diet-thwarting cakes and into a dining room filled with mismatched furniture and retro art.

The tucked away outdoor seating area's not much use now, but in warmer months it's still a sun magnet.

But the menu has undergone a change.

Gone are the Mad Hatter's Tea Party selection of dainty sandwiches and platters.

Here instead are restaurant-quality versions of old-school English favourites – including one that was a must-have for new manager Matthew Bancroft.

"I've always been passionate about fish and chips," Matthew says. "I've driven to Whitby just to get fish and chips from the Magpie."

As you may have read in dispatches from places like London, the noble fish and chip has of late no longer been the sole (heh, geddid? "sole") provenance of the sidestreet takeaway.

It's gone upmarket, or at least mid-market, as chefs have sought to do it to restaurant-level quality.

And so it is with Matthew at The Walk. But this isn't just a posh chippy – he also does other seafoods (the crab platter offers a veritable masterclass in crab) as well as interesting salads, clubs and fancy burgers.

It all checks in at prices that say "cafe" more than "restaurant" – the look says upscale, but the menu says £6.50-to-£12.50.

Matthew had been head chef at The Walk's former incarnation; when the chance came about to take over the new place, he took it.

He cut back on the loose-leaf teas and increased the wines.

He also keeps the places open until 10pm Thursdays through Saturdays; in an effort to draw more of an evening crowd, he's also introducing a five-course taster menu with complementing wines.

Which is not to say he's neglecting the daylight-hours crowd that made The Walk such a hit in the first place.

While he's made some changes, he's also worked to keep much of what made the old Walk such a popular destination for ladies (and gentlemen) who lunch.

He says he's retained many of the place's daytime customers.

"A lot of places would kill to have the lunch trade we do," he says. "That's a different market."

He also wants the place to leave its mark as a local independent. Part of that means buying from local suppliers whenever possible. They stopped buying coffee from an international company and now get it locally from a company that roasts it on site in Basford. Matthew's also got plans for local art.

Artists are going to create something on an outside wall. A 50s-style portrait on a back door of a woman drinking a cup of coffee was done by a Nottingham Trent art student.

"In Nottingham, there's not really that many independent cafes," Matthew says.

A few places such as JamCafe and The Alley Cafe do well. But mostly, Matthew sees the city centre being overrun by high-street chain coffee shops.

He's happy to take on that latter group.

"I know that our coffee is a damn sight better than theirs," he says.

And have you ever tried getting fish and chips at a high-street coffee shop?

The Walk, at 12 Bridlesmith Walk in the city centre, is open until 10pm on Thursdays and weekends. For details visit www.thewalkcafe.co.uk or telephone 0115 9477 574.