IT was a drizzly autumn afternoon and I was chilled to the bone after a morning loitering on the mean streets, my only company some rain-drenched shoppers and vendors shouting out to sell copies of the Evening Times.

I needed a hot meal, but from where? Hold the front page, somewhere new had opened up right on St Vincent Place, The Citizen, in the old offices of the Evening Citizen, back from the days when the city could shift copies of more than one evening paper. Well, maybe those days are over, but a gumshoe still needs to eat - I put a call in to the Moll, who was painting her nails and reading a magazine back at Tec Towers.

That dame doesn't need telling twice and in no time she was emerging from a taxi and we sashayed in to the impressive looking venue. It was quite a showstopper - lots of cosy booths, a glittering bar and plenty of nods to the original newspaper office, with stained glass and old pictures of the title's glory years. The staff were charming and ushered us way into the back of the packed and huge dining area, where there was a buzz befitting a former newsroom. I was enjoying myself, recalling the days gone by of hacks on expenses, treating me to drinks on the off-chance of a scoop.

This time, though, I was picking up the tab, and feeling a little more picky. The choices were failing to hit the headlines - for a broadsheet venue, it was looking like a tabloid menu. We ordered some wine, then went for the sharing seafood platter to start. The Citizen prides itself on its pies and Toots plumped for the chicken, leek and bacon option. I decided on the chicken thighs in a buttermilk batter.

The seafood platter was dreamy, deep-fried prawns, mussels in a coconut curry sauce and some shrimps and salmon with avocado and peppercorn dressing. They came with some crostini that was heavy on caraway seeds - and the Moll was in heaven. "Why don't more places do caraway seeds, Tec?," she sighed. Who knew she was such a fan? But they were in short supply for the amount of seafood on offer and we longed for a basket of extra bread. A request for some tartare sauce seemed to throw the staff into a tailspin, and though it was delicious when it arrived, I was surprised they were so surprised to be asked for it.

The Moll's pie was a hit, once she'd added a bit of salt, and she finished every scrap, including the delicious puff pastry topping, and we couldn't fault the fries that came with both our mains, piping hot and crispy. My chicken thighs were a huge portion, and like all the mains, came with a salad of pea shoots, a welcome change from the ubiquitous rocket. But they were as heavy on the thyme as the pie was under-seasoned.

There were some imaginative desserts, but we went for the cheese board to share and it was a great idea, a hard and soft cheese with grapes and some wonderful home-made crackers to round off our meal in a grown-up style.

We loved the idea of the Citizen, and it's a stunning place to go for a drink and a snack. The staff are hard-working and charming and it has a great vibe. What it needs is for the menu to raise is its game, so the story matches the headline.

The Citizen, 24 St Vincent Place, Glasgow, G1 2EU Tel: 0141 222 2909

Starters

Seafood sharing board 14.95

Mains

Spicy Buttermilk Chicken 12.95

Chicken, leek and bacon pie 10.95

Desserts

Cheese board 7.95

Drinks

Pinot Grigio x 2 12.90

Total 59.70