COCKTAILS and posh bars are all very well, but once in a while you just want to feel at home in a bar, rather than pondering what to sip and whether your bum looks big in whatever Urban Outfitters selection you are showing off in. Luckily, for me I have discovered the perfect place tucked away in the corner of the Castlefield Basin.

Lava café bar is a cross between a local pub minus the tat, a traditional Italian restaurant and a hip hangout for residents fortuitous enough to be within a stone's throw of the calm waterside setting.

Despite all the problems with bars and residents trying to cohabit in harmony in Manchester, the Lava Bar owners have managed to gain local fans by consulting them to see what they like. Consequently, outdoor music is on the cards this summer rather than a sackful of hate mail.

Lava is underneath that bastion of Manchester radio land, Key 103, so be prepared for a few celebrity-spotting opportunities.

Chatting to the amiable owner, Roy Jackson, I discovered that DJ Mike Toolan has interviewed some of his guests in situ for a more relaxed approach, and the god of confrontation TV, Jerry Springer, has also stuck his head round the door.

I hope they got to sample the Lava pizza selection, which is a celebrity list all of its own.

If you want to experiment ask for the Arthur's Seat. With toppings including haggis, black pudding and bacon for the breakfast aficionados, though maybe not a fan of your arteries.

The bar also does hot rock meals - meat morsels cooked on volcanic lava - hence the name of the bar. If you really want to sizzle this Valentines Day take advantage of the excellent value four-course Valentines meal including a lava platter.

It's a mere é37.95 all in and beats hands down the overpriced alternatives.

Lava is a bit like a favourite jumper that you don't want to take off because it has that perfect feel to it; this is a bar that has panicked residents of nearby flats begging for milk and bread when supplies run out, that attracts suited and booted businessmen over the expense and show of nearby competition, and that has a regular crowd happy to be able to relax.

Roy and business partner David had a vision of offering "somewhere friendly and local to go to that everyone would feel welcome in" and have succeeded in making Lava a perfect haven of eclectic food and décor.

Many bar businesses grandly declare objectives like Roy and David's - the real talent is living up to the aspiration and I think all the customers would heartily agree Lava does just that.

Lava Café Bar, Middle Warehouse, Castle Quay, Castlefield, Deansgate, Manchester (0161 833 2444 www.lavacafebar.co.uk) Mon-Thur 10am-midnight; Fri-Sat 10am-1am.