Shops may come and go but, with the kind of locality and clientele that other restaurateurs and shopkeepers would kill for, Summertown continues to thrive.

Shops like M&S Food and Gatineau point to the affluence of the area, yet, from a culinary point of view, it is also reassuringly multicultural, with Chinese, Indian, Italian, Lebanese and Greek food to choose from, among others.

Some restaurants have been there for donkey's years, and look like they have too, while others are much more contemporary. But the food is superb either way, whether you go for the traditional or a more modern cuisine.

Shopping-wise you can tell this is a real suburb of Oxford because it has vibrant shops - three supermarkets, an organic butcher, two off-licences, a pub on the main drag - The Dewdrop Inn - and two new coffee shops, Costa and Starbucks. If there was any doubt that the coffee experience is here to stay, just check out Summertown.

Saffron begins the line-up of restaurants. This Indian café restaurant and bar offers something contemporary in what is often seen as a traditional cuisine. And its express lunch looks well worth a try. Spice Lounge opposite has also gone for the sleek interior to attract Summertown's residents.

Next door, Xi'an offers a Chinese alternative, an equally upmarket restaurant with an exotic and relaxed design, and its £5 lunch looked very attractive.

Gatineau is the one shop which actually stops you in its tracks and, if awards were being given for window displays or attention to detail, then surely it would be ahead of the pack. This is a patisserie in line with Maison Blanc and its offerings were so tempting I felt like Charlie in the chocolate factory with my face pressed up to the window. You can buy the cakes whole or in portions, as well as fresh pastries, handcrafted chocolates, marshmallow, dessert sauces, truffles and many other delights. I defy anyone to leave empty-handed!

LBs offers Lebanese food, which looks pretty uninspiring on the counter, but, oh, the taste! This place is one of those secrets that Oxford's residents have been keeping close to their chests for years, and exactly why LBs is still in business.

Its Lebanese cuisine is famous far and wide. You can't eat in, but instead choose several titbits and dips, in a tapas style, and take them away to enjoy at home. Try the smoky aubergine dip - it's sensational!

La Dolce Vita is another familiar Summertown restaurant. Still decked out in its original 1970s décor, the interior may be dated, but the food is still delicious with some of the best pizzas and pasta on offer and reasonable prices to match.

Taylors deli is another exciting find, an Aladdin's cave of a deli, whose shop front is deceptively small compared to the cavernous space within where oils, meats, cheeses, ice creams, teas and pastries vie for space, leading you to the back of the shop where a large sandwich assembly line keeps Summertown's workers well fed.

On the opposite side of the street The Greek Taverna serves up authentic, honest Greek food in a traditional setting. Further up, Joe's caters for the brunch, pasta, burger brigade in premises full of squashy sofas and newspapers, a sister restaurant to its original Cowley Road counterpart. And when the sun's out enjoy a coffee or snack al fresco at the tables outside Costa, M&S and Joe's.