Newly refurbished and renamed, Tick Tock (formerly La Croissanterie) is ideally situated for sitting and watching the bustle of the Plain through its broad plate-glass frontage. Considerably expanded in its new incarnation, the place is light and roomy, the walls adorned with clocks displaying the current time in various countries of the world to enhance its cosmopolitan feel. And indeed, there are a multitude of different languages to be heard over your croissant or full English breakfast baguette, and the cheery manageress is pleased to announce that soon the international theme will be further developed by the addition of an evening meal menu. For a set price (under £6), the café-by-day, restaurant-by-night will soon be serving a mixed menu of main dishes such as lasagne, moussaka, mixed meze, etc., and what's more, you'll be able to bring your own booze to drink with it.

Whilst the generous and competitively-priced full English breakfasts (in a baguette or not) are possibly the café's strongest selling point (apart from the clean and relaxed environment, which apparently will soon be further enhanced by the addition of squishy leather sofas), the continental breakfast is good value too (and the enormous croissants are baked on the premises, so freshness is assured). The standard range of shortbread and chocolate-related cakes are available (as you might expect, given that the outlet is one of the family-run chain of Croissanteries across the city), along with sandwiches and paninis to take away or eat in, with a multitude of the usual sandwich shop fillings.

Tick Tock is a refreshingly inexpensive and relatively stylish little snack stop on your way between town and east Oxford, and as such, if you haven't sampled its wares yet, it's definitely worth a look in. You may find you stay longer than you intended.