We are only half way through March, but 2011 already looks like being the year of the pop-up restaurant and supper club.

In Bristol alone, there seems to be a new alternative to traditional restaurants launched every week and there are plenty more to come.

Gloucester Road cafe and food shop Tart is the venue for the city's latest special culinary adventure.

Since it opened in 2008, Tart has been one of the big success stories of the local food scene. Run by Jennie Bashforth – who gave up a top job in social services to run the cafe of her dreams – Tart is only open during the day and has made a name for its breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas.

Now it is opening for one evening a month to host a themed dinner – and places are like gold dust.

There have been four dinners already but they were all fully booked by Tart regulars as soon as they were announced.

So far, the dinners have included A Taste of Provence, A Taste of Spain and A Taste of Gloucestershire – each comprising four courses of seasonal food from the region or country.

Tonight's dinner is entitled North Italian Feast and the delicious menu includes pumpkin-filled ravioli with butter and sage, beef braised in Barolo wine, and polenta and apple cake.

The dinner, which is sold out already, costs £30 a head including a complimentary drink on arrival.

Jennie says she got the idea for the one-off dinners from regulars who simply wanted to eat at the cafe in the evening as well as during the day.

"It all came about because some of our customers kept asking me to open in the evening.

"It got to the point that we had so many customers asking us to open in the evening that we had to say OK, but only for one night a month."

The menus for the dinners are created by head chef Andrew Griffin and his team.

Andrew worked for well-known Bristol chef Stephen Markwick at Markwicks and Culinaria for many years and his food at Tart is of the same high standard.

Says Jennie: "Andrew is such a talented chef and these evenings are a perfect opportunity for us to extend our menu and for him to cook in a different way.

"Opening in the evening gives us the opportunity to cook a completely different style of food to our lunch menu and that's exciting for us and, I hope, the customers."

By day, Tart is a light and airy cafe with duck-egg blue paintwork and bare wood tables. For the Tart After Dark evenings, the place takes on a very different atmosphere.

"The thing the customers like about the evening events is the way Tart changes," says Jennie.

"One woman came to a dinner and saw the twinkling candles and linen napkins and she said she couldn't believe that she would be in the same space having breakfast the following morning. People like the way the space changes."

Jennie hasn't had to promote the events and so far it has only been advertised through a database of regulars, although she stresses that she wants to attract new diners, too.

"I don't want it to be exclusive, and I want new people to come, but I think regulars do like the fact it feels like being part of a club.

"We have a database of more than 300 regulars so it's the opposite to cold-calling, because all of these people have been eager to get their name on the list to hear about these evenings.

"The only problem is that we can only fit 48 people at a time and some people are left disappointed. We have a long waiting list for tonight's dinner, for example."

With such phenomenal demand, isn't she tempted to throw open the doors more than once a month?

"No. I'm sure the customers would like it if we opened every night but I think most people enjoy the novelty factor of it only being open once a month because it feels more like a special occasion.

"We have no plans to open in the evenings simply because we want to be true to what we are and because we know what our brand is.

"Anyway, I think it makes it more special to open once a month with twinkling candles, linen napkins – it feels good, it feels different."

When Jennie opened Tart in 2008, she had given up a well-paid management job in social services and made a huge career change just as the country was heading into recession.

She admits it was a gamble but one that has clearly paid off, as the cafe has been a huge success.

"I know you shouldn't say things like this, but I can't believe how successful it has been.

"We opened at the beginning of the recession, which was a nightmare really, but we still get new people coming in every day and we're actually getting busier and busier."

Jennie puts the success down to a number of things, but says one of its strengths is the versatility of the place.

"I think we are unique in the sense that we have three very distinct offerings – breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea – and each one has very tight timescales.

"The person who comes in and sits at table number eight on a Saturday morning at 10am can have a great full English made with local dry cured back bacon, home made sausages, the best black pudding and free-range eggs, but as the day unfolds, different people can sit at the same table and have different experiences.

"At lunchtime they will have a meal from our specials board and then different people can then have a sophisticated Champagne afternoon tea at the same table at 3pm.

"I think using the space in that way is quite unique.

"I think it's also the way we use the best quality ingredients and the fact that everything apart from the bread is made on the premises.

"Every single cake, every crumb, is made here and we will always stay true to that.

"Another important thing is that either myself or my daughter, Ellen, is always here. It's an independent family business and we live and work in the community, which is really important to us."

The next Tart After Dark dinners are planned for April 14, May 26 and June 23. Themes and menus for these have yet to be confirmed, but if you would like information, email info@lovelytart.com.