The Slug And Lettuce, 1 Low Ousegate, York

THIS is the second Slug And Lettuce in the city, the first being in The Quarter.

It does, at first glance, appear as plush as The Living Room on the other side of the River Ouse. Its large picture windows have fantastic views across the river and the bar area, with polished wooden floors, leather seating and long bar with soft coloured lighting, is definitely somewhere you wouldn't mind being spotted hobnobbing with friends.

The restaurant, at the rear of the spacious interior, is on split levels.

One of these is enclosed by chrome handrails and is for non-smokers, while there is a small smoking area on the upper level. With wooden tables and leather seating and interesting artwork of views around York, this place is certainly plusher than its sister venue.

My friend Nina and I sat in the enclosed area, because all the window tables were taken. The menu has plenty of options for meat and fish eaters, but not a huge amount of choice for vegetarians.

Diners can choose from a selection of "finger food and lite bites" which includes such dishes as crispy potato wedges (£3.95), soup of the day (£3.95) and BBQ chicken wings (£4.75); "sandwiches, flatbreads and wraps", with options including ultimate steak sandwich (£7.25), falafel, tzatziki and cos lettuce flatbread (£4.95) and honey roast ham and French brie sandwich (£4.95).

There are also classic salads which come in baby and main sizes, such as warm salmon and asparagus (£5.45/£8.45), Yorkshire blue cheese (£5.25/£8.25) and fishcake (£4.75/£7.75).

A variety of platters can be shared with friends, including The Slug Combo, containing a selection of dips and nibbles such as chicken wings, ribs, potato wedges and jalapeno peppers (£10.95).

Burgers include Aberdeen Angus burgers with a variety of toppings (8oz from £8.25), and Cajun chicken fillet burger (£8.25).

The large selection of mains includes fish and chips (£7.95), spaghetti meatballs (£7.25), slowroasted cherry tomato fusilli (£6.50) and char-grilled rib-eye steak (£9.95), plus side dishes and specials.

I opted for grilled flat mushrooms on brioche (£5.25) to start - baked portobello mushrooms on toasted brioche topped with Welsh rarebit, browned under the grill and finished with crispy pancetta (£5.25), which sounded mouth-watering, although as a vegetarian I had it minus the pancetta.

Nina went for tiger prawn skewers with red peppers and spring onions, served with a mixed salad and a Thai dipping sauce (£4.95).

For mains, I was intrigued by the description of the grilled aubergine and mozzarella burger (£7.50) - layers of chargrilled aubergine, sliced beef tomato and buffalo mozzarella, stacked with fresh basil, served with tzatziki in a sourdough bap, plus chips.

Nina fancied the pan-fried salmon fillet, served with a green vegetable medley and buttered mashed potato (£8.75). To accompany our meal, we opted for a bottle of Fortant Syrah rosé wine (£14.45) from the extensive wine menu, which was chilled, light and fruity.

Our French waiter, who proved to be friendly, attentive and accommodating throughout our meal, soon brought the wine and it wasn't long before the starters arrived.

I was disappointed with mine.

Although it tasted all right, it was nothing special, especially as the edges of the bread were burnt, which pervaded the rest of the flavours, and the bread was also soft and cold in the middle.

The mushrooms topped with cheese were pleasant enough.

Nina said that the tiger prawn skewers were average, with no outstanding flavours. She fared better with her main course, which arrived immediately we had finished our starters (we could have done with a gap so that the plates could at least have been cleared).

Her salmon was perfectly cooked and the creamy, buttery mash and succulent asparagus and broccoli were a tasty accompaniment. It was a healthy dish, but she felt she had eaten well.

My burger, meanwhile, was nothing to write home about. It should have been on the sandwich menu, because the layered mozzarella and tomatoes were cold, the aubergines were barely warm and the chips were bland. The tzaziki dressing was tasty enough.

We wondered whether the desserts would fare better. I opted for a lemon tart (£3.95) and Nina went for sticky toffee pudding with custard (£3.95). Fortunately, they did - the lemon tart was tangy and tasty, the pudding rich and delicious.

The bill came to a £44.85, reasonable value for all that we had. But The Slug And Lettuce must up the ante if it really wants to appeal to the more exclusive end of the gastro-bar market.

The Slug And Lettuce, 1 Low Ousegate, York.

Phone: 01904 639971.

Natalya visited on January 15.

factfile

Food: averageService: attentiveValue: reasonableAmbience: classyDisabled access: YES