Lysander Arms, Manor Lane, off Shipton Road, York

WE certainly scored when deciding to sample a night out at the Lysander Arms, off Shipton Road, in York.

Unbeknown to us, Thursday evening was quiz night with an element of bingo thrown in for good measure.

Our budget meal' we were on a mission to see if we could dine out for less than £15 each stretched into a late-night session of putting our food-fuelled brains to the test. And we marched into second place, winning a free round of drinks and a Lotto ticket to boot.

Proud of our winnings, we all vowed to make a return visit to try to repeat our near victory.

Our compere revealed that it was a "quiet" night, but the pub seemed to be teeming with people, including many families, tucking into their dinner before the brain-teasing began.

Before dining, we supped our drinks in the spacious leafy beer garden to the rear of the pub where there were several picnic tables and a giant, enclosed play area for children. It seemed an ideal spot for young families.

We then took our seats at a thick wooden table in the restaurant which was separate from the bar area, with the warm wine and green apple coloured walls giving it a fresh, contemporary feel.

For starters I was tempted by the roast duck rosemary rosti with sweet pepper dressing (£4.25) but the kitchen had run out of duck.

Instead I went for soup of the day: a tasty dark green leek and potato concoction in a wide-rimmed bowl with two deliciously warm, malt-brown rolls for a very reasonable £2.95.

Gary and Paul were curious to see what the cheese and chilli melts were like (£3.50) but were disappointed with their choice. They were attractively presented but uninspiring, akin to potato croquets the ones you can buy by the dozen in the supermarket freezer aisle served with a minted cucumber dip.

Rosanna was content with her starter after opting for the classic deep fried brie with a winter berry compot and dressed leaves (£3.95). It was simple but rich in flavour.

Phil went for the cheese and bacon potato skins with garlic mayonnaise and sweet chilli dressing (£3.75). The potato chunks were large and covered in topping which he pronounced delicious'.

For mains, the specialities of the day included grilled tuna steak on a bed of stir-fry vegetables with garlic and herb butter (£9.95) or oven-roasted fillet of pork served on a bed of dauphinoise potatoes with a rich burgundy sauce (£9.55).

T-bone steak with flat mushrooms, oven-roasted tomatoes and home-made onion rings and chips (£13.95) was also on offer.

Paul and Gary were tempted by the Lysanders' VIP burger with bacon, cheese, chilli dressing, onion rings and proper chips (£5.95).

It was not clear from the menu that the chilli dressing would literally be poured over the burger with the bun lid perched on top.

As a fan of sweet chilli, Gary quite liked it and wiped his plate clean but Paul admitted being put off by the general "stickiness" of the all-consuming sauce and felt the dish, with the melted cheese, was too heavy.

The chunky, fluffy chips however were a success with everyone.

Phil was pleased with his choice of Whale of a Fish a fresh beer-battered haddock with half a lemon on the side and those man-size chips (£7.50).

The mushy peas were hailed as proper chip-shop peas', and were in plentiful supply while the home-made tartar sauce was nice and chunky.

Rosanna went for the Posh Fish Pie with pan-fried haddock, salmon, prawns and mussels (£7.50).

It was served, swimming, in a deep terrine with a layer of gratin potato on top and market vegetables in a little pot on the side. The top layer looked very cheesy and oozed into the sauce. Rosanna declared it "just right" and the fish "delicious".

She said it would have also worked well with a mashed potato layer to soak up more of the liquid as she tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to spoon the final morsels out with a fork before admitting defeat.

My chef's pie of the week was steak and mushroom (£7.95) which was steaming hot with plenty of tender, succulent pieces of steak and lashings of gravy in a terrine.

The herby new potatoes in butter were naughty but very nice while my pot of veg included broccoli, courgette and sticks of carrot.

Both the fish and meat pies also came with side salads which seemed at odds with our hot meals.

None of us could manage dessert, although the hand-written menu which was delivered to our table on a slip of paper appeared to have lots of promise.

The champagne and strawberry roulade sounded intriguing while other offerings included mixed fruit cheesecake, banoffee pie, hot chocolate fudge cake and jam sponge and custard all for £3.95.

There were also speciality coffees on offer such as with Tia Maria for £3.75 to round off the meal or the usual selection of hot drinks including hot chocolate.

Our two-course meals came to just over £10 per person so we could easily have accomplished our £15 mission for three courses stomach seams permitting.

Lysander Arms, Manor Lane, off Shipton Road, York. Tel: 01904 640845 Nadia visited The Lysander Arms on Thursday, May 18, 2006.