ALWAYS on the look-out for a bargain, we spotted a sign promising a lunch for just £5. And did we find a bargain!

We chose a table by the wall. When we arrived there were only four other customers but by the time we left the venue was doing good business.

We opted for the lunchtime selection which consisted of a starter and main course.

While we were debating what to order, a basket of bread arrived. Fortunately we did not immediately dig into this extra.

The four starters were minestrone soup, pat della casa, fungi mamma mia or Villa Italia garlic bread. Ann selected garlic bread. For me it was a toss up between pat and mushrooms in cream sauce. The pat won. The garlic bread was pizza based and could have been a meal in itself. After disposing of the pat and toast I helped Ann out by eating two wedges of pizza. So far we were more than satisfied with quality and certainly with quantity.

The main course was also a choice from four: pizza Villa Italia (a little bit of everything), quattre stagioni pizza (ingredients sounded as if it too had a bit of everything), lasagna al forno or spaghetti bolognaise.

Ann was warned that the dish containing her lasagne was very hot. Good! Her verdict: "Delicious but you've got to be hungry to come here."

Going for the local dish, Pizza Villa Italia was nearly my undoing. When the pizza arrived my heart sank. It was all of 11 inches in diameter and I have to admit to cutting off the rim. Not that this part was overcooked, but reducing the size made the helping look less formidable. I thoroughly enjoyed this taste of Italy and was again thankful that I hadn't succumbed to the bread basket.

Throughout our meal we were serenaded by Italian opera music at just the right level. All in all we had a most enjoyable lunch.

Villa Italia, 69 Micklegate, York