Stephen Lewis waltzes into the Caf Concerto for a great little lunch

THERE'S a certain kind of business person, so I'm told, who likes to do a lot of his or her work over lunch. Having led a sheltered sort of life, I've only ever been out for one business lunch. It was a different newspaper, a different town. A PR type rang me up and said she was interested in discussing some feature ideas, could I suggest somewhere we could meet for lunch?

Uuuh, no, sorry, I said, embarrassed (it was in the days before I became a food critic, you understand), I haven't actually been to any of the local restaurants.

We picked somewhere out of the 'phone book and it was a disaster. I didn't know the protocol of these things, didn't know whether I was supposed to be paying or she was - and when she said she was, didn't know whether I should order the cheapest thing on the menu or the most expensive. I still recall the experience with a shudder.

There are, no doubt, subtle rules to the business lunch game: endless gradations in the choice, style and quality of restaurant chosen which no doubt speak volumes to the initiated about how important a client/ business colleague the lunch payer considers the guest to be.

Pop down to the local for a pint and a sandwich and it means you're meeting somebody you actually like and the business can go hang. The cheap, cheerful Italian joint means you're probably not all that important, but worth cultivating just in case you can shed some light on the machinations of your superiors. Find yourself sitting down in the kind of discreet eatery where the tables are starched, the napkins snowy and the waiters have perfected the art of being attentive without being obtrusive, and you know you've got something the guy on the other side of the table really wants.

All of which brings me to that great little lunch spot, the Caf Concerto. If you're playing the business lunch game, you'd probably best forget it: because it doesn't really play by any of the rules. It's probably more cheap, cheerful Italian joint than exclusive eatery: but the food's way too good to waste on any mere minion. Take a stuffed shirt businessman there, though, and they'd probably be offended by the decor - and too surfeited on over-priced restaurant food to appreciate what was on their plate.

There's a wonderfully bohemian feel to the Caf Concerto: chipped, battered trestle tables, faded sepia-toned musical scores lining the walls, soft jazz piano tinkling in the background. It reminds me of some of the cafes in Prague where members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra or the buskers who line the Charles Bridge hang out. The kind of place where you instantly feel relaxed, at home, and intellectually alive.

Its reputation precedes it, of course. It's great for lazy continental breakfasts and the kind of relaxed lunch where you go for the food and to soak up the atmosphere.

You often find people queuing outside, my colleague Adam informed me as we headed there for lunch one busy weekday.

Not, thankfully, this time. We were quickly ushered into the Concerto's long, cool interior and shown to a table for two near the refrigerated display counter where a mouth-wateringly tempting selection of cakes, tarts and puddings were laid out.

Our table was a tight squeeze, it's true, but Adam - whose tall, lanky frame could put Jack's beanstalk to shame - managed to fold himself into a chair without too much trouble.

We ordered a bottle of budweidser each - the real, potent Czech brew, not the insipid, watery American variety - and then studied the quirky menu. Toasts, breads, bagels, continental breakfasts, pates, soups and baguettes presented themselves for our consideration.

We were here for lunch, so we focused on the hot dishes - the likes of Concerto Rarebits, leek and gruyere cheese tarts, Concerto 'croque' (toasted sandwiches) and a variety of salads.

In the end we both plumped for Concerto Dauphinoises - speciality dishes topped with sliced new potatoes and grilled with cream and gruyere cheese. I opted for mushroom, red pepper and cashew nut Dauphinoise, Adam the speciality of the day: ham, mustard sauce and cherry tomatoes.

They arrived soon after accompanied with deliciously-light French bread and butter, and a wonderful salad of different kinds of leaves tossed in a light, piquant dressing.

The verdict? Delicious - and not so heavy as to send you straight to sleep afterwards.

Adam, being a busy man, had to dash back to the office. I - it was my day off - lingered over a cup of fragrant filter coffee served with a little jug of hot milk.

The bill, for what had been a great little lunch, came to just £20.20. Excellent value: unless, of course, you're trying to impress that business acquaintance with how much you're willing to spend on them.

Caf Concerto, 21 High Petergate, York, tel 01904 610478.

Food: delicious 4/5

Service: friendly 3/5

Value: good 4/5

Ambience: bohemian 5/5

No disabled access

PICTURE: Caf Concerto, in High Petergate, with loads of bohemian charm