ARTHUR has the uncanny knack of appearing at my elbow just when I thought I should be snacking alone. So that explains how he became my companion for yet another midday sojourn.

The lunchtime pasta feste advert caught my eye just as York was beginning to show signs of summer tourism. Maybe this venue would be very busy. Not so! In fact there were only seven other customers during our visit.

Joined by another friend, Kate, we were shown to a table initially beneath a speaker emitting loud music. We retreated to a quieter location but thought the songs from My Fair Lady detracted from the Italian atmosphere.

We were offered a menu which included the usual pasta and pizza dishes. To find out what was available on the £4.99 lunch special we had to ask. You are invited to choose spaghetti, linguini, fettucini, penne or cellentani and select a topping which included four cheeses and spicy Sicilian sausage.

Once taken we waited less than ten minutes for the orders to appear. Arthur went for spaghetti with Italian tomato pepperoni. He would have liked more tomato and was unable to finish his meal saying it became too oily.

Kate joined me in fettucini with six herbs, mushrooms and bacon. These were substantial helpings with the mushrooms and bacon well evident. But our palates were not discerning enough to identify the six herbs! The pasta became glutinous the more we ate.

Had it not been for the fresh ground pepper and parmesan cheese, the dishes would have been on the bland side.

Maybe this venue is busier in the evenings or is attractive to families with hearty unsophisticated appetites. But in the view of three lunchtime snackers it did not match similar venues in the city.

Bella Pasta,

Petergate, York