One 19, The Mount, York

THE last time I "dined" at York's prestigious Mount Royale Hotel, I left in my underpants and soaked to the skin.

It was 1980 and I was about eight years old and had overdosed on the fizzy pop at my cousin's wedding reception. Uncontrollable, I stripped off and jumped into the hotel's outdoor pool.

Perhaps fearful of being recognised and frog-marched off the premises, I'd never been back.

However, riding past on my way to work each morning, the hotel and I have enjoyed a daily, if fleeting, acquaintance down the years.

News that the restaurant at the hotel had undergone a change of a name and ownership, made me think it was time to dip my toe in the water again, but this time fully clothed.

Formerly known as Sous Le Mont, the restaurant, run as a separate business to the hotel, is now called One19 The Mount.

Having arrived a few minutes early, we were invited to take a seat in a lounge area-cum-reading room, next to the hotel's bar, to peruse the menu over drinks

On each table were little plates of complimentary crisps and nuts to nibble. A nice touch, but the crisps were soft. Not a great first impression.

While we chomped, Karen, and I stared at the extensive menu further bolstered by a list of specials.

There were 13 starters and 15 main courses, plus about five specials, which left me slightly perturbed.

I've often found less is more when it comes to dining out. Surely, a smaller menu allows a chef to concentrate on freshness and quality?

Still, the varied dishes sounded appealing: grilled halibut with lemon and herb butter; scampi ravioli with tiger prawns, lobster and prosecco wine and tomato cream sauce; and a trio of halibut, monkfish and cod, with king scallops and prawns in a light ginger, spring onion and champagne sauce.

For starters, Karen chose the Scottish smoked salmon with capers, lemon and cracked black pepper (£6.45) while I went for the grilled goat's cheese salad with cherry tomatoes and toasted pine nuts (£5.45).

Having ordered, we were ushered to our table in the modern and stylish burgundy-coloured dining room, where we tucked into warm, fresh bread buns.

Karen enjoyed her "deliciously fresh" smoked salmon. There was certainly plenty of it, but no sign of the promised "cracked black pepper".

My grilled goat's cheese was pleasant enough. It was perfectly cooked, a little crispy on the outside but creamy in the middle, and was offset by a crisp salad, but it was no better or worse than I'd had before.

It was a promising beginning, but I couldn't help feeling our starters were overpriced.

For our main courses, Karen plumped for prime fillet wrapped in Parma ham, topped with dolcelatta cheese, in shallots and Barolo sauce (£15.95), while I chose the wild boar sausages (what do tame boar sausages taste like?) with mash and onion gravy (£9.95).

Both came served with separate side-dishes of vegetables, which were plentiful but looked as if they had been kept warming in the oven a tad too long.

Karen's steak was quickly declared dish of the day. It was thick, lean, juicy and perfectly cooked with the cheese and ham offering an unusual twist.

My sausages were huge and meaty, like a giant's swollen fingers, the mash was lump-free but the gravy was a little bland.

Both stuffed, we looked at the dessert menu more out of a sense of duty than anything else.

Our waiters, attentive but not over-bearing, allowed us plenty of time for our dinners to settle before Karen chose the Italian-inspired lemoncello and amoretti torte (lemon and hazelnut sponges with amaretti biscuit), while I went for spotted dick and custard (each £4.25).

Karen's torte was light and zingy, while my sponge pudding was simply huge, more than enough for two, and was typically comforting.

After a mix-up over our bill (we hadn't been charged for pudding) the final tally was £51.20.

Earlier, the waiter needed two reminders before our drinks order arrived. As an apology, we were not charged for them.

Karen was more than happy with her lot. But while I was full and I'd enjoyed the food, it was rarely exceptional and my tastebuds were hardly purring in ecstasy.

It had been a pleasant, enjoyable evening, but nothing to get too excited about. I certainly didn't feel the need to get reacquainted with the pool.

One 19 The Mount, York.

Tel: 01904 619444

Food: So so

Service: Quirky

Value: OK

Ambience: Laid back

Disabled access: No

Dave dined at One19 on Wednesday, August 25, 2005

Updated: 16:17 Friday, September 02, 2005