YOU probably don't know this but I went to California on honeymoon earlier this year. And what a lovely time it was.

Of course spending two weeks with my new wife Catherine would have been equally as wonderful had it been in Selby or San Francisco.

But you really can't beat the combination of that beautiful rugged coastline with its film star looks, wide open roads (it was a driving holiday) and familiar, bold American hospitality.

Yes, we stuffed our faces every night with fresh seafood, mammoth bloody steaks, crazy rainbow salads the size of allotments and heart-stopping desserts dripping with cream.

Nope, we didn't feel guilty about it once. That's because it just felt right. Plus we love our food and, hell, we were stuck with each other for fatter or thinner.

Yet ultimately it wasn't the giant dishes, extravagant presentation and unusually jolly service that made eating out in California such a pleasure.

It was the fact that most restaurants were well kept, featured local specialities and did a few simply dishes really, really well. They were justly proud of it and sung their achievements from the rooftops.

That's why our Saturday night at Tykes took us by surprise.

Tykes Restaurant is part of the modern Sandburn Hall golf club. It's a par 72 6,700 yard course for the swingers among you and my mole tells me membership is a bit cheaper than comparable places.

It's at Flaxton, about six miles east along the A64 from York, and the restaurant is in the newly built clubhouse at the end of a long driveway. In fact, part of it wasn't finished on our visit.

I don't know what we were expecting, but it wasn't clean, modern dcor with lots of wood and open space. Or an impressive open kitchen in a kind of "theatre" arrangement - an ideal role for the extrovert or trainee TV chef among us.

There's a bar as you come in, but the most noticeable thing is that most of the uncooked food is on display in fridges with the menu chalked up on boards above.

After settling down with a bottle of Bramptons sauvignon blanc (£14.95) from the wine list, also chalked up behind the bar, we took a look at the starters.

We chose to share a dressed crab with lemon dill mayonnaise (£5.50), leaving behind a king prawn salad (£5.70), Whitby smoked salmon (£5.50), summer vegetable soup (£3.90) and a mozzarella and tomato terrine (£4.90).

The options for main courses were dominated in my mind by the open fridge piled high with succulent cuts of red meat.

Steaks ranged from a 16oz t-bone (£18.50) to a 12oz rump (£10.50) with sirloin and fillet in between, all served with chips and a grill garnish.

Diners could go for a chicken breast filled with sage and red onion wrapped in Parma ham (£9.90), or a Sandburn burger with bacon and cheese (£8.50).

Specialties on the day included Chinese crispy duck with noodle salad, chump of lamb with puy lentils and chorizo (both £12.50) or sea bas with buttered leeks with Roquefort and walnut pesto (£11.90).

I chose a 10oz sirloin (£12.50), while Catherine dived for the daintier pork medallions (£11.20). Meanwhile, the crab proved cold and meaty with a real taste of the sea. We were given olives and bread too.

Soon afterwards the steak came, as promised, with herb butter, thick chips, mushrooms and tomatoes. It was slightly more cooked that the medium rare I wanted, but otherwise a great unfussy dish.

Catherine's pork medallions were tidily presented and accompanied with a filling parsley mash and creamy sauce. She scraped the plate clean.

By now the restaurant had filled up and the crab had been scrubbed off the menu. Outside the golf course view had disappeared into the night.

Because of our early sitting we had been due to leave our table by 8.30pm, but our waiter happily rearranged arrivals around us and we found time to enjoy a zesty passion fruit and orange tart (£4.70).

With a coffee (£1.50) and cappuccino (£1.70), the bill came to £52.35 which we felt was good value in the surroundings, but perhaps not so great if you have to get a long taxi ride home.

Did it take us back to our California dream? A little bit. To my mind you can't beat good quality ingredients, cooked quickly and simply and presented with the minimum of fuss. Good luck to Tykes.

Tykes, Sandburn Hall, Flaxton, York. Phone 01904 469911.

Chris and Catherine visited Tykes on Saturday, September 3, 2005

Updated: 09:35 Saturday, September 24, 2005