The Olive Tree

9:42am Saturday 1st March 2008

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WHEN The Olive Tree opened five years ago, it brought a taste of the Med to York's Castle area.

Back then, our reviewer rated it first-class for food, but noted it was a bit pricey.

I dined there for the first time a year ago and had no complaints, other than that the hard floor made the warm and inviting restaurant too noisy - and it was rather expensive.

So I was delighted to discover the restaurant runs a special dinning offer every lunchtime from midday to 2pm, but also from 5.30pm to 10pm, Sunday to Thursday, and from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on Friday and Saturday.

With two courses for £10.95, it sounded too good to be true, particularly when many city restaurants charge much more than this for a main course.

Diners can also choose from the a la carte menu and specials board.

My husband, Nick, and I visited on a Thursday night, determined to try the set-price menu. Starters included soup of the day; chicken live parfait on ciabatta toasts and roasted cherry tomatoes with mozzarella and basil oil. Main courses featured parmesan chicken breast with penne pasta and tomato sauce; Mediterranean vegetable risotto; lemon chicken skewers with salad and vegetable pizza.

Nick began with the chorizo and crayfish tail risotto, which was our dish of the night. The meaty fish and spicy, yet smoky, pieces of sausage were abundant in a decent-sized portion of sticky risotto rice. It was all perfectly judged, and the risotto cooked just right so it still had a bit of a bite. I helped Nick clear the plate.

My calamari starter was disappointing. The coating was slightly too crispy, rendering the delicate white rings of squid beneath a bit tough. It came on a generous bed of rocket leaves, which were beautifully fresh, but over-dressed with lemon juice.

It wasn't to be my night, because my next choice, the Moroccan lamb stew with a herb risotto, was disappointing too. The lamb was as tough as an old bit of leather in a Marrakesh souk. Even if it had been tender, I counted only half a dozen small pieces of meat dotted around a mound of rice, making it poor value.

Nick chose the 6oz rump steak, which came with chips and a red wine gravy. It was tasty enough and cooked just past the medium that he had asked for, although there was still a trace of pink in the middle. The chips were medium-cut and golden and pretty mediocre, but the salad struck an odd note, particularly as it was served on top of the gravy. Perhaps it should have come in a separate bowl.

On complaining about my lamb, I was immediately offered an alternative. I chose fillet of salmon on basil crushed potatoes, which was fine, but uninspiring.

The salmon was nicely pan-fried so the skin was crispy but the meat still soft and succulent. The potatoes were cooked well, but I couldn't discern any basil flavouring. It was all a bit bland and would have benefited from some green veg, which cost an extra £2.50.

As a rule, I hate paying for veg and think it should be included in the price. So for the record, if you have to pay for veg, The Olive Tree's £10.95 meal deal costs £13.45.

The staff were polite enough, but several appeared to be undergoing on-the-job training. Luckily, the maitre d' was professionalism personified, and if the trainees take lessons from him, they will do the restaurant industry a great service.

He, for instance, offered us a pudding to share "on the house" and apologised again for my disappointing lamb dish.

Desserts are priced at £4.50 and include mango parfait with passion fruit and vanilla syrup; lemon tart with pine nuts and mascarpone; raspberry cheesecake and vanilla panacotta.

After some deliberation, we chose chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream, which arrived with strawberry ice cream. We sent it back. Moments later, it returned, with some very lovely vanilla ice cream on top.

We ordered coffee, and despite there being seven different varieties on the menu, the waiter didn't ask which one we wanted. Before we could specify, he'd turned heel, returning with two filter coffees and a pot of hot milk. Happily, the coffees were good, but we would normally have ordered a latte and an espresso.

We also enjoyed a lovely bottle of French chardonnay with our meal, Cave De Lugny (£15.95), which was dry and fruity with hints of lemon, peach and honey.

Our bill came to £42.25, which was quite good value. But the quality of the food from our set meal was a shadow of the fabulous fare from the la carte menu.

While I applaud the Olive Tree for offering a meal deal when so many restaurants in York charge exorbitant prices, it's a shame the kitchen struggles to match its a la carte offerings.

Get that balance right - and throw in some carrots and broccoli for good measure - and they really would have a winning recipe.

• The Olive Tree, 10 Tower Street, York. Tel: 01904 624433
• Maxine visited on Thursday, February 21, 2008