The Olive Tree, 10, Tower Street, York

WE had little difficulty in finding The Olive Tree in York's Tower Street because of its colourful exterior.

Newly-opened opposite Clifford's Tower, myself and my dining partners John and Christina were delighted to be given a window seat, where we savoured the view, studied the menu and munched on olives - what else?

The menu featured suggestions of a wine to suit each dish, but we plumped for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (£18.95), which was spectacular.

Thoughtful lighting and decor helped create a warm Mediterranean feel while continental music drifted around the spacious room. We immediately relaxed into the restaurant's friendly, informal atmosphere.

Having ordered, our attention turned to a huge drawing of what appeared to be a Greek god, which dominated one of the walls of the restaurant.

The divine creature (possibly Bacchus) reclined in a state undress, a lyre close to hand. Behind him loomed Clifford's Tower and York's city walls.

This depicts what The Olive Tree is about - a taste of the Mediterranean brought to our ancient northern outpost. As the food was about to prove.

For starters, John chose the wild mushrooms (£5.75) and said they were the best he had ever tasted - on a par with the freshly-picked specimens he had lauded in the Auvergne region of France.

Christina's ragout of seafood (£6.80) was a similar success, with the freshness of the prawns and mussels a particular highlight.

I had chosen soup, which that night happened to be parsnip and coriander (£3.95). The dish was a mass of different flavours - a real firecrackers-exploding-in-the-mouth experience.

For the main course, John waded into battle with the fillet of beef (£16.95), which, being a fastidious kind of a chap, he asked to be cooked on the rare side of medium rare.

Without an eyelid batted, the dish arrived, cooked to perfection, and was pronounced "superb".

Christina opted for sea bass (£14.95), which was also cooked masterfully and complemented to great distinction by a walnut dressing and herb and aubergine puree.

My braised lamb (£13.80) arrived on a bed of risotto that was full of flavour. The meat needed only the merest hint of persuasion to drop from the bone and was the melt-in-your-mouth lamb you dream of, but rarely encounter.

My only minor complaint would be that vegetables or salad did not come with the meals, though these could be ordered at £2.50 for each serving.

Having given the main courses our best attention, we were as stuffed as Christmas turkeys.

Valiantly, however, we battled on, but not without pleading with our waitress for a breather, in which we considered taking a short jog around the block to restore our appetites.

"You wanna chill?" smiled our amenable waitress, who served us throughout with exceptional professionalism and charm, without getting overly friendly.

Having summoned up the blood in true Henry V style, we charged ever onwards with the desserts - a chocolate cup for John, a vanilla pannacotta for Christina and three scoops of different types of ice cream for me (£4.50 for each dish).

At this stage of the proceedings, they proved rather rich for us, but, nonetheless, their quality was unmistakable.

A total bill of £112.25, without service charge, may sound expensive. However, when you eat in a restaurant of this refinement and quality, it would be churlish to complain.

The Olive Tree is wonderful addition to York's ever-improving restaurant scene.

As John remarked later, everything was so perfect that it seemed as if The Olive Tree had been open for years, rather than a matter of weeks.

James visited The Olive Tree on Tuesday, December 9, 2003.

The Olive Tree, 10, Tower Street, York. Telephone (01904) 624433.

Food: first class

Service: professional

Value: good

Ambience: Mediterranean

Disabled facilities: Yes

Restaurant reviewers aim to be fair and accurate. Any comments on this review should be addressed to Chris Titley, Features Content Editor, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN or e-mail features@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 16:06 Friday, December 19, 2003