My son once loathed pizza. As far as he was concerned, it was worse than spaghetti bolognese, maybe even brussel sprouts!

One day he was persuaded to try a pepperoni, underwent a startling conversion, and decided pizza was actually quite heavenly. So when I was asked to take my family out to the refurbished Pizza Hut in Pavement, I knew the news would go down as well as a nice slice of margherita.

We arrived early one Saturday evening to find the place quite busy but with tables still to spare, and we were quickly shown to a table by a charming waitress. "Non-smoking please," we requested. "It's all non-smoking now," she said with a smile. Good. Before scrutinising the menu, I examined the decor: from what I remembered of our last visit some years ago, the restaurant was lighter and brighter than before, and more open plan.

Pizza Hut long ago mastered the art of keeping young customers happily occupied while they are waiting for their grub, and my five-year-old daughter quickly got to use a pack of crayons left on the table to colour in a picture, and tackle a picture maze. We decided to order starters, although it later turned out we could have filled up on the main course alone. The children shared garlic bread supreme, which comes topped with Mozzarella cheese for £1.99, and gave it the thumbs up. My wife chose chicken wings coated in barbecue sauce with a sour cream and chive dip, (£2.69) while I had potato skins filled with mozzarella cheese, and accompanied by a barbecue sauce dip (also £2.69). They were good tasty appetisers for the dishes to come. When it came to the main course, my son was in no doubt: square shaped Sicilian pizza. Nothing to do with the latest TV ad campaign featuring Prince Naseem and Henry Cooper. He had simply tried it before and adored it. The secret lies in the base - not the usual tasteless dough but one packed with various herbs. At £9.99 (including two cokes) there was more than enough for the two children.

We ordered a quite acceptable bottle of house red for £6.99 to accompany the main course; my wife chose a seafarer pizza tuna prawn and tomato for £4.99, while I selected a pepperoni feast (£5.29).

We couldn't quite finish our food either. No problem, said the waitress Charlotte and she brought us a box to take the leftovers home. They ended up being consumed on a picnic the following day. I had to drive home, so I also asked for the cork back so I could take the half-empty bottle away with me. Waste not, want not.

My full-up family wanted to head off home, but I fancied the chocolate sundae to round off the meal, and stuck to my guns. The total bill came to £39.61, including VAT. Not bad. And we could have sliced the cost in half by cutting out such things as starters, and still have emerged our appetites pleasantly satisfied.

We left impressed. Pizza Hut might be part of a vast food empire, but there's no fast-food, eat-up-and-burger-off mentality here. Instead, it's a slickly professional operation, producing good pizza in unspectacular but pleasant surroundings

Restaurant: Pizza Hut

Address: Pavement. York

Telephone: 01904 709627

Reviewed: March 27, 1999

Food: Tasty, filling

Value: Not bad

Service: Excellent, friendly

Ambience: Family-friendly restaurant