The opportunity to snack around York causes certain merriment among my friends.

No more than with Arthur who has teased me unmercifully. Now was the time for his comeuppance.

This is a franchise operation which can be found throughout Britain. York's spacious branch is typically French in style; wooden floors, rough walls with murals and adverts for the current fare.

A three-course lunch is available for £7.95. We had neither the time nor the inclination to tackle it.

However the plat du jour is available from noon until 5.30pm, costing between £4.95 to £7.95. Starters were £2 and sweets £2.95.

Before we ordered, a basket of bread arrived and on request a carafe of water. The accompanying glasses already contained ice and lemon. When ordering, we said we were in a hurry, but it was all of 20 minutes before our plates arrived.

Having explained my budget constraints Arthur nobly chose the cheapest dish, the smoked chicken and pineapple salad with toasted pine nuts and balsamic vingarette. New potatoes, carrots, cucumber and lettuce came in a separate tureen.

Arthur thought his meal was nicely presented with the right quantity of balsamic. His overall verdict was 'adequate', readily admitting that he really would not have wanted to consume anything more substantial.

I selected gateau of Mediterranean vegetables plus garlic cous-cous topped with goats milk cheese. This came on an extremely hot plate (for me always a good sign) and looked attractive. It tasted excellent with a range of subtle flavours. No one complained to me during the afternoon so the garlic must have been quite light.

Having experienced Pierre Victoire elsewhere, I knew what to expect. I was not disappointed and would recommend the venue for a reasonably inexpensive meal in basic surroundings.

Restaurant: Pierre Victoire

Address: Lendal, York

Reviewed: March 18, 2000