El Piano, 15-17 Grape Lane, The Quarter, York

Entering the colourful restaurant on Grape Lane, I was hit by a comforting rush of warm air and a waft of wonderful flavours.

Its effect is therapeutic, like coming home to a real fire on a snowy day, or putting on an old pair of slippers and supping a nice cup of tea.

Indeed, El Piano exudes that sort of informal charm. Its staff are friendly but suitably chilled out, and Mary and I easily wiled away an evening over three courses without ever feeling under pressure to hurry.

The walls are daubed in bright Mediterranean terracottas, yellows and reds, while all manner of bric-a-brac - lanterns, rugs, bags, ornaments and dishes - hang from the ceiling, like some North African souk.

The menu is similarly chaotic, in the best possible way. There is a jumble of styles of food from across the world, with various platters and deals on offer, or the option to pick and choose small dishes.

It's all vegetarian and the menu is colour coded to identify vegan and gluten-free dishes. This wouldn't suit everyone, certainly not a voracious carnivore, but El Piano has its market down to a T.

As a veggie-focused restaurant, it is virtually unrivalled in York. It is also accessible for disabled customers, with a ramp at the door, although the toilets are tiny and there is no disabled loo.

I remember dining here as a student and being impressed by the Bohemian bonhomie. I get the feeling it has retained the same customer base and, while it has grown more commercial, its philosophy still lies in its food.

It is anything but formal and sharing is obligatory. It can sometimes be a scrap - I only managed to rescue one olive from a plate of a dozen - but it keeps diners on their toes.

The tapas-style menu has grown more complex since my last visit, and it is daunting at first sight.

El Piano offers dozens of dishes including the likes of aubergine bake, falafels, Thai tofu, hummus, Latin black beans and Korean crackers.

The food comes in three sizes: chica (£2.95), tapas (£4.25) and racion (£6), so you can pick and choose contrasting styles and flavours.

There are also a number of platters and combinations, ranging the served-anytime world breakfasts (£6.95) to plate deals with a selection of dishes, salads or bread (£10).

We chose to keep things simple and opted for a starter tray of seven small, mainly Spanish, snacks and pickles (£6.95), along with a bottle of house red (£11).

Though our starter was uncomplicated - it included olives, pickled onions, mushrooms, and the like - we found it filling enough for two and a pleasant appetiser.

A succulent baked peach was tasty, but contrasted oddly with the other dishes.

We moved on to a mains tray (£27), each consisting of seven tapas-sized dishes and sauces.

There are five options including Far Eastern, Mexican, Spanish and North African specialities.

After much deliberation, we chose the La Indiana tray. It was different from traditional Indian cuisine, avoiding some of the common pitfalls of many specialist restaurants, with gently spiced flavours and well-crafted textures.

The onion bhajis were superb, crispy with a moist centre, while the dhal - made with puy lentils - was beautifully flavoured with coriander and large slices of onion.

A lightly-spiced chickpea and potato curry was rather dry, but a mixed bean salad with chilled tomato chunks complemented it well. We also had boiled rice, potato cakes and "mud mush" - moreish mushrooms in tasty mudbrown goo.

After ploughing through the dishes covering the table, we were both stuffed. But Mary insisted on a dessert, and we chose an el cielo combo platter (£7.95).

The crema catalana - gloopy, creamy orange with cardamon - was the highlight, although a bite on a cardamon pod spoilt the flavour slightly.

But the chocolate pudding and pacific poké, which both had a base of quinoa (the second with coconut and banana over the top), were disappointing.

Before we knew it, two-and-a-half hours has passed, and I was surprised how engrossed we had been in our food.

The bill came to just short of £53.

We were both thoroughly full-up and thought it was reasonable value; although if you wanted a cheaper night, and didn't choose the larger platters, it might be slightly less economical.

But for all its variety and the tapas-style cuisine, El Piano offers a brilliant night out for groups and is also great for smaller parties.

El Piano, 15-17 Grape Lane, The Quarter, York. Tel: (01904 610676)

Sam and Mary visited El Piano on March 19.

factfile

Food: globalService: chilled outValue: fairAmbience: BohemianDisabled access: YES