GOING out for lunch on a Saturday with a girlfriend is a treat to be treasured. Whenever I go home to Edinburgh, a get-together with my sister and best friends at a favourite restaurant is a highlight.

So when my sister came to stay over Easter, I took her to one of York’s culinary stars.

Melton’s in Scarcroft Road opens for lunch from midday till two, so eager to make the most of our date, I booked a table for noon for myself, my sister Yvonne, and my daughter Eva, six.

We were the first in and had the pick of the tables. We sat on a long banquette beneath a striking mural of people in their finery sitting out overlooking the Ouse. “How lovely,” said my sister. “Is it Venice?”

Melton’s may not have a riverside location, but it does invite people to turn up in their glad rags. It is often described as a ‘formal’ restaurant, with white linen napkins, sparkling glasses, attentive waiters, and the sort of ambience that favours discreet conversation rather than dancing on the tables.

Three cheers for that. It’s seriously grown-up, which is not to say it’s just for grown ups. There is no kids menu and no colouring packs or balloons to give away, but the kitchen will happily make up smaller plates for children. Our waiter was even more accommodating: “We can even make some chicken, or pasta with a tomato sauce.”

But Eva had spotted ravioli on the menu and her heart was set. It was stuffed with sweet potato, pine nuts and nettles, but she was undeterred.

Yvonne and I took longer to make our call. There was a set menu for lunch; two courses for £18.50 or three for £21 (this also runs early evenings from 5.30pm).

Choices included home-cured wood pigeon or goat’s cheese soufflé to start; confit pork belly, roasted vegetables or medley of river fish as main courses and bread and butter pud and hot chocolate indulgence with vanilla sabayon for desserts.

More tempted by the sweet than savoury offerings, we agreed to have a main course and pudding each.

Yvonne plumped for the river fish, followed by the chocolate blow-out, while I raided the main menu for the smoked haddock with wild garlic mash and ginger beurre blanc, with the white chocolate parfait to follow.

The wine menu was extensive. It was a sunny day and we fancied something light, dry and chilled. We picked out a pinot grigio rosé, ordering a half-litre carafe for £11.45. It was delicious, refreshing but with a zingy earthiness.

Bottled water and filter coffee are complimentary at Melton’s, as is the home-made bread. We enjoyed all three. The bread was very moreish; tiny wholemeal buns and thick wedges of focaccia with tomato, peppers and herbs, which we smeared with butter.

Presentation matters at Melton’s. Our meals arrived on huge white platters, with our food beautifully arranged and topped with an array of pretty leaves and flowers.

Eva had one large ravioli, a soft, parchment-coloured parcel, filled with creamy, deep-orange mash. Digging deeper, we uncovered a layer of gently-toasted pine nuts held together with the cooked-down nettles. The nettles were a first for us. If anything, they resembled boiled spinach. The ravioli was delicious combination of texture and taste and we all enjoyed it.

Yvonne’s dish also took us to pastures (or rather riverbanks) new, with smoked eel and pike mousse among the medley of fish reeled in from the kitchen.

The smoked eel was an instant hit. Surprisingly firm and dark in texture, it reminded us of mackerel, but with a deeper flavour and softer texture. It went well with the rich red wine and bacon sauce. The pike mousse was less to our liking. It was served warm and had a light, soufflé like texture. But it was the singular odd note in what was a well-orchestrated dish.

My smoked haddock proved another good catch. The fish’s smoky-saltiness was kept in check by the mound of soft, green mash and light, buttery sauce. The wild garlic – quite overpowering outdoors – had been tamed in the cooking and added more colour than flavour.

Portions were decent sized so we still had room to enjoy dessert. And what puddings. Yvonne’s chocolate concoction went straight into her desserts hall of fame. The warm chocolate fondant split to reveal a river of deep, oozing satisfaction. In contrast, the vanilla sabayon was a light, airy affair.

Eva and I shared the white chocolate parfait. Firmer than a mousse, softer and silkier than ice-cream, its subtle flavour was counterbalanced by the sharpness of the rhubarb compot that surrounded it like a moat.

We left just before two, having enjoyed some very good food, in lovely surroundings with a charming waiter.

No one else arrived for lunch – which seemed to take the waiter by surprise. He said they were usually busier, especially in the evenings. The restaurant also does themed lunches on the first Saturday of each month. On May 2, the menu will feature apples, cream and cider from Normandy.

Dining at Melton’s is definitely a treat; our bill came to £56.45. But, we have to say, it was worth every penny.

• Melton’s Restaurant, 7 Scarcroft Road, York, YO23 1ND Tel: 01904 634341 meltonsrestaurant.co.uk • Maxine visited on Saturday, April 18, 2009.