AS part of the York food scene for more than 30 years, the Willow Restaurant has become infamous for combining a bargain all-you-can-eat Cantonese buffet with a late-night cheesy disco.

But less well-known is that the restaurant has a substantial 'a la carte' menu seven days a week.

I was determined to give this alternative Willow experience a try as I headed there on a bustling Saturday night.

I booked a table in advance for my cousin Jordan and myself but when we arrived we found there was plenty of room.

A friendly and welcoming waitress ushered us to a table for two and we quickly chose a nice bottle of Matieus Ros (£10.60) and some water to quench our thirst after the walk into the city centre.

Looking around, the restaurant seemed to attract a pleasant mix of couples and families, moving into good humoured groups of friends in fancy dress as the hours wore on.

Admittedly, the dcor is a little dated and basic, but undeniably clean and tidy. My chair, like a number of others, was held together with gaffer tape - not the sort of surroundings you select for a special meal - and the bright lights wouldn't exactly encourage a cosy meal for two.

If the venue was not exactly swish, the service was first class from start to finish - amiable and prompt. We agreed that the staff were truly a delight.

After scouring the extensive menu for what seemed like an eternity, we passed by a variety of soups and starters such as spare ribs in Peking sauce, prawn and sesame toast and aromatic lamb and decided to share a quarter aromatic duck (£9.50).

It arrived ready-shredded with six light pancakes, and plenty of sauce and slithers of cucumber and spring onion. The dish offered that rare kind of pleasure that comes from being allowed to eat with your hands in public and the duck was tasty, if on the dry side.

The Willow offers a wide choice of Chinese, Peking, Szechuan and Cantonese main dishes as well as an impressive selection of tofu, vegetable and aubergine-based vegetarian options, all priced between £5.50 and £9.50.

Jordan plumped for the sizzling dish of beef and green peppers in blackbean sauce (£7.95); I chose the intriguing-sounding Jeck Chungsik Har with pork (£6.95), which translates as pork and Cantonese sauce in birds nest.

We also selected side dishes of fried rice (£1.50) and fried soft noodles (£2.80) to share.

Our meals arrived promptly after the starter and were thoughtfully placed on a heating tray to keep them warm.

The bird's nest turned out to be a creation made of deep-fried noodles, containing tender pieces of pork, peas, carrot and pineapple, with a tangy, sticky sauce. It was pleasant and plentiful but nothing for your tastebuds to write home about.

Jordan's meal lived up to its name and sizzled ferociously. It was generous in size, but unspectacular in taste and a little salty. However, we agreed that both the rice and noodles were well-cooked and added variety to the meal.

Stuffed, we decided against fritters of the banana and pineapple variety, along with the scary-sounding deep fried ice cream, and shared a portion of plain old ice-cream (£1.50).

The waiter warned us it was small, but the three scoops of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla were a perfect way to cleanse the palate of the sticky, stodgy feast we had just enjoyed.

A coffee and a liqueur coffee (£4) and we were fit to burst.

With the bill weighing in at £44.80, we felt that it was decent value, given the amount of food and the lovely service. But you would probably be better saving your pennies for somewhere a little special and sticking with the buffet at the Willow.

Alex and Jordan visited on Saturday, April 3, 2004.

The Willow Restaurant, 37 Coney Street, York.

Telephone: 01904 654728.

Updated: 08:59 Saturday, April 24, 2004