Lunch crime

A BOTTLE of Tiger beer, a Singapore favourite, is as good a start to a meal as you can get. In fact, the range of drinks available at Little Stonegate's Oscars Wine Bar is rather impressive.

Unfortunately, with the beer drunk, the quality of product never soared so high again.

Oscars is a wine bar, which does a good line in food, hence the plethora of eaters scattered around the four sections on a Tuesday lunchtime.

Great beer, as discussed, wonderful decor, a relaxed atmosphere, a helpful and genuine waiter, a lovely bottle of wine (at a shade over £10). Shame about the food.

First things first, ordering in Oscars is a bit of a bind. Menus are on display on boards to the right of the downstairs bar.

It is a fairly comprehensive menu covering quite a range of international cuisines at what look like reasonable prices.

But as the menus are not reproduced in any other part of the bar area, you are left somewhat gawping as you stand in the centre of the bar deciding on your tucker.

We chose to eat in the lovely upstairs area, which made ordering rather laborious.

We got our drinks, a Tiger and an Appletise, and headed upstairs. Then Charlie came down and chose while I guarded the morning's shopping. Then working on a tag system, I then headed down on her return to pick my selection.

Now then. I'm sure it must have been our fault. We must have ordered the wrong things, because our meal was thoroughly disappointing and Oscars has quite a reputation for food in York.

Being dragged around the shops by my beloved had made me rather hungry so I plumped for the Chicken and Mushroom Dijonnaise.

And Charlie opted for the Chicken Tarragon. A Greek side salad and a plate of chips were also selected.

Let's start with the easy bit. The salad was lovely.

The feta cheese was delicious, and the remainder, especially the olives, complemented it well.

The chips too, no complaints.

Now, I am not a fantastic cook, which is why I eat out so frequently, but my rice-based dish could almost have been cooked at home.

The huge chicken chunks were unremarkable, the mustard-based sauce flat, dull and far too heavy.

Maybe it wasn't an Oscars speciality, I've eaten the Cajun Chicken before and loved it, but this meal was decidedly dour.

It was just average. I finished it, as I always tend to do, but out of politeness and not fervour.

Charlie didn't fare much better. Her meal seemed equally lifeless and tasteless. The creamy sauce was too thick and bland. The rice was cooked as it should be, but we were left thinking that perhaps staying in for Chicken Tonight would have been a better, or at least very similar, option. The disappointment of the food was compounded by the price.

Oscars should have been good value for money with our main courses at around £7.50. But for food I could have cooked myself, it seemed vastly over priced.

And then there was dessert.

I have no doubt that dessert sales are not a priority for this wine bar.

But, that is no excuse for what happened to us.

It would be better to be able to say "no, sorry sir, we don't offer puddings," than for Charlie to have to fight her way into a tub of chocolate ice cream with a plastic spoon and me to eat a rather limp synthetic cheesecake drowned in watery cream.

I was rather embarrassed, and I am sure the staff should have been as well, as a tub of Ben & Jerry's was handed over to a customer.

The whole shebang came to a rather excessive £37.95.

I would drink there of an evening, but if I want that sort of food again, I'll don my apron.

Oscars Wine Bar, Little Stonegate, York. 01904 652002

Fact file:

Food: Could be better

Service: Average

Value: Over priced

Ambience: Relaxed

No disabled access