I have always been fascinated by the restaurant trade — how do some establishments thrive while others fall by the wayside?

Logic suggests that restaurants are only as good as their customers, or rather the number of them coming through the doors.

They in turn are drawn by the quality of location, surroundings, food and service as well as a host of other factors such as value for money and even fashion.

It's a complex mix which is what makes this business so volatile. Personality is also important which may answer the question why people queue outside Jamie Oliver's new restaurant in George Street, Oxford, when they could go practically next door to Bella Italia for a similar meal.

But it seems that you don't need a well advertised high street presence to run a successful eaterie.

That certainly seems to be the case with the Old Parsonage Hotel. I mus have passed this place on the city's Banbury Road thousands of times without ever knowing precisely where it was.

It's tucked away between Keble and Somerville Colleges and barely announces its presence even when you walk up to it from the pavement.

But perhaps its secret is that once discovered, it is unlikely to be forgotten.

We wandered in one weekday lunchtime to find it a hive of activity both outside and in.

Behind the high wall, diners were taking advantage of long-awaited sunshine on the terrace, although the blankets on the back of the chairs suggested we should venture inside.

There we found an inviting looking dining room with deep red walls covered in paintings of varying descriptions.

Tables were arranged on an upper level above a bar area and although we were attracted to an area backing onto a wall, we were actually directed to a peculiar table perched precariously in front of a pillar which at least afforded a good view of the other diners.

This was distracted by the arrival of the menus. We both opted for the set lunch which seemed to offer plenty to whet our appetites with three choices per course.

And at £12.95 for two courses and £15.95 for three, it seemed good value too.

To start, I chose the pea and ham soup, of which I am particularly fond.

This was extremely tasty with plenty of pieces of ham in the rich-tasting green liquid. The only problem was that it was luke warm.

Funnily enough, I like my soup to be piping hot and I thought that was the nature of the beast unless you have ordered gazpacho. But I let it pass on this occasion.

Sitting next to me on the rather strange seating arrangement perched in the middle of the room, my companion had ordered the caesar salad with parmesan croutons. This was as it should be — plenty of dressing and anchovies with large crunchy croutons. No complaints there.

Matters had also improved with the arrival of the house white wine, a refreshing French white that had been an excellent accompaniment with the first course.

Some considerable time passed before the arrival of the main course for which I had chosen a pan fried bavette steak and cheron sauce.

The bavette comes from the flank of the animal and was small but perfectly formed and reasonably tender with the addition of the savoury sauce. The straw potatoes on the side were also a welcome addition.

Next to me a plate of poached plaice with new potatoes and tartare sauce had arrived. This looked good but from the first mouthful, my companion said it was "cold."

This time it was sent back to be heated again. I can't understand why food can't be hot. After all, they had had long enough to cook it.

When it re-emerged, the fish was tasty enough and the re-heated plate was soon empty. Just a pity they could not have got it right in the first place.

Being a nouveau cusine type of place, the portions had been distincyly on the small side, so there was no option but to go for a dessert each.

After another unacceptable wait, I took delivery of an orange tart with dark chocolate sorbet.

This was unusual and very pleasant, managing to avod being overly sweet and despite not being a sorbet fan, it was a happy partner for the tangy tart.

Meanwhile, the sticky toffee pudding with banana and rum ice cream was excellent, the ice cream again providing a different twist to a traditional dish.

This had been an enjoyable meal in pleasant surroundings, but had taken far too long, especially with the cold food problems.

Management afterwards tried to explain they had been unexpectedly busy, but you would expect an established restaurant such as this to rise to the challenge without compromising quality.

THE BILL: Set menu — £15.95 each Pea and ham soup Caesar salad with parmesan croutons Pan fried bavette steak and cheron sauce Poached plaice with new potatoes and tartare sauce Sticky toffee pudding with banana and rum ice cream Orange tart with dark chocolate sorbet Wine: £16.50 Total: £48.40