Paul Stammers finds Sahara stylish, but underwhelming There's an old saying - referring to shoes, admittedly - that one should never choose brown in town.

This was clearly not a rule that the designer of Sahara had any time for, as the place is awash with chocolate hues rather than the yellows one might associate with the arid sands of Africa.

Despite hearing it got busy at the tail end of the week, my friend and I thought a late snack in Sahara on a Friday, after a quiet pint over the road in the now smoke-free (and sadly, almost customer-free, at least when we dropped by) Old Tom pub, might be a good time to test its mettle.

The restaurant, formerly Je T'aime, is near the back of the Town Hall, and comprises a cocktail bar on the ground floor with the restaurant above.

On arriving well past 9.30pm, we discovered it was full of trendy young folk and the air was thick with fruity vowels. I was by no means taken aback to see flyers by the door for the hoity-toity Matthew Clulee hairdressers.

Once we'd been seated, I wondered why my friend seemed slightly flustered.

The reason was simple: sitting behind me, a lass was displaying copious flesh, owing to a combo of low slung jeans and a skimpy thong. A treat for some, perhaps, but she wasn't the comeliest girl in Oxford, and we hadn't asked for a builder's bum exhibition.

SO WHAT DID YOU ORDER?

As it was late we didn't go for starters (most of which were £4.50).

Despite the restaurant's name, the cuisine was firmly European. My choice was going to be the free range chicken breast with Serrano ham on sautéed cabbage (£10.95) until I learned there was seafood linguini as a special, at £9.95.

My friend asked for the fish of the day, which was sea bass, served with sautéed leeks and mashed potato.

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

The menu had warned that diners picking chocolate fondant would face a wait of 15 minutes. We ended up waiting at least that long, though we were content to chat while sipping imported bottled beer from chilled glasses.

The portions weren't particularly generous, and while I enjoyed my mussels and king prawns, I had hoped for a few flakes of fish too. The dish was heavily seasoned with fresh herbs, spring onions and garlic, and the white wine sauce was delicious - but I had to ask for a spoon, as only a knife and fork were provided.

My friend claimed his two fish fillets were "excellent, really fresh", with a lingering taste. He made short work of the mash too, but remarked that he'd expected the portions to be a wee bit bigger.

We also had a side order of onion rings in wheat beer batter - it seemed to taste pretty much the same as the usual stuff, although the use of red onions was a nice touch.

ANYTHING FOR VEGGIES?

The menu highlighted some options, such as fresh gnocci, or mushroom and avocado pesto linguini.

WAS THE SERVICE GOOD?

Hmm. Friendly, but not the most efficient - I ordered a side salad that never came (at least it wasn't put on the bill).

TOILETS AND MUSIC?

The toilets were downright plush, with basins that looked like bidets (I trust they weren't). There was no music at first, then some funky pop was put on.

SPOT ANY BARGAINS?

Some cocktails are half price on Mondays and Tuesdays, 6-10pm.

VERDICT: A colleague of mine sings the praises of head chef Andy Keir, but while Sahara is smart and clearly popular, I found it rather ordinary.

SAHARA, BLUE BOAR STREET, OXFORD 01865 724433