Kay Passer? Lovely girl, but didn't she move to Didcot? Ah, you want to know about Que Pasa, which boasts: "Not just a bar, it's an experience from morning through 'til night".

Que Pasa,12 New Road, Oxford

Hmmm. I doubt that slogan's the one I would pick if I were in charge of this chain of bars-cum-eateries, whose origins seem obscure. The name is Spanish for 'what's happening', but there's a bit of this, that and the other on the menu.

Rather like describing something dire as 'interesting', the phrase 'it's an experience' can be loaded with meaning.

That said, there was nothing especially bad about my meal. In fact, despite Que Pasa's exotic pretensions, it was typically British in its mediocrity.

The brown and orange interior was quite kitschy - a sofa near the bar seemed to be covered in some sort of animal skin, bright green ivy drooped above the spirits bottles, and 1980s hits throbbed in the background. It was like Chicago Rock with a permatan.

The menu was a happy confusion of styles, with nachos among what was classed as the tapas section, while the mains included burgers and several Italian dishes, such as pollo al forno.

Browsing a menu at the bar, I counted 25 cocktails - one of Que Pasa's specialities, including non-alcoholic drinks for drivers. But anyone after a beer was limited to the usual suspects, although there seemed to be Budweiser on tap too.

Having ordered, I made my way to a nearby non-smoking table, albeit one only a few feet from the nearest puffers.

Thankfully, the ventilation system was efficient enough for the restaurant not to be particularly smoky, although most of the tables were occupied, this being early Saturday evening.

My choices were potatas bravas (diced potato in a spicy tomato sauce), vegetable samosas, veggie risotto and bruschetta with tomato and mozzarella.

After a long wait - I didn't time it, but I'd read my television guide and was halfway through another supplement - a waitress told me the risotto wasn't available. Wondering why it had taken so long for someone to notice, I picked Greek kebabs instead as they were about the same price.

It was all pretty tasty. The two sausage-sized kebabs were tender and minty, served with a dollop of cool tzatziki dip and strips of lukewarm flatbread.

What the five tiny samosas lacked in stature, they made up for in tongue-tingling heat and, although the smoky, tangy chutney they came with tasted like the stuff usually smeared on bangers at a home barbecue, it had me delving into it like a good 'un.

The two pieces of warm bruschetta were coated in sticky mozzarella, which complemented the balsamic vinegar and tomato puree, although there was not a great deal of the basil they were also supposed to include.

The potatas bravas - one of the genuine tapas you would find on a Spanish menu - were far more potatas than bravas. While there was plenty of finely chopped potato, the sauce amounted only to about a tablespoon's worth, so I resorted to plenty of black pepper to give it a bit of va-va-voom.

What else is there to say? I didn't have the appetite to sample any of the desserts, nor the inclination to try a cocktail with a rib-tickling name such as Sex on the Beach.

The bill, which included a pint of Stella, came to a shade over £12.

I left thinking that Que Pasa didn't really know if it wanted to be a bar or a restaurant. And, while the food was decent enough and the service polite, the prices were a bit high for what was on offer.

Que Pasa,12 New Road, Oxford. Telephone 01865 250099