They say there's a book inside us all, waiting to be written, and in the same vein, there is also a restaurant waiting to be run.

Visions of managing a hugely successful kitchen, socialising every night with friends and regulars, eating divine food and having a ball, are all part of the restaurant dream.

Of course the reality is much harsher. Long hours, a tight turnover, stroppy staff, temperamental chefs, no time off, and a dwindling social life, mean that businesses fold very quickly unless they find that winning formula.

Chez Gaston is the kind of restaurant I'd love to run. It's small, discreet, out-of-the-way, casual, friendly, bohemian, colourful and the food is simple and consistently delicious.

It's known as a creperie, which shouldn't put off any pancake-haters, because its small but enticing menu also offers starters, pasta and salads. And for those imagining a themed cafe, then you'd be wrong again. Chez Gaston has been a family business and well-known landmark in North Parade, North Oxford, for many years.

Young couples sharing a bottle of wine after a long lunch, old ladies drinking coffee, students and professionals alike all rub shoulders in this comfortable atmosphere. There is no rush. As soon as you enter, time stands still. The mosaiced tables and brightly painted walls are conducive to flowing conversation and a lazy euphoria overwhelms you.

The kitchen is tiny, yet manages to keep the wonderful dishes coming. The prices are slightly steeper than you would imagine, but at least you know the food will be good, and unpretentious, a rarity these days.

And rather than insisting that you eat at set times or sittings, Chez Gaston is open from 10.30am until 11pm at night, so you can eat as and when you want.

From ciabatta to milkshakes, seafood pasta and Greek salad to flambeed pancakes, there is something for everyone here, and it's all home-made.

We started off with the garlic bread topped with mozzarella (£2.95) and moved on to a hot chicken salad (£7.50), ensalada belencita (£6.95) and the quatre fromages crepe (£7.50).

The generous salads came in large white plates, the chicken being served in a big chunk of breast rather than mingy cubes and accompanied by delicious herb mayonnaise. The ensalada belencita boasted artichoke hearts, peppers, black olives and mixed leaf, topped with fresh parmesan and toasted pine nuts, served with Chez Gaston's 'world famous' salad dressing, and was what the Brown's version used to be like, before it was taken over -- delicious.

But it was the savoury pancake that took the biscuit, so to speak. The flavours of the four cheeses were perfectly matched by a wonderful tomato sauce and side salad, offset by the lightness of the crepe itself, straight off the hot plate.

Having eaten a salad I felt exonerated in then choosing the most enormous and fattening desert on the menu, the crazy banana (£5.25). An enormous oval dish carrying a huge crepe stuffed with a banana, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and toasted almonds, was carried over to the table, and I am ashamed to say engulfed with mouthsmacking gusto. Well, it's Christmas after all.

Delicious fresh coffee, glasses of house wine (£2.40) and a beaming and friendly waiter all oiled the wheels of our successful meal, that came to around £15 a head, and as I tipped on to the pavement outside, still high on calories, I realised that Chez Gaston is dangerous -- it fuels the dream.

KATHERINE MACALISTER

Chez Gaston is at 9b North Parade Avenue, Oxford. Call 01865 11608 or go to www.chezgaston.co.uk