THE last time we ate here, Elvis Presley showed up during dessert.

He gave us a medley from The Vegas Years, including The Wonder Of You and Suspicious Minds (also known as I'm Courting A Tramp).

The wonder of Granvilles, now in its 25th year and still the coolest ticket in town, is that you get music while you dine – a meal and a gig at no extra charge.

In his white jump-suit, turned up collar and rhinestone-studded belt, the Elvis impersonator put on a dazzling show.

He looked like Elvis must have wished he looked when The Vegas Years gave way to The Bloated Slob Years.

I thought at the time that some might have preferred a less flamboyant, more soberly-attired artiste, such as the late George Melly (who adored Granvilles), but the Vegas show was a bonus after a splendid dinner.

On some nights, you can still eat to the beat at Stone's famous brasserie and music bar, but on this occasion I was checking out on your behalf the early doors menu, which is served at a time when most musicians are still in bed.

At £11 for two courses, and £13 for three, this is gourmet dining at recession-defying prices. And they throw in a glass of wine or a half-pint of Titanic bitter for good measure.

The early doors deal is available from Monday to Thursday between 6.30 and 8pm, and if the choice is limited, it's an appetite-whetting and nicely balanced one.

Seated in the main dining area, where gilt-framed mirrors jostle for wall space with photographs of many of the jazz greats who have entertained at Granvilles, we picked up Australian and American accents and noticed that the early evening diners included a uniformed schoolgirl and her white-haired gran.

A mixed bag of credit crunch-busters, to be sure.

For starters, the table d'hôte menu offers soup and warm bread, chicken liver parfait and toast or prawn, celery and apple salad.

I chose the parfait, a smooth and tasty number, served with some perfectly-dressed leaves but not enough toast.

Why are some restaurants positively profligate with quality paté but stingy when it comes to toasted bread?

Still, it was a lovely starter, and Herself was more than satisfied with her delicious salad of prawn, celery and apple.

On another occasion I might have been tempted by the vegetable and chickpea tagine with mint and lemon couscous, but when boeuf bourguignonne is an option there's no contest.

And this was a vintage bourguignonne, very rich, very meaty, very French, and served with just the right amount of horseradish mash.

Herself was torn between the beef dish and the fish, but finally settled for the lemon and herb salmon on crushed new potatoes. It was a generous portion of salmon, and evidently tasted every bit as good as it looked.

Neither of us fancied the mulled wine poached pears, in fact I had little appetite left for pudding, so I settled for a refreshing lime sorbet, while Herself got stuck into the sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce.

As the recession bites, there are plenty of attractive deals to be had, and there will be more to come, but I rate three courses and a glass of wine for 13 quid as exceptional value.

I also found the early doors special so mellow and restful an experience that I would have objected most strongly if Elvis Presley had materialised and told us that he was lonesome tonight, that he just couldn't help believing or that he was all shook up.

Thank you and goodnight. Mr Cookman has left the building.

The Restaurant

Name: Granvilles

Where: Granville Square, Stone. Tel 01785 816658

Open: (for meals) Monday to Saturday, 12 noon to 2pm and 6.30pm to 9.30pm.

Wheelchair access? Yes

The Bill: inclusive meals x 2 – £26; drinks – £4.50.

Total: £34.50

Verdict

Customer service: 8½/10

Quality of food: 8½/10

Overall experience: 8½/10