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But my long-standing vegetarian friend and I finally reached a happy compromise at the Olive Tree in Chapel Allerton.

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The popular Greek venue, which won the title of Best Restaurant outside Leeds City Centre at this year's Oliver awards, offers a range of dishes to suit both carnivores and herbivores, served within all the hallmarks of a family-run establishment.

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Launched by Greek-Cypriot immigrant George Psarias in 1982, the business proved such a success that there are now three branches of the Olive Tree across Leeds, with bustling restaurants on Otley Road, Headingley, and Rodley Lane, Rodley.

George, who cites his mother-in-law as his main inspiration, is a firm believer in traditional cooking methods and believes that we should go back to the way our grandmothers cooked, using only the best seasonal ingredients – and it shows in the menu.

The restaurant serves typical Greek and Cypriot dishes, all cooked freshly on the premises, from traditional meat and fish mezes to halloumi cheese, moussaka, dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), souvlaki (kebabs) and kleftiko (slowly-cooked joint of lamb – a Cypriot speciality).

And with a bustling, noisy atmosphere, the Harrogate Road venue oozes Greek rustic qualities – and not just in terms of the food. Although the restaurant is quite small, having to squeeze through the tables and chairs actually adds to the Greek taverna atmosphere.

We were sitting virtually shoulder-to-shoulder with other diners and although the closeness didn't allow for much privacy, it emphasised the family nature of the restaurant.

The venue attracts large groups of diners as well as couples, and a table of five friends sitting next to us were happily laughing and joking with each other throughout their meal. This could be irritating in some restaurants but in the Olive Tree it just seemed to fit. In fact, the sound of laughter filled the whole venue on the busy Friday evening.

Sitting there watching the waiters bustling to and from the kitchen and
listening to the chatter of other diners, our spirits were lifted high –and when we looked at the menu, our day became even brighter.

Much to the delight of my vegetarian friend, the options went further than her usual selection of Quorn lasagne, stuffed peppers and green salads.

The menu includes a wide range of starters, including psarika (seafood starters), keftedes (meatballs and rissoles) and filo pastries, while diners can also order pitta bread with a host of traditional Greek dips, including taramosalata, tsatsiki and hummus.

Many of the options are suitable for vegetarians, with my dining partner opting for the tyropitakia (feta cheese pastries with mint) for £5.75.

After much deliberation, I selected the keftedes (meatballs with minced lamb, potatoes, breadcrumbs, grated onions and herbs, served with fresh tomato sauce), also for £5.75. On this occasion, we decided not to drink alcohol, although the wine selection is reportedly very good.

My dining partner was delighted with her starter and had nothing but praise for the light pastry and the creamy feta.

My meatballs were perfectly cooked and although meatballs can be a bit hit-and-miss, sometimes containing cheaper cuts of meat, these were perfect.

The sauce was excellent and there was just enough left to mop up with warm pitta bread, which we had ordered with some traditional tzatziki (£4.65).

Moving on to the main course, I was planning to have the arni souvlaki (lamb kebab) but at the last minute, I spotted the specials board and went for one of the listed dishes, a fish kebab with rice.

My dining partner opted for the vegetarian moussaka (aubergines, courgettes, potatoes and vegetables, topped with bechamel sauce), priced at £10.95.

My fish kebab was beautifully presented, with two skewers filled with delicious-looking fish chunks laid out across a bed of white, fluffy rice.

The fish itself, much like the meatballs, was perfectly cooked, with chunks of salmon, swordfish and prawns separated by slivers of red and green peppers.

One thing which must be mentioned when it comes to the Olive Tree – yet another typically Greek trait – is the genereous size of the portions.
The meal was large and, because it followed a hearty starter of meatballs, I simply couldn't finish it.

My dining partner thought her meal was also very good, although the creamy topping was just a little heavy for her.

We were so full that, despite the range of desserts on offer, we couldn't actually manage a full one each and eventually shared the homemade hot chocolate fudge cake with ice cream (£4.95).

On another day, it would have been tempting to try one of the traditional Greek sweets, which range from the nutty baklava, the famous Stafidhopitta - another of George Psarias's specialities - and the Meloyiaourti (greek yoghurt with honey and crushed nuts).

The total bill came to £63.70, which may seem a little bit pricey as we didn't drink any alcohol, but the atmosphere, the quality of the food and the generous portions made it definitely worth the price.