So, what a surprise when, on a rare visit to the town, I stumbled over one of those annoying A boards in the middle of the pavement advertising a restaurant. Without the board, however, it would be easy to miss this place because the sign is so tiny.

The restrained size, I suspect, is thanks to local planning, not the owners, as it sits on an elegant Georgian façade within a spit of the Abbey. No. 8 Restaurant is new, it opened last December and is a first for its owner Tim Clay. He felt Selby was crying out for something a bit better than pub food but not fine dining. He wanted locally produced, good quality food, cooked and served well at a reasonable price.

His restaurant spreads over two floors and was buzzing, so clearly already a hit with locals. The makeover team had been busy, with any nod to Georgian replaced by Conran-slick dining rooms of wooden floors, leather chairs, dark, undressed tables. A Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen fan has wafted through adding touches of baroque and glitter, softening what could have been stark.

The menu lollops around like a teenager not yet sure what it wants to be when it grows up. The eight starters and mains plus three specials skip between comfort foods of bangers, mash and Yorkshire puddings to sophisticated sauces on prime steak, slow roast meats and even lobster.

All are at refreshingly reasonable prices with none breaking the £20 level. Unfortunately, there's only one vegetarian on each and three fish throughout, so it's a carnivore's paradise.

The wine list shows reserve both in content and price, sweeping across continents and style and offering a good selection by the glass.

A tangy, citrussy South African Sauvignon Blanc, at £15.75, was fruity, with enough punch to match our chosen dishes.

A starter of grilled goat's cheese, poached egg and chargrilled asparagus, seemed a little over-zealous. It could have stopped one ingredient short and been sufficient. A soft egg to dip with fat spears of asparagus – yummy, but a wedge of French goat's cheese was perhaps a taste and texture too far. Maybe I am being too picky.

But not so with a starter of tiger prawn and crab cocktail.

I took exception to paying £5.75 for three tiger prawns with the remaining cocktail padded with tiny prawns, a spoonful of white crab meat and four tiny slivers of unripe mango.

Best main courses choice seemed to be between calves' liver and belly pork.

The pork, with a cassoulet of beans, freshly chopped tomatoes and a stuffed apple, seemed to be the thing to test the mettle of the kitchen and regain lost ground. The beans were passable. Belly pork should be soft and melting, needing little more than the prod of a fork to extract the meat. Here the fat resisted the knife and it was difficult finding any meat. I'd guess the chef had cooked it too fast and too hot.

A meaty, fresh fillet of black bream on the other hand was more successful. It was served with a bed of pak choi and pool of sweet chilli sauce which came together rather well.

The crème brûlée for dessert offered a final hurrah. This one was good.

The caramelised coating shattered into tiny shards with one gentle tap of the spoon revealing an unctuous lemony cream. A plate of local cheeses, biscuits, celery and grapes was equally well-received.

The bill, at just under £70 for two including wine, seemed reasonable.

No 8 is still young and its heart is in the right place. It's what Selby has been waiting for.

The staff are delightfully warm and welcoming. I suggest chef (newly arrived from the South) makes more use of local, seasonal food and visits some of the county's notable restaurants and pubs to check out what makes them great. Then No 8 should have everything.

No 8 Restaurant, 8 Park Street, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 4PW. Tel 01757 291188. Open daily noon to 2.30pm for lunch and from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.