SORA - York's new roof top bar with unrivalled views across the Minster and the Vale of York - has a lot to live up to.

Wrapped around the seventh floor of the new Malmaison hotel in Rougier Street, securing a reservation at the Asian tapas and cocktail bar feels like buying a winning lottery ticket (or England making it through to the latter stages of the Euros).

So yes, I felt very lucky to be invited to sample the Sora experience on opening night on Thursday.

It was a perfect summer evening - all the better to enjoy the full outdoors Sora experience. Although some tables have canopy cover, many are unsheltered - which was just what we wanted on such a warm evening.

Sora seats 76 people outside but 137 inside and is one of two restaurants at the new hotel, the second being the ground floor brasserie, Chez Mal.

You take a separate elevator from the ground floor to Sora, and as you exit the lift and turn right the view over the Minster takes your breath away. Don't forget your camera phone - a selfie from the outdoor verandah is a must.

Booking ahead is advised, and although some tables may be available for walk-ins, it cannot be guaranteed says hotel general manager Craig Robson.

You can book a table for drinks - or for food and drinks.

To start, my husband had a cold and fruity IPA while I enjoyed a French 75 (£12.50) from the cocktail menu - a mix of Roku gin with champagne.

The tapas menu has just 25 options and sits on one side of A4. Perfect - I hate wasting time having to read a book of dishes when I eat out.

And the great thing about tapas is you can pick a few plates to enjoy at your leisure, then choose more if you are still hungry.

Sora is selling itself on its sushi but also its grilled meat and fish skewers - so we had to try both.

We began with two solid portions of salmon nigiri (£4.50) which were lovely and moist with the freshest of fish on top, jazzed up with tiny wafers of picked ginger and fiery wasabi paste.

Sticking with fish, the seared tuna pieces, coated in sesame seeds (£8.50) were winners too, as was the succulent salmon kasuzuke (£7), served on wooden skewers with a ponzu mayo.

Everything continued in the same style - quality and faultless. As was the service.

The tempura tiger prawns (£7.50) were as big as your finger and coated in a light and crunchy batter, demanding to be dunked in the sweet chilli sauce by their side.

Black cod in a miso glaze (£13) was perhaps the star in what was turning out to be an A-lister menu.

The chicken yakitori (£6) was moreish when dipped into its sticky tamarind and peanut sauce, while the glazed beef short rib (£8.50) was melt-in-the-mouth and my hubby's favourite of the night. A close second was the Himalayan salt aged sirloin (£14), a generous plate of beef slices, cooked rare, and served with salsa verde.

Portions are tapas size remember, so you can easily work your way through a lot of the menu.

If you manage to get a booking, do try Sora's 'KFC' - Korean fried cauliflower (£6). It is really outstanding - little balls of the vegetable, lightly battered, then covered in a sweet and spicy sauce.

For dessert we had the Purin (£6.50) - a salted caramel custard encased in white chocolate with a caramel sauce. It was yummy - school dinners and sophisticated chic all at the same time! Another 'yes' vote went to the Valrhona chocolate and matcha mousse (£6.50), which was a lovely dense yet smooth pudding lightly dusted in green matcha powder and served with cigarette shaped meringue fingers.

Another perfect ending to the meal would be the coconut espresso Martini (£10). Made with Haku vodka, Bepi Tosolini, Nespresso, salted coconut and chocolate, this is sweet, creamy and earthy all at once. Total heaven in a glass.

As dusk fell, we watched the sun set over York. Waiters lit the outdoor pyramid heaters on the terrace and York looked even lovelier.

So does Sora live up to the hype? Absolutely.

Will we be back? You bet - if we can get a table!