We’re getting more spoilt for choice when it comes to cosmopolitan culinary culture in Huddersfield.

The expansion in the town’s university of overseas students seems to be increasingly matched by the food on offer.

And now Huddersfield’s answer to the Sunset Strip – I am, of course, talking about Cross Church Street – has another one to tempt us all. It’s Ugarit which specialises in Syrian and Lebanese cuisine.

Now I’m not one for playing too much with words but shift some of these letters around and you can easily get it to read Uragit which may have a somewhat different meaning in English.

Word fun over, let’s frolic among the food.

But before that a word of warning – you can’t pay by card yet but there is a free cash machine slap bang opposite. Oh, and the restaurant doesn’t have an alcohol licence and you can’t take your own.

So just enjoy the food.

Ugarit restaurant review: Nakanek (£3.50) which are charcoal grilled Lebanese spicy sausages along with Halloumi Meshwi (£3.70) grilled halloumi cheese with tomatoes, olives, fresh mint and olive oil.

It’s quite an extensive menu and the great thing about this food is that it caters for meat gorgers and vegetarian nibblers just about equally.

With the vegetarian mezza, for instance, you have a platter of hummus, moutabal (grilled aubergine), tabouleh (a brilliant and vibrantly colourful small salad of finely chopped parsley, tomato, fresh mint, cracked wheat and lemon juice), falafel, fattoush (lettuce-based salad) and all served with pickles and homemade bread.

And the meat mezza has jawaneh meshwi (grilled chicken wings marinated in garlic sauce), mixed shawarma (shredded meat), kibbeh (deep fried meatballs) among other tastebud ticklers.

Feeling greedy while trying desperately and not particularly successfully to hide it under the guise of wanting to give Examiner readers a flavour of several starters, the two of us went for just the four.

These were Nakanek (£3.50) which are charcoal grilled Lebanese spicy sausages, Falafel (£3.50) a mix of ground chickpeas, spices, sesame seeds, coriander, garlic and onion, Batata Harra (£3.70) fried cubes of potatoes sauteed with garlic, coriander, pepper, spices and chilli and Halloumi Meshwi (£3.70) grilled halloumi cheese with tomatoes, olives, fresh mint and olive oil.

Ugarit restaurant review: Pictured left is Falafel (£3.50) a mix of ground chickpeas, spices, sesame seeds, coriander, garlic and onion along with Batata Harra (£3.70) fried cubes of potatoes sauteed with garlic, coriander, pepper, spices and chilli

A mixed bag to suit all tastes I think you have to agree. The sausages are small, medium spiced and have a very dry taste, while the Falafel is rolled into a ball and has very light, almost fragile texture while the halloumi was just what it said really, grilled cheese with not a great deal more. We asked if they had a chilli dip to spice things up a bit and a creamy one duly produced. It needed that.

Our favourite was – and it certainly raised our eyebrows never mind yours – the potato which was packed with flavour as the chilli danced a samba with the garlic and coriander. That’s one to remember.

Mains were a couple of the restaurant’s signature dishes – the Ugarit mixed grill (£11.50) of three skewers of shish taouk (grilled chicken), lahma meshwi (small chunks of lamb) and that firm old favourite shish kebab.

Ugarit restaurant review: Ugarit mixed grill (£11.50) of three skewers of shish taouk (grilled chicken), lahma meshwi (small chunks of lamb) and that firm old favourite shish kabab.

The chicken was as tender (almost to the point of slightly juicy) that you’ll find and packed with flavour. The lamb had had a brief dalliance with something spicy while the kebab had a dryness to it that demanded its small tub of garlic sauce and they dropped another chilli one by too.

Wife Ruth’s choice was a mixed shawarma platter (£8) which is shredded lamb and chicken. Both mains came with rice and that wonderful tabouleh salad along with a lavender-looking pickly thing (arguably not it’s real name) which has the taste of a very light beetroot and sliced gherkins.

Ugarit restaurant review: A mixed shawarma platter (£8) which is shredded lamb and chicken

When we went on a Tuesday it was busy – if we’d not booked we would have had to wait an hour or so – and the surroundings are a light stone with some unique images worked into it.

A pattern on the window stops the Sunset Strip strollers from ogling us as we dined.

The only thing we’d say is some of the food wasn’t as spicy as expected but that may be our fault. Perhaps we’ve eaten too many curries in our time.

Well worth a visit.

* The restaurant has since been in touch to say it does now have a card machine.