Restaurant Review: Marimonte

I WAS always convinced the old Bud Flanagan song started Underneath The Arches then carried on with ‘down paradise row.’

And then I realised I was confusing it with On Mother Kelly’s Doorstep. Just too young to remember, see.

OK, so the railway arches in Huddersfield town centre may not be everyone’s idea of paradise, but if you’re into meat and, especially, fish then your tastebuds may end up in heaven there.

Peacock Lounge has closed and strutting its stuff in its place is new restaurant, Marimonte.

There was a danger that diners would be looking out onto the sweeping vista of the Tesco petrol station forecourt, but they’ve been clever with frosted mirrors and the entrance design so the light is let in but not the unspectacular view.

The forecourt won’t be there forever anyway once Tesco gets its superstore built further along the ring road.

The first question is answered by a look at the menu. And that’s just what does Marimonte mean?

It stands for a union of the sea and mountains. Or to put it another way – fish and meat.

The concept is based on buying ingredients from local suppliers and then cooking healthily on the grill or ultra-hot lava rock.

It’s not a big restaurant, but it’s a welcoming one with its exposed stone – slivers of rock that must have taken an age to do – and comfy seats.

Now that’s a big plus. So many restaurants serve great food yet have furniture that’ll have you shuffling around to get comfortable within 20 minutes.

There’s soft wall lighting too plus also a lot of spots inset in the ceiling, but they could do with dimming down a tad.

We began with a fish sharing platter from the specials board – chunks of smoked mackerel, traditional prawn cocktail, smoked salmon, crab meat and tiny anchovies.

A good mix with the crab meat in a slightly creamy mayonnaise while you can’t go wrong with smoked salmon, a traditional prawn cocktail and probably the best of the platter was the smoked mackerel which came in large chunks.

And then for a real taste of the sea with the anchovies. Salty, yes. Resistible. No.

One fascinating fact is that there are 144 species of these little foragers dotted around the world in oceans as diverse as the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific.

Other starters include marinated chicken stripes sauteed with peppers and onions and the wonderfully-named pill pill prawns cooked in olive oil, fresh garlic, chilli and parsley.

When it comes to mains then steak looms large in all its forms from fillet, sirloin, rump and even venison through to swordfish and blue marlin.

Tempting, yes. Chosen, no.

I went for the fish stew as it had to be the restaurant’s signature dish while Ruth is a stroganoff fan and so opted for the beef stroganoff – diced beef cooked with mushroom, red wine, cream, chilli and parsley served with fluffy rice. They got it spot on – tender meat and just the right amount of spice.

The fish stew is not for the faint-hearted with shell-fish looming large and the mussels having to be plucked from their natural habitat in the dish. It’s a traditional dish with fish, prawns and mussels all simmering in a tomato and herb sauce and served as it should be with crusty bread.

Other mains include blackened salmon fillet, grilled sea bass served on spinach and potato with a spicy salsa, marinated lamb cutlets served with Moroccan couscous and harrisa sauce and, for our vegetarian chums, potato and aubergine bake.

So, not a huge menu, but what they do they do very well and the service was easygoing, efficient and friendly.