FROM the sublime to the ridiculous, to the slightly surreal. The omens had not been good for this night out. The first two options were shut on a Sunday and closed for refurbishment, respectively.

I’d been told a third candidate, in Norton, was open but that it didn’t take reservations.

Turning up on the Sunday before last, with bank holiday weekend drinkers flocking to nearby beer gardens like wasps around a jam pot, I was annoyed to find we’d been misinformed (misunderstood?).

The blinds were down.

There ensued a slightly comical car treasure hunt across Teesside, with my wife on one mobile picking the editor’s brains and another of our party in the back on a smartphone checking opening hours and directions while directing me at the wheel.

It culminated in a cruise of Middlesbrough’s Linthorpe Road, after three false alarms – I’d always thought Monday evening was the risky one when proprietors chose their precious night off, but perhaps I’d just not tried to go out on a Sunday evening for a long time?

While driving along nearby Borough Road looking for a parking place, the words “Lebanese Cuisine” over an otherwise ordinary looking kebab shop caught my eye. My guests got out of the car to check it out. By the time I’d parked up and rejoined them, they were sat – shoes off, feet up – on a low, U-shaped couch raised on a sort of dais, a round table in the middle.

Taste of Arabia was a restaurant run by Lebanese Walid ‘Sam’ Mostafa in Linthorpe Road. He changed it to a steak house in 2005, before taking a break from the restaurant business with a spell in London.

He returned to the North-East and the new address almost five years ago, resurrecting the Arabian name and catering for Middle Eastern students at nearby Teesside University.

Sam has plans afoot for a shisha garden and balcony terrace that is due to open upstairs soon. The jury seems to be out on the health risks of shisha smoking, but I’d be curious to see how he’ll create a little bit of Lebanon among the Boro rooftops.

On the ground floor, there’s a fast food joint and kitchens, but a door to the side opens out onto a restaurant area with aforesaid dais and a handful of tables.

It’s neither cool nor pretty but it is comfortable, and sitting towards the back of the room provides insulation from the busy street.

A3 laminated menus provide everything you need to know – complete with slightly offputting little pictures of each dish. But they still weren’t enough to help us make our minds up.

Clearly used to such indecision among diners faced with a broad choice of unfamiliar dishes, Sam offered to bring us a selection of starters and mains to cater for all tastes – including one of the party’s vegetarianism.

It proved a fairly good call – there was plenty of variety and more than enough to eat (so even the dog was happy when we got home). In retrospect though I’d like to have tried some of the less familiar options from the menu, such as the manakish breads or wonderfully named foul medamess (a selection of beans cooked with garlic, lemon juice and spices, apparently, but I think the spelling should be ful medames?).

Humus (£3.50) and baba ghanouge (char-smoked aubergine blended with sesame paste and garlic, £4) sat incongruously on Willow pattern plates. Excellent freshly made flatbreads were piled onto another. There was also burak (£3.50) – vegetablefilled filo parcels that are a little like mini samosa – and a good chilli-rich plate of fried potato, garlic, peppers and coriander (£4), as well as a bowl of Lebanese salad (mainly shredded iceberg with a parsley and mint dressing).

The only bum note for me were the falafel (£3.50) – these versions of the familiar deepfried ground chick pea patties were machine-formed, like giant dog biscuits, and as hard and bland as I’d imagine the latter to be.

The main course was a large platter of seasoned rice, atop which sat chargrilled riyash lamb chops (marinated in lemon juice, onion and mild spices, £8) and chunks of chicken tawouk (marinated in lemon, tomato, garlic and spices, £7.50) that had been grilled on skewers.

Darlington and Stockton Times:
The interior of the Taste of Arabia, in Middlesbrough

The meat was nicely seasoned and just on the right side of moist – the chops in particular went down well with Clare, who urged veggie husband John to try the flavoursome fat.

But a dish of a very tasty tomato-based stew ensured he was not left out – he’d also been brought his own dish of rice, untouched by the meat.

There are various combo dishes (including vegetarian options), a meal for two (£25) or a group meal for parties of eight or more (£15pp) that would offer a similar sample of the menu.

Taste of Arabia is unlicensed, but you can bring your own.

Although unprepared for this, we were happy to wash it all down with mint tea, cardamom tea (£1.50) and a mango float (£2.50).

Pudding choices were limited, and even more restricted when we discovered that a delayed delivery meant there was no baklawa (£3). We called it a night.

The bill came to a round £70.

Ratings:

Food Quality: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Surroundings: 5/10

Value: 7/10

Even allowing for the lack of a bar bill, £17.50 a head for two courses and a really good feed was pretty good value.

It’s not a romantic or classy destination for a night out, but a good introduction to some Lebanese staples.

What’s more, it was a very welcome port in a storm for us that night.