I'M SURE someone will correct me if I've got this wrong but I think Ochis in Darlington is the area's only Caribbean restaurant.

It's been open about ten years now in a slightly out-of-the-way location above a furniture shop in the town's Bondgate. For an ethnic restaurant to stay open that length of time suggests it must be doing something right so a visit by the D&S Times has been overdue.

Run by the engaging Dennis Brooks, it describes itself as a Caribbean and Mediterranean restaurant and features a menu which mixes Caribbean and European dishes fairly seamlessly.

So seamlessly in fact we found it difficult to determine was what supposed to be authentically Caribbean and what was not. Whether that's an indication of a lack of confidence in Caribbean dishes or just Mr Brooks hedging his bets with what he thinks will be customers with conservative tastes we're not sure.

We were a party of four, being joined by Chris and Paula, just before nine on a Saturday evening.

The restaurant was only half full but the service was on the relaxed side, as one might expect perhaps in a Caribbean establishment, but there was also a streak of old-style Eastern European incompetence.

That may be harsh on a new-ish waitress whose English was not very good but serving custard instead of ice cream as had been requested with a Bramley apple and cinnamon crumble was the culmination of a series of minor misunderstandings.

It took a while to have our order taken and another long-ish interval for it to be served. Sylvia thought her barbecue ribs (£4.95) nicely sticky and smoky, Paula considered her crab cakes (£5.95) very substantial with a tangy tartare sauce and Chris liked his spicy Calypso chicken wraps (£4.95) although the sauce made it impossible to eat them by hand.

My scallops and king prawns (£7.95) were expertly sauteed in lemon and butter and neatly served in a crispy filo basket.

But it all went wrong with the main courses. Paula's berry-glazed duck (£14.95) was tough and the bed of deep-fried parsnip it was meant to be served with didn't turn up initially. When the omission was pointed out, it did arrive separately but tasted of straw. Chris was almost happy with his tender stuffed roast leg of lamb (£12.95) which came with a rich port and honey sauce but Sylvia thought her Jamaican jerk chicken (£12.50) was juicy and tender but singularly lacking in the jerk department. My jerk pork on the bone (£11.95) was equally bland - and tough to boot.

Desserts, which included that crumble with the unwanted custard (£4.50), were similarly unmemorable, although Chris did clear his plate of lump bumpy (£4.50) - a layer of light chocolate fudge cake topped with a rich chocolate-mousse and creamy cheesecake mousse, covered in dark chocolate ganache sprinkled with pecan nuts and chunks of chocolate. It sounded divine but didn't quite live up to that grand billing. My selection of Archers ice cream (£4.50) had been in the freezer too long.

Our £140 bill for four included two bottles of wine and some pre-dinner drinks but couldn't be regarded as good value because of the inconsistency in service and the kitchen.

Our collective verdict was that Ochis would be better off ditching the culinary confusion and sticking to authentic Caribbean fare.

Unless we are going to be corrected, it has no competition.