Taste of Mozambique proves to be an African adventure

Firstly, it has to be remembered that food doesn't always travel that well. What is delicious when eaten by the lapping waters of some distant ocean might not taste quite the same when served up in Darlington.

And there is often the danger of style over substance.

I am sorry to say that one new arrival in the town seems to have fallen into both traps.

I was delighted when I saw the posters advertising the opening of the Landela - the Mozambican restaurant on Kendrew Street by the ring road. This appeared to be something genuinely new and different.

That expectation was reinforced when, on booking a table, I was told there were only two slots left for that Saturday evening. Bodes well, I thought.

And the welcome from Zimbabwean owner Dean Blumears couldn't have been warmer.

The first hint of trouble ahead was when my glass of house red was poured from a bottle taken from the fridge. Even then I was prepared to wait and see. Might be the custom in Mozambique, I thought.

The menu is not extensive, featuring mainly chicken and steak with a few fish dishes. But that was fine. I am often suspicious of places which offer too many choices.

I chose a traditional Mozambican dish called sadza - a crushed maize-based porridge type mixture served with chopped tomatoes, spinach and meat (steak).

To really get into the spirit of it all, the menu says staff will explain how this can be eaten in true Mozambican fashion. Dean did just that - you roll chunks of the maize into a ball, make an indentation, scoop tomatoes and spinach into it and eat the meat with your other hand.

My guest went for sirloin in a traditional creamy red wine sauce.

To start we opted for prawns in avocado. This was quite good; with large juicy prawns and a piquant sauce.

Now, the problems really started to kick in. We had to wait about an hour for the main courses, which didn't particularly bother me as I don't like courses following each other too quickly.

But it clearly very much bothered a party in the next room. They stormed out in a flurry of ill-temper. To Landela's credit, staff came to each table to apologise for the disturbance. When the meals did arrive, the disappointment set in.

My guest had to ask for vegetables as they had not been served with the steak as stated on the menu. There was only chips and salad. A small plate of mixed veg was brought - steamed and crisp.

And the sauce on the steak was too salty and over-powering, drowning any taste of the meat.

My meal was worse. The three pieces of steak were tough and not that tasty. And I didn't like the maize porridge. It tasted like cardboard.

But, to be fair, this will be subjective and it could be that another person would think it delicious. I accept that.

For pud we had creme brulee and this was OK. But we had also ordered coffee and the waitress brought this before the dessert. It was lukewarm and not very strong.

The bill came to £43 and included three large glasses of house wine.

Landela has good points: for one, the decor is lovely. Comfortable cane-type furniture, interesting wall-hangings, African curios and thoughtful table settings combine to create a pleasant ethnic feel. Also, the tables are not crammed together, giving a feeling of space and privacy.

But Mr Blumears - who opened the restaurant with his mother Penny last autumn - needs to address some basics.

Bringing 'foreign food' to a UK table is not an exact science. Much can be lost in the translation.

I know nothing about traditional Mozambican cuisine. But I do know what 'traditional' African food is like.

I once had a meal in a back-of-beyond place called Mtubatuba - actually not that far from the Mozambique border. The menu was limited, but the food was so fresh we had to wait until the butcher brought the pork chops before cooking could start!

The meat was tender and delicious. The vegetables plentiful. If it is possible miles from anywhere, it ought to be possible in Darlington. That backwater did have something in common with Landela though - service was delivered with a smile.

The restaurant also needs to be careful of style over substance. However attractive or exotic a venue might be, people won't return unless the food is good.

Landela has been open for just over a couple of months now. Mr Blumears says January has been quiet but that November and December were "brilliant."

The most popular dish has been peanut chicken, followed by the restaurant's speciality piri piri chicken, the meat being marinated in a chilli pepper sauce and then grilled.

He is certainly enthusiastic about his work.

"We really hope people like what we offer as something different and that they come back because of the service and hospitality," he says.

And he has the right approach: "We deliberately keep a distance between tables. I would rather people were not cramped.

"I want them to come and spend the entire evening with us. I hate being rushed over a meal."

And he did apologise about the red wine, a mistake made by an inexperienced member of staff.

Landela is Darlington's first African eaterie. Maybe I went on an off-night. I hope so, or it could be the last.