WHAT'S a Spanish tapas restaurant doing in a small North Yorkshire village? Rather well, it seems.

January is traditionally the restaurateur's most dreaded month. With everyone spent up after the Christmas and New Year excesses, many establishments can find custom thin on the ground.

Not so at the Roasted Pepper in Husthwaite, near Thirsk, last Saturday night. It was fully booked and turning people away, which is as good a sign as one can get about the worth of an eating establishment somewhat off the beaten track.

The out-of-way nature of Husthwaite (about three to four miles off the A19) is what did for the Blacksmith's Arms, the village pub which had given up the ghost some 18 months before Robin and Nicky Jaques came across it and turned it into the Roasted Pepper. Their renovation was a top-to-bottom affair which unearthed a beautiful quarry-tiled floor in what was originally the pub's main bar, now complemented by rustic brick setts elsewhere. Stained timber panelling is an echo of the building's past as a traditional village boozer and is combined with the sunny yellow walls. The overall effect is contemporary but cozy.

Which is more than we were, sadly. Our table was in the restaurant's rear eating area near to a small lobby door opening out onto the car park. Every arrival was accompanied by blasted of icy night air. Granted, we were dressed in shirt sleeve-order more appropriate for the Spanish costas than a North Yorkshire winter but closing the outer lobby door might have helped.

The rather chilly atmosphere was, however, in marked contrast to the welcome of Robin Jacques and his staff who were as sunny in disposition as the yellow walls.

On arrival we ordered some drinks at the bar and opted to go straight to our table which somewhat bizarrely was behind a low brick wall. Reaching it involved a minor circumnavigation of part of the restaurant. It was either that or vaulting the wall which my wife Sylvia firmly declined.

The menu has 14 tapas dishes at its heart, each one a serving smaller than a standard starter so a selection of four or five makes a more than adequate first course for two.

We had cassoulet of chorizo and chick pea in a smoked paprika sauce (£3), spicy lamb meatballs (£2.95) cured Spanish and Italian meats with melon (£3.95) plus chunky potato wedges with garlic mayonnaise (£2). They were served with a selection of warm breads and marinated black and green olives.

The delight of tapas is that the whole is greater than the sum of its constituent parts and this was no exception. Each dish was simple in content and execution but the combination seemed anything but. Having a little of this and little of that is a great way to eat and the temptation is to sample more (marinated sardines with basil, tempura tiger prawns, cous cous salad lemon and mint dressing, for example) and, perhaps, as we found out, that's not a bad option.

Our main courses were, by comparison, a little disappointing. My grilled ribeye steak with thyme and garlic roast potatoes, caramalised onions, glazed cherry tomatoes with a port and redcurrent (£12.95) was a riot of flavours but let down by the quality of the meat. The cut should be juicy and succulent and this steak wasn't that.

My wife's tandoori spiced chicken breast (£9.95)was tender and spicy but it was accompanied by basmati rice and nan with a mango and lemon chutney and minted yoghurt dressing. Overall, it was just too dry.

I finished with a perfectly acceptable chilled rice pudding creme brulee (£4.50) and Sylvia had coffee (£1.75).

The bill, which included a couple of drinks, came to just a smidgen over £50. That was gratifying because the D&S reported only last week that the Roasted Pepper had received a Michelin Guide "Bib Gourmand" award for serving a good quality meal for £25. Although we had only one dessert, we had four tapas dishes when three would have been adequate.

Despite the hiccups with the main courses, the Roasted Pepper deserves the Michelin honour for the quality and value of that tapas. We vowed that on a return visit we would simple ordered the complete set of 13 tapas dishes and skip the main courses. That would still mean two people eating well for comfortably under £50.

Apart from booking in advance for weekend evenings we would also advise seeking a table in the front part of the restaurant. Either that or wrap up warm.