FOOD REVIEW
OVER THE MOON
A S L I C E O F T H E E XOT I C I N YA R M
O
Tees Life editor Julie Burniston is spoilt rotten
at Yarm’s newest eaterie, Luna Blu…
n a cold, rainy Tuesday evening,
even the charm of picturesque Yarm
High Street struggles to appear
anything other than dank and miserable.
After a long day at work for both of us, I’m
taking my sister Nicola out to thank her for
all she does for me. She’s a tad nervous. As a
busy mum of three with two jobs, she doesn’t
get time to indulge in meals out that often.
As we huddle together under a collapsing
umbrella heading towards our destination
– the recently opened Luna Blu Cocktails
and Tapas - she asks if I’m sure she’s got the
dress code right. I look at her and raise my
eyebrows - on a night like tonight I’d say hats
and gloves were de rigueur!
Strangely enough, as we reach the
restaurant the pavements begin to look a
little less Yarm and a little more Gay Paree.
Luna Blu has a canopy outside protecting
some cute little tables and chairs from the
downpour. They look oddly chic bathed in
the gold light pouring from within.
As we open the doors, it gets even better.
The interior is just…incredibly stylish. The
colour scheme of lush velvets, peacock
wallpaper and art deco mirrors really works
to lift the spirits. The wooden floors are
practical yet cool and the whole place is
warm and inviting.
The fabulous manager, David Graham,
immediately leads us to a booth. These seat
ten and are very popular with birthday
groups and upmarket hen nights – definitely
worth booking on a weekend, especially
when the resident DJ does his set. Don’t
worry about not being heard though – this is
old school soul, I’m told, aiming more for the
more sophisticated, chilled out crowd.
Did I mention Sauvignon? David
recommends a very nice Spanish one –
Musso De Casarojo (£19.90 per bottle). With
apple, pear, peach and white flowers, it is a
perfectly delicious, easy-to-drink choice.
As we savour our drinks, we take a look at
the menu. It’s not huge, but there’s certainly
something to please every palate – and
unlike traditional tapas dishes, these are
pretty substantial. I chose whole prawns with
roasted garlic and paprika butter (£7.95) and
pan con tomate (£5.95), which is toasted
ciabatta topped with crushed tomato, garlic
New gem – Luna Blu on Yarm High Street.
and serrano ham. Nicola opts for pan fried
chicken with cream, cheese, chorizo, tomato
and red pepper sauce (£7.95), while we share
a huge portion of patatas bravas (£4.95) with
olives, tomatoes and peppers and a fabulous
creation called homemade rosemary salt-
seasoned tortilla crisps (£3.95), which I
could have happily nibbled on all night.
To accompany our food, Nicola tries
a passion fruit and raspberry Collins gin
cocktail from the extremely extensive Luna
Blu list.
It would be rude not to try something
from the dessert list before we leave, so we
opt for good old-fashioned Spanish favourite,
churros with dark chocolate dip (£4.95) –
just right! That’s not to say I wasn’t eyeing
up the incredible looking gateaux. Luna Blu
does afternoon tea – I stored that info for
later use since the strawberry cake definitely
had my name all over it!
Like a truly modern eaterie, this one also
serves a traditional breakfast with a classy
twist from 9.30am till noon. I can see it fast
becoming a much loved place to sit and chill
on a weekend morning with the papers.
All in all, this new gem in the heart
of Yarm has so much going for it. Apart
from the décor, food and fab drinks menu,
its greatest asset is its staff. Immediately
welcoming and not afraid to chat and have
fun with guests, they truly make this lovely
little eaterie stand out from the crowd.
A touch of chic – Luna Blu’s exterior.
tees-life.co.uk
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