The Diamond, Barrow

THIS was supposed to be less of a food review and more of a revamp review. The Diamond Chinese restaurant in Barrow has recently reopened following a five-month closure for a refurbishment – and I for one was excited to see how the place has changed.

Over the many decades that The Diamond has been open in Dalton Road, it has earned a very well-deserved reputation for the consistently high quality of its food. I’ve certainly never had a bad meal there in the 30-odd years that I’ve been visiting it on and off.

So, how would it have changed during its five months hiatus? Would it still be recognisable as the Diamond so beloved of many?

The answers to those questions are: 1) not very much; and 2) heck, yes.

My husband and I arrived early doors one evening this week, expecting much change. Outside, all seems the same. Inside… well, all seems pretty much the same.

The layout is unchanged. The partition between the entrance and restaurant is still there; the bar is exactly where it has always been; and the layout of the room remains exactly as it was.

Fresh white paint, some cityscape wallpaper, new lights and a large artwork on a wall signifying “double happiness” were the only clearly discernible changes. New chairs? Probably. But to an untutored eye like mine it was difficult to see quite what had warranted a five-month closure.

Some Diamond regulars will find the overall lack of change reassuring (change for change’s sake often being a rather pointless exercise), while others expecting an entirely new-look Diamond will no doubt be disappointed.

So has the food at The Diamond changed? Surely not. The restaurant has new menus: shiny books with an almost bewildering choice of dishes, all numbered and with random photos of the food scattered among the pages. It’s rather confusing – and at the next table to ours, a punter was having so much difficulty making his mind up that the staff had to come back three times before he eventually made his decision.

Gordon chose soft shelled crab to start, while I picked Szechuan prawns. A glass of wine for me and a Tiger beer for him to get things under way. (The revamp doesn’t appear to have run to new glassware, I couldn’t help noticing.)

My prawns were delicious: huge, plump and juicy and in a piquant sauce. The crab was also very good, served with a chilli garnish. Gordon would have preferred less batter on the crab (or none, ideally) but he ate the lot and enjoyed it.

Service was friendly but just a touch haphazard. Given the style of the starters – finger food in sticky sauce – we needed a finger bowl and had to ask before some individually wrapped wet wipe-style towels were brought. As well, it took three requests for a second bottle of beer to arrive. The staff were very pleasant but gave the impression of being very new to the job. I feel sure they will soon get into their stride.

Thai lamb for Gordon as a main, while I put a classic Diamond curry to the test. King prawn, as I was in seafood mood that particular evening.

The lamb was spicy and plentiful but the meat could have done with being marinated a bit longer, as it was ever so slightly tough. My prawn curry was good but less spicy than I have come to expect from the Diamond. Some like it hot. I am one of them. I also found the excessively dark sauce unusual. However, it was a good curry – as one would expect for £12.95.

As ever, however, it was the rice issue that niggled. Each portion cost a whopping £3.50, taking my good but nothing spectacular curry up to just under £16.50. That’s expensive for Barrow. I am sure I am not alone in feeling that rice should come as standard in restaurants such as these.

All in the bill came to just shy of £60 which – apart from the £7 for rice – we felt was OK.

The refurbished Diamond is still very much the place it was – good food, friendly staff and pleasant surroundings. The post-revamp wow factor wasn’t there, however, so little does the place seem to have changed.

The Diamond is still shining but a little extra polish would not go amiss.


Louise Allonby


Ratings

Food: 4

Service: 3.5

Value: 3.5

Atmosphere: 3.5

Pros

Town centre location

Large selection of dishes

Consistent quality

Cons

Menu very busy

Ricegate