Lunch review at The Marine Hotel in Whitby, North Yorkshire

It was complicated.

As we drove down the moor road into the North Yorkshire honeypot seaside resort, the phone rang.

A daughter had just given birth, after going into labour on the Hebridean island of Rum and being helicoptered to hospital.

We turned round and drove the seven hours to Inverness.

Happily, mother and granddaughter were both well after a dramatic birth – but we did miss out on our fish and chips.

This time, as we neared the roundabout on the A171 where 11 years previously the phone had rung and we’d turned back, the phone stayed mercifully silent and we dropped down into the town and surprisingly easily found a space in the harbourside car park.

Where to eat in Whitby? The choice of establishments catering for the hordes who descend, particularly on a sunny Sunday, is wide and they are not all serving fish and chips.

Many people still swear by the Magpie Café but it looks like it may have lost some of its allure given there was no queue outside – something I’ve never witnessed over a lifetime of visits to Whitby.

Never having been a fan of the Magpie (Overrated? Overpriced?) the absence of queue was not enough to pull us in.

We did, however, spot an empty table, in the sun, outside the Marine Hotel with great views of the harbour and the tourist boats, with their trippers looking a bit green about the gills as their headed for the gentle swell of the North Sea.

We didn’t stop there long because the sun was slipping over the hotel’s roof and the now-shady and breezy spot was not conducive to eating outside.

Our really lovely waitress quickly found us a table inside with view almost as good as the ones we had enjoyed outside.

(Image: Malcolm Warne)

The Marine Hotel menu is extensively fishy. Oysters, scallops, crab (Whitby, of course), clams, lobster, crevettes, salmon, sea bass, sole, they’ve got it all.

And cod for your (Sylvia’s in this instance) straightforward fish and chips, served with mushy or garden peas and tartare sauce (£19).

The fish was beautifully cooked, the flesh pearly white and translucent, testament to its freshness. The tartare sauce was clearly homemade and the chips were chunky and (probably) triple fried for crispiness.

The only slightly off note was the fish batter. Super light, it just needed a few more seconds in the fryer to crisp it up completely. There were some patches where it was just a bit on the soggy side.

(Image: Malcolm Warne)

Sometimes (all the time, Sylvia would say) I’m a bit slow to make up my mind when presented with a menu that gets me a bit excited with all sort of possibilities.

That was the case here; I couldn’t choose between the Linguine alle Vongole (spaghetti with clams, white wine and olive oil) and the Whitby Crab Linguine (with garlic and chilli – £20).

Our helpful waitress (the one who was also lovely) sympathised with my dilemma and said she would talk to chef about a combo. Which she did and chef said Yes!

It was superb and I hope this bit of impromptu culinary creativity will soon be a fixture on the Marine menu soon. The tang of the crab and the sweetness of the clams was just spot on for me. Not sure what they are going to call it, mind. Whitby Crab Linguine alle Vongole perhaps? A bit of a mouthful, in more ways than one.

There was just two desserts but as they didn’t include the ubiquitous sticky toffee pudding (it’s a curse) I was enthused by the dark chocolate mousse cake and the rhubarb and custard tart.

There was considerably less agonising over which one to choose and the tart did not disappoint. Visually it was stunning and just as good on the palate.

(Image: Malcolm Warne)

With glasses of fizz and viognier, the bill was bang-on £60. Superb value.

The Marine Hotel is in a prime position, it’s a lovely, bright dining space and it also has a few rooms upstairs which if they are done out as well as the restaurant and bar will be beautiful.

The only puzzle was why it was so quiet.

Our waitress was so lovely and helpful because she only had two other tables to look after. Whitby seemed as packed as ever. Perhaps people aren’t spending their money. Crab sticks rather than crab linguine.

The Marine Hotel

13 Marine Parade, Whitby YO21 3PR

Tel: 1947 605022 Web: the-marine-hotel.co.uk

Open: noon-2.30pm and 6-9pm,Wednesday to Sunday.

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 9 Service 10 Surroundings 9 Value 10