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Harbouring ambition
Since arriving in the UK, Krimo
Bouabda has opened three
successful restaurants on
Hartlepool Marina. We chatted
to him about food, boats, and
a warm Tees Valley welcome.
As local characters go, Krimo Bouabda is a
Hartlepool favourite. For almost a quarter of a
century the Algerian-born restaurateur has served
up great food to locals and tourists alike. However,
restaurants weren’t Krimo’s first ambition, as he
explains: “I came here to study naval architecture
but didn’t enjoy the subject so I started working in
a pizzeria. My wife, Karen, is from Easington and in
1985 we opened our own restaurant in Tees Valley.”
Named after its owner, Krimo’s started life
in Seaton Carew but when success grew, the
restaurant (and its loyal customers) moved
to Hartlepool Marina – an irony not lost on
Krimo: “I gave up designing boats but now I’m
surrounded by them, they’re everywhere I look!”
The menu, billed as Mediterranean with a North
African slant, appealed to Tees Valley food lovers,
who were keen to support Krimo, as he recalls:
“When we first opened I put an advert in the
local paper asking if anyone sold fresh herbs
to use in the restaurant’s dishes. The response
was amazing – people were growing herbs at
home and I was sent 10 kilos of fresh rosemary!
Tees Valley people aren’t so different from
Algerians – they’re friendly and very helpful.”
Spurred on by the success of their first restaurant,
Krimo and Karen planned to open a familyfocussed
alternative to Krimo’s more formal
eating experience: “We’d built a very good
reputation and Hartlepool was having a marina
built. In 1997 we opened a new restaurant on
the historic quay - Portofino. There was definitely
demand for a more casual place. Our new pizzeria
took off straight away - you can see HMS
Trincomalee from inside Portofino – kids love
it. In 2000 Krimo’s moved to the Marina too.”
IT’S HAPPENING GUIDE
By 2006, Krimo had opened a third restaurant, this
time taking the food in a Spanish direction: “I’ve
always liked tapas and casual eating. My son
Adam looks after Casa del Mar, a place with lots
of tapas dishes, as well as a few steak and fish
mains. We have live music and salsa lessons –
they’re getting quite popular. I’ve even taken up the
acoustic guitar so I can play for our customers.”
And where does Krimo eat out on a rare day off? “If
I’m eating out I often go to Sassari in Middlesbrough
but there are great places to eat out all over
Tees Valley. I wish I had time to try them all!”
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