Indian Ocean Restaurant ‘tikkas’ all the right boxes

6:00am Tuesday 1st December 2009

By Maria Court

IF it’s good enough for the High Commisioner of India, then the Indian Ocean Restaurant in Bournemouth is surely good enough for anyone.

Perched on the West Cliff, it is in a very convenient location, so despite its lack of parking facilities, there are plenty of spaces on the roads nearby.

It’s a place which always seems to be busy, an excellent indicator of its popularity, and hardly surprising since it seems to tick all the right boxes when it comes to a decent Indian meal out.

Firstly, the décor is clean and modern. We were seated by a chimney breast full of logs, flanked by alcoves with wine bottles on display, lit by downlighters.

The waiters went beyond charming – they were the type of people who had you grinning from ear to ear in no time, and were attentive despite the almost full house on a Tuesday evening in winter.

Of course, the main reason people must return is the food. So many places turn out ‘just average’ but this certainly isn’t the case at the Indian Ocean. Perhaps that’s why past customers have included Ken Livingstone and the High Commissioner of India.

Surely no Indian meal can begin without the customary popadoms (70p each) and all the trimmings (70p). In no time we were presented with crisp fresh discs, mango chutney, sliced onions and two types of pickle.

To follow we decided to share a starter – bhuna prawn on puree (£4.50), and such was its size we were glad we didn’t have one each. The large, fluffy flatbread was folded and stuffed with prawns in a mediun bhuna sauce with onion, garlic, tomato and selected spices.

The menu boasts that the food is prepared in a style which blends the finest oriental spices to produce a variety of subtle and exotic flavours without over-spicing. We certainly found this to be true of our starter which had a fantastic depth of flavour without the need for so much spice it blew your head off. All starters are served with mint sauce and salad.

Similarly, our main courses were seasoned with care, and both had a lovely concentrated taste. All we needed was a portion of pilau rice to accompany.

My friend went for a balti dish from the chef’s recommendations (£8.95 - £11.95). Choose from vegetable, prawn, chicken, lamb, chicken tikka or king prawns cooked in a blend of rich spices and crispy onions served in an iron wok. Her chicken dish was wonderful, and its sauce was very moreish.

I went for the fish tikka masala (£12.95) from the Bangladeshi cuisine section, and can heartily recommend this dish.

Fillets of haddock had been fried until crispy and were served in a rich creamy sauce containing yoghurt and coconut cream. Both fish and sauce really complemented one another and overall the result was tasty and mild, without being over-sweet.

Another dish the waiters recommended from the Bangladeshi section was the Tawa Murg (£12.95) – comprising stir fried chicken with peppers and onions, and garnished with grated cheese. It’s finished to a moist consistency on a tava – a flat cooking utensil which gives the dish an authentic flavour. We’ll just have to go back to sample that one.

Part of the menu’s appeal is the number of chef’s and house specials, meaning you’ll get to try something you probably haven’t even heard of before. But there are also a host of favourites such as tandoori sizzling dishes, massala dishes, birianies, butter dishes and kormas.

All curry dishes can be prepared to cater for vegetarians, and there are plenty of breads, rices and side dishes to accompany your meal.

Two coffees rounded off a splendid dinner, and we were so relaxed in our surroundings, it was a struggle to leave at the end of the evening.

Indian Ocean, 4 West Cliff Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5EY; phone 01202 311222