THE adventure began in a street food eatery in Mexico and is now flourishing in Bournemouth.

A new restaurant, Ojo Rojo ('Ock-o Rock-o') has just opened in the Triangle area and you are unlikely to find one with a more personal story, or a more colourful and flamboyant approach.

Co-owner and El Capitan Trevor Hill, no stranger to Bournemouth and its commercial life, is the inspiration behind Ojo Rojo.

He explained: "About four years ago I was in the town running events - everything from open mic nights to festivals, Bournemouth tattoo convention and Dorset Music Awards.

"Towards the end, me and my business partner John Adams were unsure what we wanted to do.

"He had some ideas but I didn't really know. Coincidently I met a friend of a friend who lived in Mexico and he said. 'why don't you come out here?'

"So I closed everything down and bought a one way ticket to Mexico. I worked as a dive master and spent some time on sustainable farms.

"Then one of my friends came to stay and I took him to one of my favourite eateries. He said, 'there's nothing like this in Bournemouth.' It sat with me for a while and the idea started stirring.

"So I contacted John and wrote a business plan on my iPad in a bunk in Guatemala. He found this place. It's all been built by local contractors and artists.

"We picked the Triangle area specifically because it's becoming a destination. There's a lot of really good independent establishments coming up in this part of town and we wanted to join that and lift it up to become like the Soho of London or the Lanes of Brighton.

"When I was in Mexico City the food was nothing like the food you get in Mexican restaurants over here. Everyone thinks we'll be doing fajitas."

Trevor auditioned lots of chefs before appointing Mark Yates as head chef .

Trevor said: "He's a young English guy and he's so creative and elegant in the way he produces the food we were looking for. We wanted our tacos to be like nothing you have tasted before."

Ojo Rojo is on two floors. The top floor is more traditional, whereas downstairs (The Gallery) is more casual.

"If you come in with a load of mates before a night out you can go downstairs and have a bite with some drinks, or if you come with your partner, you can sit upstairs and eat in a seated restaurant."

He added: "I think a lot of Mexican restaurants mistake passion for a cheesy stereotype with sombreros and flamboyant tiles. We wanted to come away from that and embrace that passion with artwork, creativity and good products."