EVERY now and then you discover a hidden gem like the restaurant at the Russell Court Hotel in Bournemouth, and you can’t wait to tell people about it.

From the outside you would never know that the hotel in Bath Road, was home to such a superb Indian restaurant which is run by a very hospitable Asian family who are keen to make their mark on the local foodie scene.

They have even brought their head chef with them who is originally from Goa and has been with the family for 20 years.

The restaurant is called Desidhabaa which means Indian street food and caters for up to 100 people.

We were invited by Kapil Somaiya and his cousin Bhavin Ganatra to dine with them.

“We serve traditional Indian food with a twist as we like to mix it up a bit and make it more unique,” says Kapil.

“Everything is freshly cooked on the premises – we never cook anything in advance and we don’t use microwaves.”

For starters we were presented with a large platter of taster dishes including bite sized onion bhajees, crispy potato bhajja, slices of paneer cheese marinated in tandoori, mini lamb shish kebabs and spicy lamp chops served with sweet chilli and a green mint sauce.

We also discovered Tilapia fish for the first time. Apparently it is a Kenyan fish, similar to cod, but with a softer texture, which had been pan fried in a crispy masala coating and was so tender it practically melted in the mouth.

Every item was perfectly cooked and bursting with flavour with just the right balance of herbs and spices.

For mains we were treated to methi chicken, tender chicken pieces cooked with fresh spinach in a medium hot curry sauce which was one of my favourite dishes, a yellow lentil dahl, a layered chicken biryani dish, steamed rice, pilau rice, curried black eye lentils and a selection of cheese naans.

For dessert we had a taste of kulfi, which is creamier than ordinary ice cream because of its high milk content.

I particularly liked the mango flavour, as you could taste the fruit and it was very refreshing - the perfect way to round off this Indian feast.

If you can’t make it to the restaurant, they have recently launched a tiffin takeaway service which includes five items of traditional Indian food. Prices start from £4.99 for a vegetarian box and £5.99 for a non-vegetarian box.

Desidhabaa is a must visit for any self-respecting curry addict!