THEY’VE served up their popular brand of Indian fare in Bournemouth for 18 years, and now the owners of the Eye Of The Tiger have opened a new restaurant in Christchurch, Masala Bay.

Situated a few doors down from Gary Rhodes’ gastro pub, King’s Rhodes, the proprietors have made a statement setting up shop so close to the celebrity chef.

However, they have every reason to be confident against the fiercest of competitors if my visit last week is anything to go by.

Escorted to a table by the jovial staff, we ordered a pint of Kingfisher and a G&T and perused the menu.

Like India itself, Masala Bay is a restaurant of great contradictions – sleek and stylish in its presentation, the menu boasts national and regional Indian specialities that go back hundreds of years.

Although Brit favourites such as the Rogan Josh do feature, happily the menu is home to a more alternative selection of traditional dishes.

To start we ordered the chilli paneer and pepper Joypuri (pepper stuffed with potato and minced lamb, grilled).

For main course I was lured by the Nawabi Murghi – tandoori chicken off-the-bone with an “exotic flavour” and my girlfriend opted for the Masala Bay special – tandoori marinated chicken with masala and bhuna flavours.

We also ordered mushroom rice and a garlic naan to share.

Artistically arranged on chic crockery the starters arrived quickly, looking and smelling fantastic. They didn’t disappoint in the taste department either.

Meaty in texture, the paneer’s chilli and tandoori flavours were sublime and I begrudgingly traded a couple of pieces for a few morsels of the pepper Joypuri – this quickly turned out to be a fair trade.

After a brief respite the main courses arrived on two silver trays – and there was enough food for a party of four.

Despite its ability to make my brow sweat, the fiery flavours of the Nawabi Murghi weren’t overpowering – the off-the-bone tandoori chicken was deliciously tender and the thick sauce it was smothered in was a multifaceted masterpiece.

The Masala Bay special was a completely different character to the Nawabi Murghi, but while the spices were subtler the bhuna and masala flavours made the dish just as moreish.

The price was great too – exquisite Indian cuisine for £45.

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