Basilica Restaurant, Westbourne, Bournemouth

Basilica in Bournemouth is a fantastic eatery in the heart of Westbourne.  As well as being superb for lunchtime and evening meals, it is also open in the morning if you fancy popping in for a coffee and Danish.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is very vibrant – as soon as you walk in there is a chill out area with sofas on the right hand side – it is there that you are greeted by one of the friendly waiters/waitresses.

The wooden floor throughout the venue makes for a very contemporary feel, and together with the stylish wall art, and the general clientele that dine here – you can tell instantly that you are eating at a place where people know their food.

Indeed, have a quick chat to the manager Niall, and you’ll realise how knowledgeable him and his staff are – he’ll pick you out an excellent bottle of wine to accompany your meal – and he will always do it with a friendly face!

I went with my partner, and we shared a bottle of Chardonnay – and started with a plateful of Mussels, some of which were huge.  The taste was incredible, and it was a good dish to get the taste buds tingling.  We also had a plate of olives – I have never been a fan of olives, but on this occasion I thought I would try one because they looked amazing.  I was very surprised, and my girlfriend assured me that they were fantastic – especially due to the nut centre.  My partner also insisted on some extra bread, which we also feasted on throughout our stay.

My main course consisted of penne pasta with bacon strips, mushrooms and chicken – all put together in a fantastically rich sauce – accompanied by some ciabatta bread and olive oil – the perfect duo.  My partner had an amazing Parma ham dish which was on a cheese and tomato pastry tarte.  This was accompanied by a side salad and a number of orange seasoned potato wedges.

As we shared our way through the next hour – there was a sincere taste explosion on the tongue which was delightful to say the least.

During the meal, the staff were very courteous, meeting our every need, and generally making sure that the meal was as good as it could be!

The dishes were deceptively filling, despite at first looking as though we might need extra side dishes to fill us up!  In the end we didn’t actually manage to squeeze in a dessert, or even coffees!

Our total bill came to £40, which is absolutely incredible considering the quality of food that we were eating

We really had an excellent Friday evening in Basilica, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of eating in Westbourne – a buzzing yet relaxing atmosphere, and a really sense of quality dining.

Cinnamon Indian Restaurant in Ferndown

Located in the centre of leafy Ferndown (Dorset) you’ll find an excellent curry house called Cinnamon.  Although this restaurant has only been established for little over a year, it seemingly has a huge following already, judging by their bulging Customer Comments book by the bar!  Cinnamon is very different to traditional curry houses, as it possesses a really modern and stylish interior.  The restaurant is smaller than most restaurants, however can easily cater for 50 or 60 in the restaurant at any given time.

The chef at this restaurant is actually a local award winner, and this is reflected by the supreme presentation on the plate, and the intricate care of the waiters Jay and Mo – you can tell it’s a friendly service if you go out knowing their names on your first visit!

I began my meal with a Chicken Tikka starter on a bed of salad – it was a great way to start my meal, and with a pint of Kingfisher by my side, my pallet was suitably warmed up for the main course.

I ordered a Lamb Rogan Josh for my main course, whilst my partner went for a less spicy Chicken Korma.  I was really pleased when my meal came out because it was just right in terms of hotness – quite often in many tandori restaurants I find myself ordering jugs and jugs of water to accompany my meal (even if it was only ‘medium’ strength), but this time I didn’t have to.  Then we finished off with some deserts and coffees, again, presented really well and tasting divine.

Together with the vibrant atmosphere and authentic Indian music softly in the background, I definitely would recommend this place to anyone wanting a fantastic an Indian.  To top it off, I was told if I write a review on their web-site they’ll email me a 20% off coupon for my next meal… now that can’t be bad. Read more