When it comes to beachside dining in Bournemouth, the award-winning WestBeach restaurant is hard to beat not just in terms of location, but also for quality of cuisine.

No wonder it has been described as “a local gem” in the Waitrose Good Food Guide 2016 and also recently featured in The Times guide to Britain's 20 Best Places to Eat Seafood by the Sea.

On a warm summer's evening it's one of the best places to visit as it's only a stone's throw from the Pier so it is always buzzing which makes it the perfect place to watch the world go by.

But if you're serious about fine food you won't be disappointed either as this place prides itself on only using the freshest local ingredients and you can watch the chefs working in the open plan kitchen, We were met by the lovely assistant manager Safi who guided us to a table just inside the restaurant near the open doors overlooking the beach front terrace.

He handed us a selection of menus and recommended a pre-dinner glass of Jacquart Mosaique champagne (£6.50) which was served with half a strawberry perched on the rim.

We decided to stay close to home with our choice of wine opting for a pretty, off-dry fruity rosé called Sea Pink, on Safi’s recommendation, from the Furleigh Estate, a family owned, Dorset-based vineyard.

There is a superb selection of dishes including sea bass, moules and fillet of Dorset beef as well as a daily specials and also a quick lunch menu available from 12pm to 4pm featuring around five dishes such as fish cakes with egg mayo and salad (£9.75) and Cajun smoked chicken salad (£12.45).

For my first course I chose the soft shell crab (£11.25) which was beautifully presented on a black platter with a clam shell on the side filled with a tangy Vietnamese dipping sauce which was a novel touch.

The crab had been baked in a polenta crumb coating and was served with a creamy, crunchy Asian style slaw with a sprinkling of candied nuts and mixed salad leaves.

My husband opted for pan-seared scallops (£11.95) artistically arranged on swirls of curried parsnip puree, and a smattering of roasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Both dishes were an exquisite balance of different textures and flavours.

For mains I was tempted by the Poole bay lobster with a choice of garlic and herb butter or béarnaise sauce (you have a choice of half or whole lobster) but I decided to try the sea bass from the specials menu.

The fillet which was so fresh it was milky white and so tender it almost melted in the mouth, served on a parsnip purée which enhanced the delicate flavour of the fish and served with sautéed greens and sliced new potatoes.

My husband also enjoyed his huge bowl of classic moules Mariniere (£17.95) which were big and fleshy and served with slices of rustic bread.

The dessert menu features a classic selection ranging from a selection of Purbeck ice creams (£5.75) and WestBeach cheeseboard to lime posset with shortbread and a wonderful white chocolate torte with passionfruit (£6.95) which I've had before and is sublime.

This time we both fancied Eton mess (£5.95) a wonderful muddle of fresh cream, crushed meringue and strawberries which was light and not too sweet - the perfect summer pud.

Overall it was an excellent evening. Each dish was elegantly presented and the service was efficient and friendly. We felt as if we could be dining at an exotic location anywhere in the world.