Red hot

This massive, historical building also gives its name to a rather intriguing little restaurant in Wimborne. Intriguing in so far as it offers a very different kind of Indian dining experience to any other in Dorset'. It stands alone as the only one of its kind, and isn't linked to any other establishment at all.

The owner, Mohit Moe' Kochar explained: "I vowed to open my own restaurant because when I go out to eat Indian food, it never appears to be cooked authentically.

"Many Indian restaurants tend to westernise their menu, I wanted to offer a taste of the real India."

He offers dishes ranging from those found in Indian homes, to Maharajas' palaces, to humble wayside stalls.

But in no way is he alienating the lovers of such familiar favourites as tikka masala, korma and balti. All these and more are still on the menu, but with a natural spin, minus any artificial flavours and colourings.

The spice mixes used at the Red Fort are freshly prepared and ground for each dish, using Indian stone grinders. Even the goodies accompanying the poppadoms are home made. The mango chutney, for example, is made from fresh pureed mangoes and nothing like the gloopy mixture from a jar.

We couldn't get enough of this, nor the tasty chilli sauce and creamy raitha. Sampling these alone was enough to make us vow to return.

Moe had explained how only 10 per cent of people living in India actually eat meat, the rest choose fish or vegetables. And after sampling my starter of fish tikka (£4.95) - mildly spiced chunky white fish, skewered and cooked in a clay oven I can see why. The delicate fish was enhanced by the subtle spices rather than overwhelmed, and had that lovely char-grilled taste.

We were further impressed by my friend's lamb tikka (£4.95), again spiced and grilled in the tandoori oven. Neither of us have eaten lamb so tender, and the huge cuts didn't have a trace of fat or gristle. Next time I'd be tempted to have this as a main course!

On this occasion I went for chicken tikka butter (£7.95), cooked in butter cream, herbs and spices. If you're not keen on anything too spicy, but not too sweet either, this could definitely be the dish for you. Expect lots of chicken in a very natural-looking and tasting creamy sauce.

Similarly, my partner's chicken tikka bhuna (£7.50) looked remarkably different to those he orders elsewhere. There was nothing remotely artificial about it, and it tasted very fresh with lots of chopped herbs and that extra dimension of chicken seared in the clay oven.

We shared a portion of pilau rice (£1.95). Flavoured with saffron it had a beautiful light nut-brown hue rather than any garish colourings. It also tasted absolutely delicious. The naan bread (£1.95) was also a winner, being slightly flatter and less stodgy than that in other establishments, and cut into quarters for ease of dunking into those lovely sauces.

Sticking with authenticity throughout the meal, we chose a couple of true Indian desserts. We can highly recommend the Kulfi Aam Ki (£3.50) - Indian mango ice cream (far creamier than a sorbet) with fresh fruits, mango and raspberry coulis.

It's also worth trying the Lassi yoghurt (£2.50) - a traditional drink blended with water, salted or sweet mint, cardamom seeds and ground almond pichia.

And one final twist to the whole dining experience came in the surroundings themselves. There's not a picture of the Taj Mahal, nor a shred of flocked wallpaper to be seen. Instead, the period building, just off Wimborne's square, is adorned with iconic black and white photographs of famous Hollywood actors.

And you're more likely to hear Motown music instead of anything played on a sitar.

"I like to make diners feel as comfortable as possible, as if they were dining in their own home," said Moe.

And what warmer welcome can you get than that?

Red Fort. 9 Church Street, Wimborne, BH21 1JH. Open Monday-Saturday. Take-away available. Telephone 01202 848445.