I THOUGHT I was onto the scoop of the century when my editor Tim suggested I might like to pop along to Paul Street.

With a couple of colleagues, I was off on the trail of a tiger around Taunton town centre. Not any old tiger. This one was purple.

When I arrived, there was no big cat, but I wasn't too disappointed.

Instead I discovered the Purple Tiger Indian restaurant, which was far more welcoming than any tiger would have been.

It has replaced the former Miriam eaterie and we were on a mission to review its dishes on the opening night on Wednesday (June 7).

We were greeted by Mak Hassan, who has years of experience in Indian cuisine, and his polite and impeccably turned out team.

He told us: "We've been really looking forward to opening and welcoming our first customers."

My colleague Tom was impressed by the excellent range of dishes, served in a cosy but well-presented dining area by friendly, welcoming staff.

His verdict on the food? "After tucking into two crispy onion bhajis, I was impressed by the sunset salmon, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, which I ordered with vegetable rice.

"The flaky salmon fillet came with a rich but mild sauce that included onions, peppers, tomatoes, yoghurt and coriander.

"The fragrant, colourful rice complemented the dish well, as recommended by a member of the service team."

Antonio was equally gushing. "The prawn Dansak was exactly how the menu described it, 'A beautiful combination of spices with lentils, garlic, lemon, and sugar producing a hot sweet, sour taste'.

"I usually choose a spicy option for my curry, but I was intrigued by the description of this Persian dish.

"I have to admit I was not sure how the spices and lentils would taste with prawns, but I was positively surprised as soon as I tasted the dish.

"The sweet/sour balance was perfect. Adding pilau rice and naan bread made the dish a very filling one.

"I would recommend the prawn Dansak to anyone looking for a mild/lightly spicy option that still has an interesting mixture of flavours."

I plumped for Tiger (definitely not purple) By The River which boasted succulent whole lush king (not tiger) prawns cooked in a pan with a variety of spices in a medium thick sauce, aromatic flavours.

"The menu described it as absolutely divine, taking the words right off the tip of my taste bud exploding tongue.

"It was definitely one of the best curries I have ever had."

Tom added: "If you're looking for a new dine-in or takeaway option in the county town, I'd recommend giving Purple Tiger a go."

One final positive point - Purple Tiger does not serve alcohol.

'Wot, no lager?' you may snort. Not a problem. You are encouraged to take your own booze - our cans of amber liquid came from a quick dash over to the nearby Sainsbury's. It will save you more than a few pence compared to alcohol prices in other restaurants.

And Tom was quite happy to order the alcohol-free Estrella Galicia 0% and a Cobra Zero as he was driving home across the border to Devon.