There are several things which are always bound to spark debate when it comes to food.

Who serves up the best bacon butty (my husband), the best roast potatoes (my mum), the best sausage and egg muffin (okay, that's just me but if you want to know the answer, it's the snack wagon just round the corner from me), the best fish and chips (a seafront restaurant in Devon but that's a bit of a trek) and the best curry.

I've eaten a lot of curries in my time, some good, some not so good. There's been times when the best-looking restaurants have served up not much more than "alright" in my personal ratings, and I've also eaten some of the best takeaways I've ever had only to discover they came from a ramshackle unit I'd never have given a second chance.

And the only reason I'd tried out the takeaways was because they'd been recommended by others.

So when we spotted a place called Indi18 in Tonbridge had a five-star Trip Advisor rating (just one person out of 96 said it was average, but hasn't criticised a thing), we had to give it a go.

"The best Indian food in Kent" said someone who went just a few weeks before we did, while a regular said "I'm never disappointed at the quality of the food".

And its Google rating is almost five stars too.

"Right," I said to hubby. "Sounds like one for us."

I'm not a great fan of eating too late into the evening, and the first time I tried to book, telling them I was flexible, I was politely asked if I could make it 6.30pm rather than 7pm.

I then had to push our visit back a week when my work shift changed and 7pm this time was no problem.

We thought we'd turn up and there would be us, maybe two other tables and a slightly awkward atmosphere of too many staff just waiting for the 8.30pm rush to kick in.

How wrong we were.

"It arrived like a picture on a plate, lovingly presented with a modern touch and a gentle spice"

The place was absolutely heaving and apart from one other table, we were the last to join the party.

Despite having never set foot in the place, we were greeted like old friends and made to feel incredibly welcome.

We were promptly shown to our tables, drinks delivered (Indian beer, of course) and we got our heads stuck into the menus while we munched our way though a couple of poppadoms and the biggest selection of chutneys I've ever been served (six different sauces and some very hot chilli olives).

We decided to try things we'd never eaten before, and started off with Achari Paneer Tikka, Indian homemade cheese marinated in tamarind, herbs and spices.

It arrived like a picture on a plate, lovingly presented with a modern touch and a gentle spice which was just stunning and had you wanting to go back for more. I was almost disappointed I hadn't ordered it as a main.

But then I'd have really missed out.

I opted for the Zeera chicken, which was described as coming in a rich sauce of herbs and spices with "the star ingredient, cumin". As well as the chicken, there was a healthy dose of chickpeas which gave it a different texture. I'm a fan of dhansak and dhal which meant this was right up my street. The sauce was thick, full of flavour and just about the right amount of tingle which meant you could really taste the food.

Hubby went for Shaktora Ghoast, a beef dish using traditional Indian herbs, Bangladeshi lime, garlic, onion and ginger.

Pilau rice and onion bhaji completed our order and both were just lovely. My benchmark for every curry restaurant I eat at is the bhaji and this was bursting with flavour but crisp without being oily.

For both of us, the Shaktora Ghoast was the star of our show. The lime really lifted the dish and the freshness of the sauce really shone through. This alone will make me go back.

"Food-wise, I couldn't fault it"

Portions were generous but the staff were more than happy to box up any leftovers for you to enjoy all over again the next day.

Food-wise, I couldn't fault it. If I was to nit-pick, my only very tiny disappointment was the fact we were sat at one of two tables which were not part of the main restaurant.

Two tables for four are tucked just off the main area towards the kitchen.

The downside was that you didn't quite feel part of the main action nor get to enjoy the lovely decor. But the plus side was that you got to see all the dishes come out of the kitchen, memorising your favourite for your next return. And at no point did we feel ignored by staff or out of the way, quite the opposite – they were incredibly attentive, patient to answer our questions, had perfect timing in taking orders and delivering them and even the manager came over to us to tell us all about his restaurant.

And in some ways, that quieter spot gave us the time we needed to savour what was in front of us.

The boss is clearly very proud of the place, and rightly so. Many diners had obviously been there before, and the takeaways were also going out at speed. The place isn't on any apps, it does well enough on its direct orders.

That night, they'd apparently turned away about 70-something bookings. The place was still full when we left, already replaced by a second round of diners, and there were people queuing to get in.

So my teeny, tiny niggle about where we'd been sat suddenly didn't seem so bad after all because who can blame them for trying to squeeze in two more tables? I'm glad they had, otherwise I might have had to wait longer to try it out.

And so back to those ratings. It's easy to be skeptical if something looks too good to be true.

One reviewer said: "Brilliant Indian this one. Super friendly and eager to please. They even gave us a tour of the kitchen and a lesson in naan making!"

We didn't quite get that, but you know what, I reckon if we'd asked they probably would have.

So in this case, do believe the hype. We'll definitely be going back, even if we have to sit on the same table.

Ratings:

Food: All your usual curry favourites with some really unusual chef's specials, including some fish dishes *****

Drink: Again, a decent selection including Indian beers. The wine list was very reasonably priced *****

Decor: Very modern interior with coloured mood lighting, apart from the two tables where we were sat where it's lighter and brighter but still pleasant (not even I can dock a point off for that) *****

Staff: Exceptional. We were greeted with a beaming smile, staff were incredibly attentive, polite and chatted to us as if we'd been going for years *****

Price: Good value. Mains start at £6.50 rising to £15.95 *****