You can keep your Michelin Star restaurants. The smaller the meal, the bigger the bill being my experience.

Over-fed Westerners celeb-rating the culinary triumph of cuckoo spit on slate, has also never sat comfortably in my stomach. However, when I’m not atop a summit of self-righteousness, I can always go a good ‘Ruby Murray.’

And after being flyered into submission on the main street in Kendal, I booked the Blue Tiffin.

Child-free and on a rare night out, expectations were high of a romantic meal as we turned into a wintry Kent Street.

The Blue Tiffin is a modern curry house with subtle lighting, stylish decor and customary spangly sitar music.

We were greeted warmly and seated quickly. Drinks were with us in seconds, as were our starters – we shared some deliciously light, flavour-zapped Onion Bhajis, and a gobblesome portion of Garlic Mushrooms; which were juicy-but-not-soggy.

It all stoked anticipation for the mains and then....the inevitable lull occurred. A drinks order was forgotten, passing waiters breezed past us avoiding eye contact, and the attention noticably seemed to shift to getting takeaway orders out of the kitchen ASAP.

After an hour’s wait, our mains arrived with an explanation that a Calor Gas Bottle had run out.

Fortunately, the food compensated. The popadoms were light, fresh and a thousand miles from the supermarket versions. Our Keema Nan was deliciously sweet and comfortably filling, the Egg Pilau rice was the best I’ve had.

My Chicken Tikka Bhuna Masala (medium hot) was a chef’s special and it showed. My co-reviewer’s Chicken Tikka Thawa was declared: ‘warming but not overspiced’. 

The cost for two starters, two mains and side orders was £27.80, excluding drinks