I ate at a modern Indian restaurant in Sussex – with some of the nicest cocktails I've ever had

I love the menus at these traditional venues, and will happily lap up a tikka masala or madras with some rice and poppadoms.

So I was intrigued to know if I’d enjoy a more modern take on Indian cuisine, courtesy of Permit Room in Brighton.

We visited on a Wednesday night, and from the outside, it looked fairly small and quiet. But as we stepped inside we were led around the bar into a deceptively large dining area around the back that was positively buzzing.

With dark wood and Indian artifacts on the wall, it’s styled to look like a permit room typical in Bombay when liquor laws loosened up in the 1970s, allowing places to apply for a permit to serve alcohol.

It gave it a relaxed feel, with a bit of understated elegance.

It might have been mid-week, but diners were clearly excited to eat at this central Brighton venue, tucked away in the corner of the square in East Street.

The menu offers lots of familiar-sounding items, but everything has a little twist. Then there are things you likely wouldn’t get at your local Indian takeaway.

We had some Chilli Cheesy Garlic Naan Bites while we looked at the menu, and the soft naan coupled with cheddar and hot green chilli was completely moreish.

There is a plentiful cocktail menu, but they had me at ‘frozen lipsters’. Basically adult slushies – I love an icy cocktail – and the two on the Permit Room's menu absolutely didn’t disappoint (and yes, of course I tried them both!).

The Kiwi Colada Shimmy, basically a slightly less sickly pina colada had all the summer vibes, and the Spicy Guava Frosé, featuring rose, guava fruit and just a hint of chilli, still has had me salivating at the thought of it more than a week later.

My husband had a Permit Room Clover Club – raspberry-and-lychee liqueur, gin and a dash of lemon oil—which looked hilariously dainty in his hand but packed a bit of a punch. It’s clear Permit Rooms does drinks well.

We hadn’t even sampled much food yet, and we were already delighted!

All the staff we came across at Permit Room were so friendly and knowledgeable. Our server recommended we order 4-6 dishes to share, including one ‘main’ each and some sides and small-ish dishes.

It was hard to narrow down what we wanted – it all sounded so enticing – but from the small-ish menu we plumped for crispy spinach chaat (served with yoghurt, chutney and pomegranate – so light and zesty), lamb samosas (for this outing served with filo to make them extra crispy) and onion bhajia (served sliced and scattered, and with more of the gorgeous green chutney). All were a delight and a twist on the way we usually see these dishes prepared and presented.

My main event was the Dishoom Chicken Ruby, tender chicken in a rich-and-silky makhani sauce which was unctuous and a taste sensation. My husband’s Charred Lamb Chops from the grill had just the right amount of spice and he thoroughly enjoyed them.

We also had the Dishoom Black Daal, which is cooked for more than 24 hours to make the flavours sing. That time taken was well worth it as it was utterly delicious. Billed as a side dish, it could easily be a main in its own right.

We also had a garlic naan and steamed basmati rice for good measure, and even though it was all so yummy, we had enough to take home for a meal the next evening. A real result!

As we all know, you don’t have to be hungry to have dessert, so we just about managed to share a smooth and sweet Coconut Caramel Custard in the interests of trying three courses.

I was completely stuffed by the time we left, but it was totally worth my trousers being a bit tight to experience Indian food done so well.

With a great atmosphere, great staff and great food, I know we’ll be back again.

For more information, see https://www.permitroom.co.uk/