A LIVELY bustle of waiting staff and tempting, aromatic smells hit you as you enter the clear glass doors of Indian Tiffin Room. The restaurant is vast and open – flanked by floor to ceiling windows and splashes of colour. The open kitchen is a busy haven of smoke, sizzles and spices – where head chef Selvan is busy preparing dinner for eager and hungry diners.

The flavours are fresh, lively and burst on your tongue.

Those eager and hungry diners being us.

Unsure what to plump for (everything looks soooo good) we ask for recommendations from our friendly waiter. Happy to leave our rumbling tummies in their capable hands, we're served three of the most highly recommended dishes on the menu: Gobi Manchurian, ITR Chicken and Nawabi Kofta Curry.

Hailing from a small, intimate restaurant in Cheadle – where the lively Indian food chain started – the Manchester offering is grander, more contemporary and pooling with light. The décor is bright, tangible and quirky – with booths designed like rickshaws and bold lighting hanging from industrial, contemporary ceilings.

Indian Tiffin Room prides itself in a fresh-from-the-stove eating experience. All spices are carefully ground by hand – and are added to the food during the final moments of preparation. This keeps the flavours fresh, lively and bursting on your tongue.

Everything here is freshly prepared – no overnight fridge stays or freezer storage for the food at ITR. The ingredients are carefully sourced, shipped over from India and delivered by local suppliers. And there's a special ITR twist on every dish – not your average curry house cuisine.

Our food arrives, and we greedily tuck in (once we've taken some colourful snaps to share with you over Instagram, obviously.) Two of the dishes (surprisingly) are vegetarian. Surprising, only because of how tasty and interesting they are. A far cry from the bland vegetable curries and stagnant starters of your typical Indian restaurant.

Gobi Manchurian

This is a vegetarian dish, packed with flavour and exciting textures. It's expertly prepared in moments – you can imagine this served to busy passers-by on the roadsides of East India. Influenced by the movement of Chinese immigrants, this spicy cauliflower dish is cooked directly in a high flame – the Chinese way – served on a bed of shredded carrots and sweet red onion.

The result is a sticky, flavoursome concoction with flashes of sweetness, crunchy textures and a delicious heat on the tip of your tongue. Surprisingly moreish – it certainly changed our view of boring old cauliflower. We'll never eat cauliflower cheese with the same vigor again.

Cocktail to serve with: Icy Spicy Chatpata

Indian Tiffin Room (ITR) Chicken

A delectable mix of spices and aromas which you won't experience anywhere else. And not just because of the sensational flavours – but the carefully guarded secret of the combination of spices.

Chef Selvan taps his nose mysteriously, when we ask what makes ITR Chicken taste so good. He puts it down to a surprise mix of 12 expertly selected spices – a blend which is exclusive to ITR. We try to pinpoint them individually on our tongue, but the result is so exotic, we can only savour the flavour.

The namesake curry offers an all-over-India experience – the flavours inspired from all parts of the country. It's the only dish on the menu which gives you a true taste of India – North, South, East and West – in one, perfectly balanced mouthful.

Cocktail to serve with: Imli Margarita

Nawabi Kofta Curry

Another interesting vegetarian dish. We're taken aback by the gorgeous combination of flavours in this delicious and wholesome curry. The koftas are almost spongy in texture – light and surprising, packed with vegetables, potatoes and paneer. The sauce is mild and delicate, finished with yogurt and fresh coriander.

On the whole, this is a creamy, gentle dish we're told is inspired by the old kingdom – back when Moughal rulers had authority over North India. This is the type of dish which would be served in the royal quarters, around the 12th – 16th centuries. An ancient favourite, given an Indian Tiffin Room twist.

And honestly, anything good enough for royalty is certainly good enough for us. We wash it back with a tangy cocktail, lean back in our chairs and consider taking an after-dinner-nap.

Cocktail to serve with: Indian Summer Passion

Mouth watering yet? Click here to book a table.