THE first time I heard there was a place in Southall called The Brilliant Restaurant, I was amazed anybody would have the audacity to choose such a name.

I envisaged some sort of greasy food pit hoping to one day reach the heights that its name indicates. How wrong I was.

Let's get to the meat of the matter: Brilliant Restaurant provided the best eating experience I have ever had in Ealing. Everything about this place positively sings, from the food all the way through to the service and setting.

But let's backtrack a little. My companion and I entered the venue on a warm September evening and were quickly ushered to our seats.

The first thing that strikes you is the interior; modern and eye-catching but also welcoming. The walls are alive with vibrant shades of red, orange and black.

We were brought our menus, which are less like a list of food and prices but more like some sort of miniature novel, such is the detail they contain.

There's an incredible array of food to suit all tastes, and it's nice to see they've made the effort to highlight the healthy options, complete with a breakdown of calories.

We are brought a jug of water (the glasses each have a slice of lime in them - another nice touch) before the poppadoms arrive.

They are delicious, but special praise must go to the condiments, made in-house and quite unlike the from-a-jar efforts that other curry houses provide. It turns out they are also exclusively for sale to take home.

Not long after the food arrives. And it is stunning.

Space will not permit me to elaborate on just how much I enjoyed my meal. What is most important is how it tasted and how it was cooked. In both cases it was exemplary.

Each bite, be it starter or main, contained the perfect balance of flavours.

The curry sauces were rich and thick without seeming greasy. Both meats and vegetables were cooked to perfection, as was the rice. The popadoms were warm and for want of a better term, wonderfully fluffy.

The staff were courteous and marvellously efficient and there was a great atmosphere as we ate with a mixture of families, locals and visiting businessmen.

But the best thing about the Brilliant was the prices - while you get a high-class meal, you would not pay any more than you would at an average curry house.

Starters go from between £3 and £5, while mains are between £7 and £10. It is no surprise that this is Prince Charles's favourite Indian eaterie. If you miss it, you miss one of Ealing's finest restaurants.

Ignore it at your peril.