Qissa — Restaurant in Sevenoaks

This is a very lovely little gem, tucked away outside of Sevenoaks' town centre. It's not a particularly large place - though it manages to both feel relatively spacious and cosy at the same time. It was very clean as you would hope, and the seats are comfortable. The décor is absolutely lovely - contemporary and modern, warm and inviting, simple yet elegant and sleek, with touches of artfulness all over. It reminds me of restaurants that are far fancier in their prices and presentation in London. The music filled the silence of a quieter restaurant, but was not overbearing - and despite the place being quiet it still felt quite alive. The air conditioning is effective on warm days (such as the day we went on), and the entrance is shielded for cold days.

The service was punctual and attentive, without being hover-y or clingy - we went when it was fairly quiet, so that's something to keep in mind. Our waiter was new there, and he did a good job. The owner (who my father has worked with before) is a friendly and welcoming individual. Me and my family (a table of four; my parents and my brother) were there for my mother's birthday.

The food - absolutely lovely. It's classic and contemporary Indian cuisine - blending tradition with modernity, and the cultures of different parts of the region tastefully. The portion sizes are just so - filling but nothing will go to waste (the prawns were some of the biggest we've ever seen), and everything is presented very nicely (with lovely colours on every plate).

Every dish I tried (the sea bass, the railway lamb curry, the prawn dynamite, the mixed grill, and a prawn curry I unfortunately forget the name of) was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The spices are delicate and balanced - no one flavour overwhelms the rest, instead being a kaleidoscopic convergence of flavours. The spicier dishes we had were not overly hot by any means - so those intolerant to heat won't struggle much (though we are Asians ourselves, so keep that in mind!) My favourite dish was possibly the sea bass - the flavour of the fish itself is divine, and the dish as a whole is utterly delightful.

Wait times for dishes were in a place where you can tell they were cooking things diligently, but also were not taking shortcuts with regards to prep or freshness - fairly quick, but not too quick. You can tell from the food itself too; everything tasted very fresh. This food will fill you, but not leave you feeling sluggish and heavy - it's light and crisp, with nothing being overly oily as many a lesser Indian restaurant will struggle with at times.

Oh, and both mocktails (one watermelon-based, one mojito) are both lovely. Give the watermelon a little time to settle and let the flavours really mix together. The mojito is spot on for a warm summer's evening, and not as minty as I'd have expected - very nice.

The prices were reasonable overall, even after ordering quite a few drinks to the table. We could barely finish the amount of food we ordered, because we ordered a lot of it!

Overall, you can tell this is a restaurant that comes from a studied place. From the food, to the décor and feel of the place overall, to the manageable and easy to navigate menu, you can tell the boss really knows what he's doing.

Highly recommended - again, as an Asian. The food here has to be as good as or better than what we can cook at home to be worth it, and this place manages it. I would gladly...

HAD THE BEST SERVICE EVER

We had such a lovely experience at the restaurant while celebrating our baby’s birthday. Right from the moment we arrived, the staff made us feel so welcomed. The food was absolutely delicious – the tandoori chicken, tikka, and biryani were all bursting with flavor and cooked perfectly. Every dish we tried was fresh, tasty, and beautifully served.

A special mention to Robin, who took such amazing care of us throughout the evening. He was so polite, attentive, and went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable. Robin’s friendly attitude and thoughtful service made the experience even more special for us.

The team also made our baby’s birthday celebration memorable with their warm gestures and efforts. Everything felt so well arranged, and it truly made the day extra special for our family.

Overall, it was a perfect evening with great food, exceptional service, and wonderful memories. Highly recommend this place if you’re planning to celebrate with...

Now Edited.

Avoid at all costs. We waited 90 minutes for an order to be delivered. Nothing. We phoned 16 times and left messages. They just ignored our calls. Eventually they called us back and claimed they couldn't find our order. There are several much, much, much, much better Indian restaurants that deliver in Sevenoaks.

Since that review we tried Qissa again, this time eating in, and I can honestly say, as a lover of Indian food, Qissa is right up there. The food is utterly superb and surpasses even the best local Indians that we have frequented many times (we all know which ones they are). The flavours are vibrant, full and all the dishes we had as a group and several times as a couple, have been cooked to perfection.

We have also tried the delivery service again, which now works very well.

Congratulations to Qissa for getting sorted. We will continue to support you, both by attending and using your now excellent...