As I slowly immerse myself in the Ipswich foodie scene, I finally had the chance to check out one place that had caught my eye ever since it opened earlier this year.

Located on St Margaret’s Green is Good Inside, a café that specialises in low-carb, high protein foods. Think paleo – an ethos inspired by our ancestors from the hunter-gatherer days.

The tagline on the restaurant website says it’s ‘meat, vegetables, friends and family’, which to me signals real food, real people and a real friendly atmosphere. And it certainly ticked all of those boxes.

As my mum and I arrived, we both quipped how much we loved the outside of the café. Painted in a pale, pastel pink, it almost looked like a dolls house - and we couldn’t wait to step inside.

The inside has a really welcoming and almost homely feel to it. The walls are painted a deep green – adorned with artwork. There are even vintage placemats on the table – it almost felt like going round your family’s house for tea.

As we sat down, the waitress came over and expertly guided us through the menu, explaining the concept of the restaurant which was great as it was our first time visiting. As someone who’s a carb fiend and loves all things that are probably bad for me, I was excited to learn what was on offer.

For starters, we shared the seafood platter (£24). That consisted of home-cured salmon, poached salmon, prawns, smoked mackerel pâté, crab pâté, a boiled egg with prawn salt, seeded crackers, pickles, carrots, and a green herb aioli.

The portion size was perfect for two people sharing (it was also available as a main for one), and there was plenty of variety on the plate. Everything was incredibly fresh and tasty, and the waitress let us know that it was all locally-sourced which was another plus. You could just tell everything was made or caught that day, even down to the seeded crackers.

The standouts on the platter had to be the two pâtés – they were both incredibly smooth and moreish. And great attention to detail was taken with presentation. Carrot slices were cut into flower shapes which definitely added a nice touch.

For the mains, I ordered off the daily specials menu and went for the pan-fried fillet of hake with roasted fennel, dill beurre blanc and cherry tomatoes (£19).

Mum chose the beef bourguignon, which was served with chanterelle carrots, marinated mushrooms and smoked bacon, with a side of celeriac gratin (£18.50).

We also ordered a side of the roasted root vegetable mash with gruyere (£5) to share, as it was a recommendation of the waitress, and I’m big fan of both mash and cheese.

Honestly, that roasted root vegetable mash was the best mash I’ve ever eaten. It was packed with flavour, and really went well with my hake. If you’re taking a trip to Good Inside, it’s definitely the standout side and is a must-order regardless of what main you go for. You won’t regret it.

Unsurprisingly, the hake fillet was cooked to perfection. It was tender and delicious, and the dill beurre blanc sauce was utterly divine. I had a bite of my mum’s beef bourguignon and the entire dish was rich, warming.

And once again, the presentation of the food was superb, and definitely deserves a shoutout. Everything felt gourmet. You can just tell the chef takes pride in his craft, and that how the food looks is just as important as how it tastes.

By this point we were incredibly full, but saw there were a few desserts on the menu, so ordered one to share, ordering the chocolate nemesis (£6.50), which was a slice of chocolate mousse cake served with vanilla cream and berry compote. Dark and rich, you almost forgot you were eating something somewhat healthy, and it was incredibly indulgent and decadent while remaining carb-free.

In terms of drinks, we just went for a couple of bottled Amstel beers each (£4.80) - but it should be noted that the café has an impressive and extensive drinks range which we weren’t expecting, including a handful of cocktails, a variety of wines, and over 10 different types of whisky.

For anyone who’s looking to keep things healthy however, there’s also a range of soft drinks including kombuchas to help whet your whistle.

After we settled our bill (which came to £87.40), we rolled ourselves out of there and headed home. We were both left feeling incredibly full afterwards – but in a good way. None of the food was cooked in any bad oils or nasties, and nothing was overly salty or sugary, but everything was still packed with flavour.

Good Inside is the definition of guilt-free goodness, and I’ll certainly be heading there again in the not-so-distant future.