There was no prosecco flowing at this bottomless brunch – but stacks of chicken wings, mounds of macaroni cheese and lines of ribs and sausages, glistening in sauce.

When advertising the unlimited meat feast, only served on Sundays, Street Kings Smoke Shack firmly advises: “Booking available but this does not guarantee a table… first come first served… Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Early on in the week I had booked a table for our bottomless barbecue brunch at the Whitstable restaurant for 2pm. But with that foreboding warning ringing in my ears, I rang on Thursday, when it opened, to ask about our later seating time.

“That’s risky, that’s risky,” the lady on the phone chuckled, wisely changing it to 12pm.

And right she was. We arrived at 11.50am – which feels like an indecently early time to consume so much barbecue – to find a queue of about 15 people outside the small Oxford Street spot, which is sparsely decorated with black paint and white signage.

We were the last people allowed into the 16-seater, with the trio behind us having to wait forlornly outside for the next slot.

A cheerful waitress took our drink orders (a ginger beer and Coke Zero) and informed us we had a one-hour window to indulge our carnivorous ways and eat as much as we could for £19.90 each.

Soon we were looking on as plates of pulled pork, ribs, pork belly bites, BBQ chicken thighs, chicken wings, rib tips, sausages, fries, cornbread, macaroni cheese, pickles and house slaw, were brought out to our fellow diners.

Unfortunately, our meal was delayed due to a problem with the fryer, the waitress apologetically explained.

My husband had, for reasons known only to him, decided to run 10 miles beforehand and had barely eaten any breakfast, so soon had a ravenous, nervous expression fixed on his face.

After about 35 minutes our sharing plate came out, with the waitress apologising and reassuring us we had an hour to eat, plus extra time.

And, it was certainly worth the wait. More than a week on and the thought of those chicken wings still makes my mouth water. They were smothered in barbecue sauce with a crispy skin, and were the best wings I’ve ever had.

The pulled pork was tender and delicious, as were the ribs, while the pork bites were juicy, yet tender.

The chips were seasoned to perfection, and while the mac and cheese didn’t blow my mind, I was too busy looking for any extra wings to mind at all.

This wasn’t your average weekend barbecue at a neighbour’s garden – this was a finessed, practised, outrageously decadent barbecue.

Such was our enthusiasm, that we devoured our first portion in 10 minutes, and the waitress soon came over, to take our order for another.

A few couples left after their first serving, but in our minds you couldn’t come to a bottomless brunch and only have one plate.

The second time, I made sure to savour the food, rather than gnash my way through as fast as possible.

It was just as tender and well prepared as the first time, but halfway through I started struggling and barely touched the chips, rather focussing on the ribs and wings.

The waitress told us that one person had once ordered five platters, but two was more than enough for me, although it prompted grumbling from my companion, who was eyeing up a third.

The restaurant had a relaxed, cosy atmosphere, with black and white pictures on the walls which appeared to show the owners and their family, or friends. A few couples had to be turned away as they didn’t have a booking, so it is clearly a well-known, popular spot.

Smoke Shack is a brilliant excuse to visit Whitstable, and it will leave you feeling happy and full, which is what you want on a Sunday, while perhaps craving some broccoli for dinner.

Food: The best barbecue I’ve ever had. The sides play second fiddle to the meat, but that’s to be expected. *****

Drink: This was hard to judge as our choices were rather tame, but there was a decent selection of wine and beers, as well as spirits and soft drinks. When we requested tap water it was brought over quickly. ***

Decor: It’s relaxed and minimal, which seems a wise move as it makes the small restaurant seem more spacious rather than cramped. ***

Staff: One waitress served everyone, but she did a brilliant job, and was very attentive. ****

Price: The brunch is £19.90 each which, considering the quality and amount of food, I think is good value, and you’ll probably only want a small dinner, heavy on the vegetables. Overall, it came to £50.60 for two of us. ****