There really is no 'best out there' cos who ever you speak to will give their opinion! Also what someone says is good - your dog might not like!
In my opinion the best food is hypoallergenic and free from crap that fills them but doesn't do much good (JW is hypo' and good)
My nan uses James Wellbeloved and her dog is really healthy, but for my dogs the chunks were too big (Biggles is smaller than most cats lol)
Currently I use Harringtons http://www.harringtonsdogfood.co.uk/ the dogs like it and aren't getting fat on it, which they did on some other biscuits and tins (crap like bakers and caeser!)
There are quite a few brands out there to try, most good pet shops have a few to test and just see which your dog likes (and which your pocket likes cos some are stupid £)
8 pouches sounds right for a puppy his size, my puppies used to eat about 2 pouches a day and they are very very small dogs....unless he starts to get fat I wouldn't reduce it. Although if you mix 4 pouches with biscuits that would be just as good.