AFTER a certain amount of time in business, restaurants tend to earn their own New Labour-style soundbite - a succinct phrase which concludes how good they are in less than five words.

Abacus, which opened in Middlebrook in 1998, has been given the tag "good but expensive". Not wanting to prejudice my review of the restaurant, I put this opinion to the back of my mind during a recent visit.

It was a busy Saturday night, which would test the restaurant on everything from service to quality of food, I thought. Abacus is on the first floor of the Warner Village complex, above the former Mamma Amalfi restaurant, which is now closed. The ground floor entrance has a nice water feature, with classical music playing in the background. But you can not get a proper impression of how pleasant Abacus is until you walk up the stairs.

I have been a visitor to the cinema for the past four years, so it is a bit of a surprise to find this very smart restaurant almost hidden away. There is a bright bar area, surrounded by a few tables and then more tables on a lower level, which has windows overlooking Middlebrook. The room is modern, with attractive, contemporary lighting, without being cold and minimal. I booked a table for two and we were invited to our seats immediately on arrival. It was next to the window, which allowed me and my partner to watch a romantic sunset over, erm, Blackrod.

The menu has an excellent range of dishes to choose from. For starters there was Cantonese Hot and Sour Soup (£2.90), Mongolian Crispy Lamb Pancakes (£6.20) or Oriental-style chicken wings (£3.60). I opted for the seaweed, sprinkled with fish powder (£3), while my partner chose Sesame Prawns on Toast (£4). Both were very good. The seaweed is a good choice if you want something tasty, which will not spoil the main meal. The six slices of toast, served with a salad, were also very addictive.

There seemed to be hundreds of main dishes to choose from here. You can find chicken, beef, sliced pork, honey roast pork, stewed lamb and roast duck in many guises, including with mange tout, in blackbean sauce and with garlic and coriander. Prices vary from £6.80 to £7.80. Fried rice is £2 and boiled rice £1.80. I opted for the red Thai curry (£8). At first I was a little concerned about the colour of it -- it was very red, but a taste soon won me over. It was very tasty, with enough in the dish to keep it interesting. My partner chose the sliced pork in blackbean sauce (£6.80), and was equally impressed. The meat was tender, the sauce tasty, and there were plenty of green peppers. From the dessert menu I chose the white chocolate truffle (£3) -- another hit. My partner chose, and enjoyed, the Flute Fiorentina (£3.10) -- chocolate ice cream with flute biscuit. The final bill, with a round of drinks and a bottle of house red, which was excellent, came to £44.30, which I thought a very fair price. Maybe the Abacus soundbite should change to "very good and not too expensive". Diners on a budget can also enjoy a weekend lunch menu, which is £8.50 per head on Saturday and Sunday for a three course meal before 5pm, or the similar early diner offer, from 5pm to 7pm on weekdays. Both vegetarians and children have their own menu. There is a no smoking area. Access via the stairs would prove difficult for some disabled people.

Quality of food: ****
Quality of menu: ****
Service:****
Value for money: ***
Children's menu: ****
Overall rating: ****