ABACUS is a modern, relaxed, Chinese restaurant, nestled among the shops, close to the cinema, at Middlebrook Retail and Leisure Park in Horwich.

Its position on the first floor means diners enjoy a nice view, if you ignore the car park and take in the distance and the sunset!

I headed there with a friend one Friday night for a catch up. We were immediately seated in the window and although the restaurant was busy, there was a relaxed, quiet buzz.

We scanned the wine list first, opting for the only Rose on the list at around £15 as well as two cokes to quench our thirst first.

After pouring over the ample menu, which also includes some Thai dishes, we ordered sesame prawns on toast (£5) and crispy fried pork spring rolls (£4).

The portions were very generous, which was good as we had decided to share, with six pieces of toast and four spring rolls, which were all piping hot and delicious, a perfect start.

Starters range from soup and ribs to pancakes and combo platters (from £2.50-£7.80).

Next we opted for chicken in sweet and sour sauce and beef in Szechuan sauce (both £7.50), both with egg fried rice (£2.30 each).

The meals were scrumptious, with generous portions, and we soon polished them off.

The menu also includes a range of meats and sauces, including seafood, priced between £7-9.50. There are also rice and noodle dishes, specialities and a good vegetarian selection.

Up until this point the service had been great but we did have to ask about dessert as they weren’t offered.

Options included fruit and ice cream from a couple of pounds upwards. After a rest we choose mint parfait, mint ice cream in a chocolate coating with chocolate sauce in the middle, which melted in the mouth, and pineapple katsu, pinapple fritters with ice cream, which was declared yummy but was too big to be finished.

We had to wait a bit to attract someone’s attention to get the bill but the staff were otherwise friendly and efficient and it was all part of the relaxed atmosphere really.

The bill came to £55.20, not bad at all, so next time you fancy a Chinese don’t forget about this gem, tucked away at Middlebrook. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is relaxed.