"Oh yeah, there is that Asian restaurant... Abacus?" That was after I had listed nearly all of restaurants at Middlebrook off to help us figure out where we were going to eat. Mr. Snarky liked that idea since we haven't had Chinese food in awhile. Abacus can be easy to miss as it is in the same complex as the cinema, rather than where the rest of the restaurants are located. Parking is free so you could have dinner and see a movie or if you are like us, go to dinner and then go grocery shopping ;)
When we got to the top of the stairs, I was a bit worried that it was a bit classier than I had anticipated. It definitely seemed a popular date spot, but as others have mentioned, they can accommodate large groups. While Chinese food does dominate the menu, there are a number of Japanese and Thai dishes on the menu. I tend to get a bit skeptical of places that are trying to cover different types of cuisines as the majority of the ones I have been to aren't very good at it.
The menu is pretty large, so you may need a bit more extra time to peruse. We noticed the set menus at the front of the menu at various price points. However, we were having trouble deciding on one as I would like the starter on one, but not the mains on another and Mr. Snarky would be the same. Mr. Snarky asked the waiter how spicy one of the mains was and the waiter said it was very spicy, but then he said we could chose a different main to make the set meal exactly what we wanted. He made some suggestions and after we chose, he did ask if we were happy with the starters and soup... so if you are worried about something on the set menu, you should be able to customize it to fit your preferences.
We had Egg Drop Soup and Prawn Crackers for our first course. The bowls of soup were larger than I anticipated. Our second course was a large plate of numerous little bites: sticky ribs, Chicken Satay, tempura battered prawns, egg rolls, Thai fish cakes, and some sort of fried wrapper with a filling (I couldn't figure it out). There was two of everything and it was nice to have a variety of items. My favourite were the sticky ribs and the surprise was the Thai fish cakes. They didn't quite look like what I envision when I think of fish cakes, but they certainly pack a lot of flavour and a bit of heat.
Apparently I didn't realize that our mains were not next, but another starter course... crispy duck! It was delicious with plenty of crispy bits, but also some tender pieces of meat. It does come with six pancakes, hoisin sauce, sliced cucumbers, and spring onions. After devouring the duck, we were asked if we wanted our mains right away or wanted a bit of a break. We asked for a bit of a break, which was nice and helped slow down the meal so we could enjoy it a bit more.
Our mains came out, one pot of fried rice, a plate of lemon chicken, and a plate of Beef in Black Bean Sauce. They do give you a small bowl to eat out of, which makes it easier to use your chop sticks, particularly with rice. I liked their lemon chicken... not my favourite, but unlike some places that are overly sweet or overly sour, this seemed to be well balanced. The batter on the chicken was a bit heavy, which means that if it sits in the sauce for some time, it gets soggy and tends to fall off. The fried rice was really nice and while I'm not a fan of Black Bean Sauce, Mr. Snarky really enjoyed his main.
Overall, it was a very nice dinner and considering how much food we had, I would say it was good value, but I guess if you are ordering a la carte, it can get a bit pricey. read more