An Absolute success

You're spoilt for choice with Thai restaurants in London, but Absolute Thai makes a brave effort to stand out.

The long, narrow space is West End stylish, though parts are cramped and the whole - sharp edged and designer-wood-and-metal-clad - a bit too noisy for a quiet twosome.

Staff are as interesting a designer mix as the decor, yet service is as warm and knowledgeable as you'd expect from a more traditional restaurant.

The food is oddly good for the West End, too. Maybe it's the isolated setting at the top end of St Martin's Lane but they try hard to deliver authentic food at a fair price, with some quirky choices, such as Thai sausage.

A starter of vegetable tempura was perfectly crispy and flavoursome, while a classic green chicken curry couldn't have been better - a perfect balance of hot chilli and cooling coconut milk. Seafood curry was equally good, with a generous helping of prawns.

However, a first helping of sticky rice was a ball of goo, although a second one was closer to the mark.

The well-thought-out wine list offers a narrow range that leaps neatly through all price levels, while there's also an entertaining cocktail list.

And it's no smoking, which, for this diner, is worth a special star just for that.

A three-course meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £70. 12 Upper St Martin's Lane WC2. Tel: 020 7379 6893. Tube: Covent Garden

Absolute Thai
12 Upper St Martin's Lane, WC2