JEREMY SMITH enjoys a slice of pizza in the pulpit.

ABINGDON. I’ll be honest, it’s not somewhere I usually venture out for dinner, but a friend had recently eaten at its newly-opened ASK restaurant, and suggested I give it a go.

Which I did, and I have to say, from what I ate, saw, and paid, it’s a welcome addition to the town’s culinary canon.

I mean, let’s be honest – this is no Marco Pierre White or Gordon Ramsey-style eaterie, dripping in Michelin stars, but who necessarily wants that anyway?

Sometimes – in fact, most of the time – all you want is really tasty nosh, cheerfully served up, and priced so you’re left with change from £30 (that’s for two, including wine).

And for me, this is a restaurant which does what it says on the tin.

Situated just off the main town square in a brilliantly and imaginatively restored building, the first thing that hits you is the vibe.

I visited on a Monday night (I’ll say that again: a Monday night....) and the place was buzzing.

The clientelle was interesting in that it really didn’t fit any demographic – it was old, young, professional, plain, sexy, noisy, demure and, in my case, decidedly shifty. The crew were friendly, efficient and attractive, which as a diner can help with your digestion.

WHAT DID YOU ORDER?

After demanding some bubbly and a strawberry milk-shake (for me; currently enduring a ‘dry’ period), we ordered.

I had king prawns in a chilli sauce as my starter (£5.95), while my other half plumped for the deep fried calimari (£5.95).

Both were hot, tasty and well-presented.

For main, there was pizza (a stromboli – £7.95) and a pasta dish, mezzelune ai funghi porcini (that’s wild porcini mushrooms blended with ricotta cheese and wrapped in an egg pasta ravioli – £8.95) The pizza was a tad dry, but the pasta was terrific.

And desert-wise, we had a plate of profiteroles (£5.25), a lemon and mascarpone cheesecake (£4.95) and a dish of tiramisu (£4.95), which we wanted to order again.

But as I’m still coming to terms with a size 65 waist, I decided against it.

WAS IT ANY GOOD?

Well, we were the last people there, we laughed all evening (which you can only do when you’re comfortable), and not once did the staff try to ease us on our way.

So, frankly what else do you need to know?