A Night at the Opera – Culture Chester Style #Review
Gaile Wundke
15th September 2016
The definition of Opera is ‘a dramatic work in one or more acts’ which nicely sums up the latest addition to the restaurant scene in Chester. Opera benefits from having the most impressive facade of the three eateries that stand alongside each other on Pepper Street, its large windows affording passers by a glimpse of what they will find within, the four columns standing tall and proud and the huge lantern style lights providing a welcoming glow.
Having only recently opened and as with most new restaurants, business tends to be brisk during the first few weeks, with both locals and visitors to the City keen to see what the ‘new kid on the block’ has to offer. It therefore came as no surprise to find that even though we had made an early booking, the restaurant was already busy and catering for a complete cross section of diners from families, to businessmen, groups of friends to couples.
Opera is a swanky restaurant staffed by handsome people, its impressive interior dominated by a huge bar, its moody dark interior, complimented by deep orange seating and utility style lighting, it really does deliver the ‘wow factor’.
Once seated our waiter introduced himself and explained how the menu worked. There are basically two options, a selection of starter sized small plates from the raw bar, cold counter, hot plates or salads, or an a la carte option, with starters chosen from the aforementioned and main courses from the wood fired oven and charcoal grill. A selection of side dishes are also available. This style of menu allows complete flexibility so diners can eat as little or as much as they like.
To start we chose Charcoal Grilled Asparagus, poached duck egg and truffle oil (£8.00), Yellowfin Tuna Tataki (7.50) and Tempura Prawns (£9.00) and from the wine list we selected a bottle of The Last Stand Australian Chardonnay (£24.50).
The starters were simple and unpretentious allowing the ingredients to shine. The grilled asparagus slightly bitter from the char, complimented by the rich yolk of the egg. The tempura batter light and crisp, the prawns large plump and juicy, however the dipping sauce lacked flavour. The star was the tuna Tataki, beautifully presented, fresh, light and flavoursome. A real winner!
For mains we opted for Twice Cooked Baby Chicken (£15.00), Aberdeen Angus Beef burger (£12.50) and the 300g Australian, Premium Marble Reserve Ribeye steak (£31.00) with sides of Triple Cooked Chips (£3.50), Heirloom Tomato Salad (£5.00) and Iceberg Salad (£3.50). The steak and burger both came with chips, with a choice of sauces to accompany the steak.
The Australian Rib Eye was described as the best ever eaten, was cooked perfectly and had the texture of fillet but the flavour of Rib Eye and was accompanied by a Hollandaise and Anchovy sauce, a tangy salsa lifted the twice cooked chicken to a different level and the burger was meaty, real and flavoursome. It’s possible though, that the triple cooked chips stole the Opera, excellent. Crisp on the outside, light and fluffy!
We decided to share a couple of desserts between us and chose Raspberry Crème Brûlée with Raspberry Sorbet (£6.50) and Iced Banana Profiteroles with Salted Caramel Sauce (£6.50). The Crème Brûlée was without doubt one of the nicest I have ever had and the sorbet was outstanding. The profiteroles filled with banana ice cream were also delicious and the salted caramel sauce worked perfectly.
Opera is an impressive addition to the ever expanding restaurant scene in Chester and it’s ‘What’s On Guide’ certainly promises some great entertainment with live bands, DJ’s and even a Gospel Choir performing every Sunday. On top of that there is the option to join ‘Club Individual’, a lifestyle rewards scheme affording members a variety of exclusive benefits. With so much to offer and with such a resplendent setting in which to enjoy those offers, Opera is certain to make its mark!