Opera Grill- An Exceptional Matinee #Review
Stephen Wundke
17th July 2018
Week two of our lunchtime challenge and the next venue in our quest to find the best value, best tasting lunch available, saw us head to Opera Grill. Their offer was 2 courses for £17.75 and given that our previous encounters with this place had been, that it was on the pricey side for food, this seemed a pretty appealing deal.
I booked over the phone because the online booking system wasn’t working, always annoying, but the service by phone was extremely good and would always be my preference anyway. I chose the midday slot again and asked if I could sit on the terrace as the forecast weather appeared to be a good one.
At 11.15am on my chosen day, the phone rang and it was a member of staff checking that I was still coming. Always an indication that they expected to be busy and good practice. I was and they were.
On arrival Gaile and I were greeted at the reception desk by an elegantly and appropriately dressed hostess. I say that because in days gone by that wasn’t always the case where many suggested the welcome was a little frosty and pretentious. They seem to have ironed out the early problems and this young lady and her colleagues couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were shown to our table and our decision to eat on the terrace was a good one, although the weather wasn’t the deciding factor as this terrace is so brilliantly designed and fitted that it could make a winters day seem positively tropical with its many heaters and rugs available; a retractable roof and glass panels that can be adjusted to the perfect height to stop any winds chilling the customers. It is a triumph of outdoor hospitality areas. It made me think of the amazing work of design my brother in law in Australia does on his outdoor entertainment areas, such was the attention to detail and not something for which we are renowned in the UK. We should be!
The lunchtime menu choices were good. The limited menu reflects the restaurant with its Pan Asia – meets Europe theme and we easily found appealling, different starters and mains that we were looking forward to.
Gaile chose the Crispy Kale with Fried chilli squid, which when it came, was perfect. The chipotle mayonnaise gave a wonderful smoky taste, the squid flash fried so it was tender and the Kale coated in the lightest tempura style batter. Gaile was delighted and enjoyed every mouthful. My choice was the Angus Beef Tataki which was again beautifully presented, with the beef thinly sliced and slightly seared, sashimi style, sitting atop a citrus, soy and ginger ponzu sauced, julienned raw veg, that’s was cooking in the sauce and softening as you ate it. It was sublime, my only criticism was that there was so little wasabi mayo that I could barely taste it (such an easy thing to fix) and had there been more this would have been a perfectly balanced dish. It needed the sharpness of the wasabi to balance the sweetness of the sauce, other than that is was lovely.
Starters done we were only left waiting just 10 minutes from plate clearing until our mains arrived and again Gaile created massive food envy with her choice. When it arrived it was two perfectly confit duck legs, sitting on al’dente pak choi and broccoli, dressed with a ginger, sesame and honey sauce. It really was superb and she ate everything bar the piece I stole when she was talking to James Wright (someone we know), celebrating his 50th birthday (yes he is 50). My own choice, which came with a £1.50 supplement, was the Steak Onglet, which I asked for rare. Always nervy about these cheap cuts of steak but this was exceptional. Full of flavour, tender and cooked to perfection as my photo shows. I had a side salad which was adequate without being exceptional (the dressing was bland) and it came with chips where the only improvement would be to get them crisp, as the taste was great. The steak came with a choice of sauces and my choice was Bearnaise – loved it. That sauce and my steak were perfection in cooking.
The whole meal took an ideal 55 minutes from greeting to farewell, the perferct time for a business lunch.
Our previous encounter eating at Opera Grill, it is fair to say, had not been a good one but this was when they had just opened and so much was wrong. To say we were stunned with the improvement would be an understatement. This was an exceptional experience. Opera grill has always been a place that takes you out of Chester with its incredibly opulent surroundings but we have rarely found this to be matched by the service or the food. I couldnt be more pleased to say that all three areas now marry up for a perfect symphony of hospitality. Well done Opera Grill, you have certainly got your “acts” together (see what I did there!!) We will be returning for an encore very soon.
Ratings : Service 9/10 Ambience and Setting 10/10 Food 9/10 Value for Money 9/10 Total Score : 37/40