Opera Grill hits a New High Note #Blog

Briony Wilson
5th July 2022

On the 24^{th of} June Opera Grill reopened to the public after its most recent refurbishment, and we were kindly invited to try some of the new highlights from the menu and enjoy the wonderful weekly dinner entertainment.

The 400-seater restaurant, Opera Grill Chester, is housed in a grand Grade II listed building featuring a distinct neoclassical Greek façade and mixes an industrial look with a touch of opulence inside. Opera Grill brings theatre on a grand scale to Chester.

Opera Grill aims to be the North West’s most iconic premium dining and entertainment venue. At the heart of their menu is the theatre charcoal grill and wood burning ovens, inspired by revered chefs and restaurants from around the world. Offering the best in modern-classic British cuisine.

You know from the moment you walk into Opera Grill, that they care about every detail, and it provides a setting that you want to dress up for. Whilst the dinning is relaxed, all the elements have been thought through, and it really shows. The layout provides atmosphere, but privacy from other dinners, making it brilliant for special occasions. We dined on a Thursday evening, and the restaurant was busy but comfortable the whole time we were there, even as early guests.

Once seated and introduced to our lovely server Chloe, we were given a chance to look over the menu in our own time, its so easy to get carried away chatting but we weren’t rushed at all. We decided based on the new menu to go for wines that evening rather than cocktails, but we will definitely be back to give the cocktails a try soon. We choose the Fat barrel New Zealand Sauvignon, which was really light and refreshing, the clean fruit notes added a nice zing, with different elements of the meal.

Whilst we decided on mains, our server recommended we try the Hummus, fried garlic & chilli appetizer, which comes with fresh Arab bread. This is the smoothest and most flavourful hummus I have had in a long while and not something I would have tried, unless recommended. Remember it always pays off to listen to your server. After enjoying this our server returned to check on us and take our order. We opted for starters and main, rather than desserts.

I enjoyed the Scottish King Scallops with chilli, garlic & parsley butter. These were delicious. One of the best servings of Scallops I’ve eaten in this country, so fresh, perfectly cooked and the garnishes made for the perfect mouthful. They were also presented beautifully in their shells, sadly my photographs do not d them justice. My dinning partner for the evening enjoyed the Crispy duck spring rolls. They were larger than we expected, and full of well-seasoned filling. The flavours complimented each other well and the dish was topped off by the fruit chutney style dipping sauce.

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At this moment we were very much looking forward to our mains, but please bear in mind the portion size, as after an appetizer and starter we were feeling full already, so if you want to save room for a pudding then you may have to skip one of our dishes- but I certainly could not recommend which.

We both chose the Grass Fed Angus & Hereford Sirloin, which were beautifully cooked to medium rare. The plates were dressed with sweet roasted tomatoes and greenery, and our steaks were topped with miso butter, a true umami experience being a little bit sweet and salty. I could not choose a side, so we shared the Truffe & Parmesan chips and the Mac and Cheese. Both very indulgent but so complimentary to the steaks. With the care and attention put in to planning this menu with so many different options, you can understand why Opera Grill has the name it does for quality food.

Whilst enjoying our menu we were fortunate to get a great seat for the Electro violinists, who were walking around the bar area providing some fabulous renditions of current music, we felt like we were in Bridgeton. These ladies are very talented, and I can highly recommend visiting Opera on a Thursday in order to see them.

Following the refurbishment Opera Grill will be hosting weekly entertainment throughout the year with music acts from far and wide performing Thursday to Sunday:

• Thursdays – Electro violinists in the main bar providing light dinner entertainment.
• Friday Supper Club – Soul, Swing & Motown from our favourite supper club bands
• Saturday – Live music from 6:30pm till 12.30am – A mix of soloists, Duo artists & bands taking the stage. Followed by Opera Noir offering a series of live performances.
• Gospel Sundays – Our famous sell out gospel Sundays with Sing Out Music Gospel Choir.

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Opera Grill are focused on creating a wonderful atmosphere whilst you dine, and it certainly adds to your experience, there is something for everyone, with these different styles of entertainment, we highly recommend you give it a try.