Opa - Bristol food review
Posted on: 2017-04-12
Our rating:
Offering Olympian quality on the corner of Baldwin Street, Opa is the newly-opened Greek restaurant which represents an intra-sensory dining experience and a one-stop shop for a Mediterranean night out.
The last time I was inside 14 Baldwin Street it was late 2013 and the interior was decked out to keep in with its name, ‘Rehab’ - which always seemed a slightly ill-fitting title for an alcohol-licensed night club. For whatever reason (name-related, or otherwise), Rehab permanently closed its doors; and its successive tenants could not be more different.
Having been ushered through the doors of Opa, what immediately strikes is its whiteness. Doric columns, sweeping staircases, detailed facades, all gleaming with the same pearly white which recalls as much an Olympian cleanliness as it does a chalky, Mediterranean finish. An underground dive bar, this is not.
It does still function as a nightclub, however; pristine white sofas comprise the various VIP areas, all satellited around a main dancefloor. Blue light glows out in thin, cool beams. This is overlooked by the dining area; or one side of the dining area at least. The other appears to gaze out over the Aegean Sea, courtesy of the mural which curves round the wall.
The grub is, as you might expect in such surroundings, unapologetically Greek. To start, I opt for Beke Meze, a pork stew, slowly cooked with fresh tomatoes, onions peppers and wine. It is ludicrously tasty and comes accompanied by copious helpings of soft, soft pitta bread. Both the sight and smell is enough to draw envious glances from my companion Charles, though these largely end with the arrival of his Crayfish and Scallops Saganaki. Aside from the serving in a saucepan, which appears slightly clunky, the dish looks great, with the seared scallops protruding from the bake of feta and tomato.
We polish these plates off, with a haste that well befits their tastiness, before they are swiftly cleared to make way for our mains, which are plonked down promptly in front of us. I had previously plumped, on the recommendation of our server, for the Kleftiko; and I am immediately glad that I did. The lamb shank sits proud on its bed of mash, with the slow baking promised in the menu evidenced in the stunning tenderness of the meat.
Charles meanwhile went for the Risotto Thalassinon, having bombastically proclaimed beforehand, “It would be simply rude not to sample some of le fruit de la mer!” There is still something slightly fishy about the site of squid-ink risotto, with its deep blue pigment, but he assures me (through a mouthful of mussels) that it tastes excellent.
Situated spitting distance from the Avon, Opa is full of the sights, sounds and smells of the Aegean, and home to truly authentic Greek food that would not taste out of place on its shore.
Atmosphere - 5
Value - 4
Food - 4
Service - 5
Article by:
An ardent Geordie minus the accent, Sam seemingly strove to get as far away from the Toon as possible, as soon as university beckoned. Three undergraduate years at UoB were more than ample time for Bristol (as it inevitably does) to get under his skin, and so here he remains: reporting, as Assistant Editor, on the cultural happenings which so infatuated him with the city. Catch him at sam@365bristol.com.
