It’s a miserable Sunday morning; it’s
been pouring for hours and I have been woken up way too early by the arrhythmic
drumming of raindrops. Grrr. At least I had brunch to look forward to.
It’s not really clear what Opso does.
The décor suggests it’s a café with a larger communal table in the middle
surrounded by smaller ones dotted around it; the menu suggests something more
ambitious with a mixture of small plates, brunch dishes and meaty dishes. Our
French server explained the dishes were inspired by Greek cuisine and modern
touches.
We started with a couple of pink
smoothies (strawberry & greek yoghurt) while I was trying to make sense of
the menu.
Pancakes
with cream cheese, strawberry ham and blueberries
I don’t usually have pancakes for
brunch, but this was quite pleasant – fluffy and buttery, not too sweet or
heavy with the cream cheese. The frozen blueberries, however, were odd. Odd in
the sense that the frozen fruits were brittle and icy, and it clashed with the softness
of the pancake. The fruity sweetness was also destroyed by the freezing, so it
was like having citrusy crushed ice on top. I wasn’t a fan.
Cod
Tempura served with ‘skodalia’ spread, roast beetroots and shaved walnut
Mister said skodalia is supposed to be
a very strong, pungent garlic sauce - the kitchen here has definitely toned the
garlic down to what resembles a garlic aioli. The cod fillet was fleshy,
succulent and slithery, wrapped in a thin, greaseless batter. The subtly sweet
beetroot cubes added another dimension to the dish and worked surprisingly well
with the creamy sauce. Good dish.
Snails
n’ Chips
I’m an avid lover for snails; I have
to order it when it’s on the menu, despite Mister’s disapproving frown. That
said he did show me the most gourmet way to suck the snail morsel out of the
shell by cracking a hole at the swirly bit at the top. How come the French
never showed me this?
The snails were absolutely delicious,
squidgy and bouncy with an earthy tone, laden with a meaty, savoury sauce and bits
of bacon. The only criticism is the amount of oil in the dish that drenched the
potato cubes to a scary sogginess, could have been more light-handed.
I enjoyed Opso. The dishes had
interesting combination of ingredients; some worked better than the others but full
marks for trying. I still couldn’t put a finger on what kind of restaurant Opso
aims to be, perhaps Greek dishes with a British twist, or modern European dishes with a Greek touch? It didn't matter - I would come back for a late morning
/ afternoon snack if I happen to be in the neighbourhood.
10 Paddington Street
W1U 5QL
London
Tel: 0207 487 5088

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Opso is a marvelous restaurant. I have been there once in my life. Three months ago I visited London after hawaii tours. During my five day tour I visited this yummy food spot twice a time. I go there for breakfast. It was a very pleasant experience there. I ate so many things smoked salmon, Pan Cake, Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs and hot chocolate. I really enjoyed my breakfast and I cannot forget its taste. It’s my great desire to go there again.
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