Restaurant review: Opus

Opus on Prince Arthur

It is wonderful when something lives up to its hype. Too often, a much-lauded restaurant falls short, relying on atmosphere (read: attitude) to prop up just-decent fare and justify overpricing. Opus, however, does not disappoint.
We were fortunate to go with a "regular", and so were greeted warmly at the door by one of the owners. Drinks by the bar were ice-cold, generously sized, and perfectly mixed lychee martinis garnished with two whole lychees, and we knew already we were in for a treat.
The restaurant itself is a study of understated glamour. If Julia Roberts were European, and a restaurant, she might be Opus. Deep grey walls, comfy leather chairs and flatteringly subdued lighting made it feel intimate even though it was a crowded Saturday night. Clientele are mainly established upper-crust types. Younger diners are likely stockbrokers or heiresses. A trip to the bathroom means you get to peek through a glass wall that displays a fraction of a most impressive, multi-million dollar wine cellar. The cool air smells of cork and money.
The wine list is novel thick. I demured from even flipping through it, afraid of being overwhelmed by my own ignorance in discerning between options, and by the surely shocking prices. We ended up drinking something Portuguese and delicious.
Then there was dinner. The menu offers a variety of dishes, each one packed with a laundry-list of flavours that had me wondering, "is that possible?" When the food arrives though, it is deceptively simple and the flavours are wholly integrated. For starters, a dish of sauteed wild mushrooms was a delight of different tastes and textures. Seared foie gras on maple-glazed apple slices is enough alone to make me go back for more - the rich smoothness of the foie gras contrasted perfectly with the slightly crisp and tart apples. For mains, both blackened cod and prociutto-wrapped Atlantic salmon were cooked perfectly and very flavourful. The cod was deliciously creamy and set off nicely by the wasabi-infused potato risotto it came on. If I were looking for fault, the closest thing I could say was that the potato cubes were al dente on the verge of undercooked. That being said, I happily ate them anyway.
Dessert offered a luxurious creme brulee delicately flavoured with real vanilla bean and topped by lots of sugary crust. A scattering of fresh berries completed it -- the adorning biscotti pushed the indulgence to overkill, but it was nice to dunk into an exquisite cappuccino. Apple fritters that proved to be so much more than doughnuts, served with a rich toffee sauce, elicited near-childlike glee.
The final impressive touch was the thoughtfulness of the proprietor of rewarding loyalty by sending over an after-dinner glass of port.
We're saving our pennies and anxiously awaiting a special occasion so that we have a reason to go back.

rating: * * * * (pretty much perfect)


After dinner, we trotted down to Hart House for the midnight finale show of the Canadian premiere run of "Reefer Madness" (the musical). The energy in the audience and onstage was great - it was certainly an enthusiastic performance. Highlights included the solo done by the sold-for-weed-money baby, and any appearance by Jesus and his gold-bikini-clad angels.