March 31, 2016

The old coffee house at the Hilton Hotel has given way to a new concept of dining. In its place is now the Opus Bar & Grill. Grill seems to be the latest fad with many new restaurants. At Opus, they have specially commissioned Himalayan salt tile cabinet and charcoals to grill the meats. The restaurant also boasts that their meats are fresh and aged between 14 and 36 days to exude a rich flavour.

Opus is also the first restaurant to obtain the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)’s Chain of custody certification. For the environmentally conscious diners, this means that the restaurant sources its seafood that are sustainably caught.

Opusgrill_interior

The restaurant serves a dual purpose. For breakfast and lunch, it serves a buffet spread and for dinner, it becomes a grill. A partition separates the dining area from the adjoining bar. The dining room has a more intimate and cosy feel when I went there for dinner. While dining, I could see chefs at work through the glass partitions.

One page of the menu is devoted to the beef selection and the choice of the many accompanying sauces. It is interesting to note that all the side orders are priced at $6 each. You can order truffle fries, portobello mushroom, smoked risotto, leek and pecorino and many others as side dishes. On the whole, the menu is extensive with a range of choices for everyone.

Opus_Scallops

Seared Hokkaido Scallops

For starters, I had the Hokkaido scallops ($22) which came with Edamame, blood sausage and miso espuma. The scallops were fresh and had a slightly smoky taste which blended well with the blood sausage. The smoked buffalo mozzarella ($16) served with heirloom tomatoes, charred fennel, grapefruit, aged balsamic also passed muster.

Since Opus prides itself on meats that are aged well, I ordered the 800g Australian Rangers Valley Angus OP rib dry-aged, marble score 4 ($110 for 2 persons). I chose the black truffle and mushroom sauce to go with the beef, which was evenly charred on the outside with the meat still tender and moist. The flavour of the meat was robust and the accompanying sauce we chose was a perfect pairing.

Opus-Skewers

Opus Skewers (from left): Angus Beef, King Prawn, Haloumi, Tandoori Chicken

Under the skewers section, I opted for the tandoori chicken skewer (small $16, large $22) which came with capsicum, cucumber and coriander yoghurt. The chicken was well marinated and juicy and could be eaten on its own without the yoghurt.

Opus_Porkbelly

36-hour Pork Belly

The 36 hours pork belly ($36/-) came with baby romaine, beetroot and ginger pumpkin puree. The pork was delicate since it was stewed for one and a half days, which reminded me of the Chinese pork belly we normally eat with buns.

Grilled-Honey-Pineapple

Grilled Honey Pineapple

Desserts were disappointing at Opus. There are only 4 desserts listed in the menu. I chose the grilled honey pineapple which came with vanilla ice cream, crumble and rum sauce ($12) and the chocolate dome ($14) with blueberry crumble, Bailey ice cream and hot chocolate briolette. Between the two, the chocolate dome was more of a “disaster”. It resembled a chocolate ball and when the serving staff poured the hot chocolate over the top, it quickly proved to be a runny mess. I ended up drinking the dessert instead of eating it. 

As this is a relatively new restaurant, the wait staff could not confidently recommend what are the good dishes one should order. There were certainly hits and misses, but the potential is certainly there.

Opus Bar & Grill is currently offering free flow of wines with any order of Opus beef selection (Prime cuts from $58++ only). Free flow of sparkling, white & red wines from 7pm to 9pm (Sunday to Thursday) and 50 percent off on wine by the bottle (Friday and Saturday)

 
Address:

Lobby Level Grill
Hilton Singapore
581 Orchard Road, Singapore 238883

Opening Hours:

Dinner (Daily: 6.30pm to 10.30pm)
Bar (Daily: 10am to midnight)
Brunch (Sunday: 11.30 am to 2.00pm)