Opera Tavern

Tapas bar in the West End

Slow-cooked Galician octopus, saffron aioli, datterini tomatoes

Part of the successful Salt Yard Group, Opera Tavern is an Italian and Spanish tapas bar in Covent Garden. When it was first launched back in 2011, Opera Tavern was one of the most trendy and popular tapas bar in London in that era. Fast forward to 2019, many things have changed. Chef director Ben Tish has moved on, and the group has been sold to Urban Pubs & Bars, which owns a host of pubs across London. I first ate at Opera Tavern when opened, and wonder how much has changed since then. Looking at the menu, it has a selection of tapas, spitting into snack, meat, fish and vegetable session. I opted for 3 dishes per person, in typical tapas fashion and shared everything.

Bell heart tomato with Belcari olive oil & basil

Courgette flower, monte enebro & blossom honey

Lemon sole, courgette, basil & brown shrimp sauce

The first that came to the table was the slow-cooked Galician octopus, served cold with satisfying saffron aioli, with a soft fresh garlic tone that worked so well with the tender octopus, it is such a delightful summer dish. The courgette flower, a signature dish of the restaurant has been kept on the menu. It was stuffed with Spanish goat cheese with the use of blossom honey to balance off the earthy taste of the creamy cheese, it was interesting but nothing special for me. What I really enjoyed was the Iberico pork shoulder, cooked medium and seasoned to perfection. It had a nice mild smoky and sweet taste, the pepper relish offered a nice refreshing sweet taste which acted as a nice contrast to the richness pork.

Chicken saltimbocca, aubergine, capers & marsala

Iberico pork shoulder

Shortbread with chervil, lemon meringue & curd

The new menu from Opera Tavern was generally really good, all the dishes had good attention to detail, and it was perfect for summer. The dessert was not as good, however, and felt like it came from a completely different kitchen. Opera Tavern does indeed delivered great quality Spanish and Italian food to the theater land, and the wine list is just as strong. Overall, I found the quality of the food was just as good, if not better than the heydays of Opera Tavern, and I can imagine it would do well going forward.



Food 3/5


Average cost without drinks and services:
£30

23 Catherine St, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5JS

https://www.saltyardgroup.co.uk/opera-tavern/