REVIEW: Opso, Paddington Street, Marylebone

If there was ever one cuisine in London which needed a revival and to shrug off its 1990’s stigma of mediocre food – its Greek. Thankfully over the last twelve months this cuisine is seeing a revival and right now – Greek food is all the rage. I’ve been seeing it in magazines, talks of the rather unusual Retsina wine in the boozy world and to be honest – I can’t wait to see even more of this cuisine taking over London. Opso is a new restaurant which opened up in Marylebone just over ayear ago now and its philosophy is to create delicious modern Greek tapas based around high quality ingredients, for which most are supplied directly from Greece. Inside the focus is on social dining, with cosy tables and long bar seating – all encompassed within a laid back and causal atmosphere. Cocktails are pretty great here too, so make sure that’s the starting point of your visit to Opso.

The thing that surprised me most about Opso was that the food here couldn’t have been more different from what I’d imagined, and not at all like anything I’ve experienced in London so far. Dishes such as the sesame covered koulouri milk bread with goats curd and sea salt was a revelation. It won’t blow your mind, but it is immensely satisfying. The best way to describe this lovely warm bread is comparing it to a bagel – but better. Skordalya spread with toasted walnuts was in fact my favourite dish (apart from desserts of course) here at Opso. The spread is a ground mixture of potatoes, garlic and who knows what else – but it’s rich and fresh nutty flavours were stunning. If there was a spread to give the classic hummus a run for its money – it’s this.

Rib-eye steak was one month in-house dry aged and actually rather good. Priced at £26 it wasn’t the cheapest you’ll find in London for the price but satisfactory for the amount of flavour involved. I’d have liked the meat a little more bloody but apart from that I had no complaints, plus it went perfectly with the side of crunchy greens beans – slathered in aged graviera cheese and toasted almonds. Another favourite dish of our evening here at Opso was the snails & chips with bacon and vinegar. Flavour wise it was incredibly rich and indulgent with a mountain of bacon lardons taking up most of the bowl. As far as snail dishes go this is up there with the best although be prepared – you’ve got to love vinegar, because there is a lot of it.

The dessert part of the menu here at Opso was probably the area I’m least knowledgeable, in terms of Greek delicacies and I had no idea what they were going to put together. Greek flavours and inspiration had been moulded together to create modern dishes full of flavour and our favourite turned out to be the semolina cream with fresh berries and filo pastry – it was quite literally a dream. Sweet, sour, fruity, intensely creamy and full of shards of flaky and buttery pastry. Finishing on a high the Moustokoulouro sandwich was one epic creation. Two soft molasses chocolate cookies holding tight a large scoop of salted caramel ice cream, walnuts and butterscotch sauce. I’m hoping that mouth-watering photo does all the talking.

So what did I think of Opso? Well some dishes were a revelation, while others needed a little more oopmh – but the desserts however were sensational. Opso is a very solid offering in Marylebone and offers something a little different compared to other restaurants in the city and while it may not be the best restaurant London has to offer, it’s certainly the best Greek restaurant in London right now, without a doubt. If a Greek meal is what you’re after full of surprise and intrigue then look no further – Opso has arrived.

7/10

I was invited to review