The Executive Lunch at Opus

So today my cousin and I went on a lunch date at Opus courtesy of Deal Grocer. Before today, Opus to me was simply an upscale bar/lounge, but it turns out it is so so so much more than that. Listen to your friends when they say that the food in Opus is actually really good. They are right. I agree.

The Deal Grocer coupon is Php 490 for a 3-course lunch. The regular price of this lunch is Php 680. This price already includes tax and service charge. Please note that I can’t describe the main menu (with the exception of one appetizer) since we basically stuck with the prix-fixe menu. Also, the main menu and the executive lunch menu are completely different.

Here’s the Executive Lunch menu: (it’s not that clear so see the links to individual snapshots of each section)

Starters || Mains || Dessert

The way it works is each person selects one item from each of the courses, starter, main and dessert. Thankfully my cousin and I are experienced eaters so we ordered differently so we could try a greater variety of food.

You begin with fresh, warm bread with regular butter and my absolute favorite, truffle butter.

Quail and Bacon Ravioli with Quail Breast, mushrooms and truffle foam (P390) – This is amazing! The flavors are quite delicate yet very distinct. The ravioli is generously stuffed with quail. The roasted quail breast was seasoned and cooked perfectly. It was very tender. The bacon, mushrooms and truffle foam are to die for. While I’m not a big quail lover, this won me over. I really liked the flavors of this dish.

Prawn Bisque with Salmon and Prawn Ravioli – While the photo doesn’t look all that appetizing, it’s actually pretty good. The taste of the prawn is very distinct in the broth. The soup is the right consistency. Dip the bread in this soup!

There’s a ravioli surprise at the bottom of the little bowl. It is stuffed with prawn but I didn’t really taste it too much. The soup is stronger in flavor which may have overpowered the prawn ravioli. Portion-wise, I initially thought that it was a small size, but turns out it’s just enough.

Grilled Chicken Brochette with Sicilian Caponata Arugula and Rosemary Dressing – This is what my cousin had. It comes with one skewer of perfectly cooked and seasoned chicken. It was melt-in-your-mouth soft. The salad was a very nice touch and complimented the chicken very well.

Pesto and Parmesan-Crusted White Fish Fillet with baked Provencal vegetables and roast potato – This is a perfect spring/summer dish. It’s very light. I felt very healthy eating it. The fish has CHEESE on it!! Winner! Cheese is the way to my heart. The fillet is tender and flakey. I wish it had less pesto though. There was a lot of pesto and I would have loved to taste more of the fish. The pesto flavor overpowered the dish. All I could taste after a while was pesto.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly with braised red cabbage and mustard mashed potato – This is the heartier, more rich main dish selection. This dish is a star! The pork belly is heaven! The fat is buttery soft and the skin is crunchy. The cabbage and the mashed potatoes complement the dish, it counters the taste of the pork and gives it a little acidity. However, I wouldn’t recommend this dish if you are on a diet or are watching your health. The chunk of pork belly that I got was mostly fat and while it was worth every bite, cousin and I both felt the need to go jogging asap. It’s pork belly, what can you expect? 🙂 Share this with someone if you want to try it yet are watching what you eat.

It’s so good that it gets two pictures. Haha.

Baked Panettone Pudding with fig and brandy ice cream – The ice cream and pudding was okay What the dish name doesn’t include are the raisins and the oranges that top the pudding. We weren’t a fan of those. We ended up scraping it off and just eating the pudding and the ice cream.

Chocolate and Banana Creme Brulee – If you like chocolate and bananas, this one is for you. Cousin and I both agreed that this was the better dessert. It has just the right balance of flavor between chocolate and banana. I had trouble finishing it because I was quite full but my cousin was happy to oblige and consume it for me. I found it very rich so I could only eat a few spoonfuls. Maybe on a different day I could eat the entire thing but today I already had 2 courses prior. I was very full at this point.

One important thing to congratulate Opus on is the pacing! Their timing is on point! We never felt like it was taking too long nor did we feel rushed. The time in-between courses was just right. However, we were also the only diners at the restaurant for lunch. It was nice and quiet. I hope they are able to maintain this pacing despite the large crowds it attracts at night.

All in all, we really liked Opus. We had a wonderful time and really felt like we were living the good life. The ambiance is nice and the food was great. Next time we’ll go back for their regular menu. 🙂

Kindly excuse the photos, it was difficult for me to take nice pictures because the lighting was overhead (producing shadows) and my point & shoot is kind of limited.

Opus Restaurant & Lounge (tel: 02 8040592) // Closed on Sundays
2/F Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila
Pasay City, Philippines