Opso at home: Impressive Greek-inspired dishes perfect for sharing
As we continue to bunker down in lockdown and restaurants remain closed, our appetite for new culinary experiences and deliciously prepared food certainly isn’t wavering. And luckily, there are a whole host of kitchens in the capital keeping us fed while also ensuring we’re able to make sitting down to dinner on a Saturday night feel special.
One of the places still firing up the oven is Opso – a Greek-inspired restaurant located in the heart of Marylebone. Serving up modern dishes made of seasonal high-quality ingredients, this is hearty Greek cuisine at its finest. We sampled a few of their most popular plates ahead of their highly anticipated Valentine’s menu, which is available to pre-order now.
Our box arrived full of fresh ingredients that either needed to be heated up in the oven or put in bowls or plates. Easy peasy. To start, we had two mezzes: hummus with hazelnut praline, chilli oil and pine nut crumble served with hand-stretched pittas; and spanakopita served with a yoghurt dip.
The hummus had it all. It was deliciously nutty, with a little heat from the oil and topped off with a satisfying bite from the pine nuts. The pittas were sprayed with a herb oil before going into the oven, which gave them a wonderful earthy flavour.
The spanakopita was inspired by a grandma’s recipe from the region of Zagorohoria in Greece, which is famous for its pies. And this one certainly didn’t disappoint with its light buttery pastry and perfect marriage of spinach and feta.
Both the mains were from Opso’s “At Home” menu and just needed to be popped in the oven for a few minutes. The Lamb Kleftiko was made with lamb shoulder and served with baby potatoes, Florinis red peppers and feta cheese. The crispy, tender lamb melted in the mouth and relied on simple flavours and quality ingredients to make it a memorable dish.
We also had an indulgent moussaka that was oven-baked with gratine and layered with eggplant, beef ragù cooked in tomato sauce, and béchamel sauce. As moussakas go, this one was pretty fantastic and hit all the right notes.
Last but not least, it was onto the desserts. First the bougatsa, which is a traditional pastry with semolina custard, icing sugar and cinnamon; then a Guanaja chocolate cake with jivara choco chips and salted caramel sauce.
This was amazingly decadent without being too sickly and it disappeared in seconds.
Alex Julie Woods
Photos: Alex Julie Woods
Opso’s Valentine’s menu is now available to pre-order and features some special one-off dishes including a ribeye bouquet and roasted beetroot with caramelized walnuts.
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