Walk through a secret garden, full of bougainvillea with an olive tree in the centre, and the beautiful smell of jasmine, and you enter Opa, traditionally decorated to give you a feel that you are in an outside courtyard of a taverna on one of the hundreds of Greek islands, though you are indoors. Picture white washed walls and blue window shutters.
Opa is one of Dubai’s growing number of Greek restaurants, located at the Fairmont Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, open since December, it seems to have captured the attention of Dubai residents as it was considerably busy for a Sunday evening.
The menu offers a good selection of dips, salads, and both hot and cold starters. With plenty to chose from, we started with a spicy feta dip that was perfectly spiced with paprika with a hint of sweetness from the roasted peppers, along with the Santorini fava, smooth which spread nicely across the hot pitta bread.
Our beetroot salad with yoghurt and mint was a refreshing dish to share with the other starters and the meaty grilled octopus was accompanied well with the white bean puree.
As good as the starters were, the stand out of all was the grilled Cypriot haloumi. This cheese just keeps getting popular and is amazing grilled. The saltiness of the cheese was well balanced with the sweetness of the grilled fig and grape sauce. It really made you wanting more.
A sure thing on the menu at a Greek restaurant is kleftiko, slow cooked lamb that when cooked well, literally just pulls apart. The portion we were served simply fell apart at the touch, was very succulent and nicely paired with a tasty feta infused mash.
Even with just a handful of desserts to choose from, making a choice wasn’t easy. The recommendation of loukmades did not disappoint, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the little doughballs with honey and pistachio, were perfectly coated in chocolate sauce.
If the food is not enough of a reason to sample a bit of Greece at Opa, then the entertainment is. A couple of times throughout the evening, the staff take to the floor for some traditional dancing, guests are invited to join in and encouraged to smash a plate or two, while shouting … Opa!
Expect to pay around Dhs 200 per person for a couple of starters, main course and dessert, excluding drinks.
For reservations call 04-3570557.