A Soho Nightclub and Restaurant with Style – Opium London:
(invited press review)
Opium London is a brand new restaurant and nightclub in Soho’s Rupert St from the Costa Este Group – recently awarded ‘Best Nightlife Business Group 2018’ by The International Nightlife Association – so they should know what they are doing! There are already Opium clubs running very successfully in Madrid, Barcelona and Marbella with the London venue being the first international outpost for the group and the one I’ve been asked to review.
Opium London has a 1,000 square meter footprint bringing together a 90 cover restaurant, bar and a 500 capacity nightclub to create a perfect recipe for a great night out with drinks, dinner and dancing all on the menu. Artists and DJs who have appeared at the Spanish clubs include the top tier of dance artists including Tiesto, David Guetta, Avicci, Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold, Steve Aoki, Black Eye Peas, Jason Derulo, Kaskade, French Montana and Wiz Khalifa. 
The club’s interior is super-modern with futuristic LED lighting, black marble floors, sexy white leather booths, and amazing purple pyramid-shaped light displays that cover the walls. I was also really impressed with the sound system that through clever speaker placement managed to combine plenty of punch at a level that allowed for normal conversation.
The cocktail list is an interesting read with many of the drinks being built on tequila or mezcal as the primary spirit – a good thing, in my opinion, you can never have too much mezcal…apart from that time in Guadalajara…best forgotten…
The Not so classic #2 combines Montelebos mezcal, Martini Reserva speciale rubino, Martini Reserva speciale bitter and orange bitters to deliver a deliciously bitter take on a Negroni with an orange twist. Oriental flavours such as yuzu and wasabi are used to great effect creating some great matches with the Meditteranean/Japanese food menu. The sophisticated tasting Japonica blends Bombay Sapphire gin with crème de peche, apricot jam, lemon juice adds cucumber and wasabi to give the drink a cool and pungent note.
For something more obviously celebratory there is the London’s DNA; Grey Goose La Vanille, strawberry purée, Manzana Verde liqueur and orgeat syrup with Moët et Chandon champagne creating a bubbly vanilla strawberry fizz. And going back to tequila for an oriental twist on the Margarita, the El Patrón combines Patrón silver tequila, agave syrup, yuzu, wasabi and yuzu fleur de sel to create an amazing salty, wasabi and tequila mouth blend. 
The kitchen is helmed by Portuguese head chef Diogo Amaro, whose CV includes stints at Novikov and MNKY HSE. The menu majors in fresh sushi and sashimi, alongside Mediterranean classics with signature dishes including Grilled Scottish Lobster for Two, Chicken and Foie Gras Cannelloni, Spanish Ibérico Ham, and a trio of Wagyu Beef Sliders with three different dipping sauces. Despite the casual ambience it was lovely to have proper linen napkins and with the DJ playing house music at a sensible level, you can have a conversation without shouting over your food.
We started off with sushi – California rolls topped with tobiko roe crab and prawn rolls with sesame seeds. Made with proper sushi rice the grain had a bit of bite and with a smudge of wasabi and a drop of soy it made for a great appetiser. 
Next up were fresh, crisp vegetable spring rolls with chilli sauce and a cool quinoa salad studded with pomegranate jewels. 
I loved the deep-fried calamari served with a lime and chilli mayonnaise. The seasoned batter was beautifully light, the calamari tender and the mayo gave it a citric kick. 
The truffle mushroom risotto was creamily al dente and perfumed with the truffle. A super-luxe dish, this was one of those plates of food that just makes you feel happy to be alive. 
A beautifully seared fillet of sea bass came with a luscious almond cream with crisp broccoli spears on the side. 
Dessert was a chocoholic’s dream – a nutty chocolate brownie came with creamy chocolate mousse and a white chocolate sauce. Paired with the Final Course cocktail made with Patrón x.o., coffee, Frangelico, Kahlua and fresh cream creating a turbo-charged White Russian, it created the perfect end to the meal just as the DJ was ramping up the volume…time to dance!
Sometimes going to a smart nightclub is just what the doctor ordered. I loved the opulence, glamour and style of Opium London and with a really strong food and drink offer, it made for a great night out.
9 Rupert Street,
London W1D 6DG
Reservations: reservations@opium-london.com or +44(0)2034320205
Website: www.opium-london.com
Looking for something different – How about Gamma Gamma, an Asian fusion restaurant with dishes based on exotic ingredients in Soho Or for something a little spicier, we loved Corazon, a fun Mexican restaurant also in Soho
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