Could have made us feel more welcome or at ease. Made the birthday occasion very special with 2 glasses of champers on arrival!

Nestled away on Cornwall Street in the city’s business district lies Opus, a restaurant known for its dedication to sustainability, social responsibility and community engagement. Joining a handful of diners on a Tuesday evening, we selected three courses from the Market Menu, so called as the menu is put together according to what’s good and plentiful that morning at market.

Food

Whetting our appetites with a basket of (cold and dry) bread, we went straight into the paddock farm pork terrine. Presented on an oblong-shaped plate, much like the terrine-dish itself, the meat was surprisingly dense with little jelly. With flavours reminiscent of a hog roast, the accompanying apple puree was artfully but sparsely dotted around the plate along with some heritage pickled vegetables including green cauliflower.

Next, we were treated to an off-menu dish of pan-fried scallops. A personal favourite of mine, they were tasty, fresh, juicy and plump. My slow-braised blade of beef was a very generous portion of soft, fatty meat that was greatly improved by the accompanying jus. The star of this dish was the moreish horseradish mash.

Meanwhile, my dining companion opted for Brixham Market fish of the day, confit fennel, steamed potatoes and autumn greens. The béarnaise sauce jazzed up the juicy and as-promised, market-fresh fish, which turned out to be cod.

Dessert was a citrus posset (creamy and intensely smooth), with fruit salsa (tart) and shortbread and iced blackberry parfait with poached blackberries; both were fresh, lively and delightful.

Service was quiet, leaving it up to curious diners such as ourselves to enquire about the more unusual ingredients on the plate.

Pricing

At £15.50 for three courses, the market menu offers exceptional value for money.

On the a la carte menu, starters are £7 - £10, mains are around £10 - £20, and most desserts are £7.

Overall

A firm favourite with the smart business crowd, the food was conservative with few surprises. The quality of the raw ingredients is clear and flavours are left clean and uncomplicated on purpose to allow this to shine through. I would say Opus is a safe bet for diners craving quality food with provenance at one of the smartest addresses in town.

ALL the lobster! The lobster deal in August that opus do is probably the best value lobster you will ever eat. A whole fat, juicy grilled lobster with chips plus a choice of starter and desert, made even better value with the eat out to help out scheme. This was our first post-pandemic outing and the friendly service, clean interior and fantastic food made this a joy! My husband had the steak which was also superb.