Opium

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2013) edition.

A haven of calm and tranquillity awaits you when stepping away from the maddening City Centre crowds into the gentle lighting and warm space of Opium – dark wood dominates giving a sophisticated feel with flickering candles and sparkling glassware. The small, well-formed menu nods to the best of Far Eastern flavours while an exotic cocktail menu excites with inspired combinations. To begin, dim sum is a must – a beautiful array of homemade morsels from fragrant steamed crab and Chinese chive dumplings to crisp, deep-fried wontons stuffed with moist chicken and king prawn – a spicy Sichuan dipping sauce adds further punch. Mains include a handful of refined seafood, meat and vegetable options, including XO scallops with tiger prawns – fresh and meaty, flash-fried with sugar snaps, asparagus and lotus root, encased in their signature XO sauce containing an array of dried seafood with chilli, peppers, onions and garlic. Service is genuinely warm yet professional while the owner welcomes old and new diners as if close friends. An all-round fantastic dining experience.

• High point: Faultless cooking from beginning to end
• Low point: Having to leave