|
Opening hours: Open: Sun - Thurs 11.30am - 11.30pm; Fri & Sat 11.30am to 12 midnight.
|
|
|
67-69 George Street Ads by Daily Info:
  
Useful links: Oxford Restaurants Oxford Hotels Oxford Pubs & Bars Oxford Gig venues Oxford Concert venues |
Looking for the revamped Opium Den, I walked straight past the quiet and understated front of the new Cafe Opium, but was glad to have taken the trouble to trudge back up George Street to search it out. The food was fresh and interestingly cooked and served. My friend and I arrived just after five o'clock before an evening at the opera, so we had the pleasure of the cafe not being over full. Open all day, unlike many restaurants, which only start serving dinner at six, this is an excellent place to dine if you are going for an early production at the New Theatre just up the road. Service is swift and unobtrusive. Mercifully, there is (or was) no piped music. My friend and I tried the Set Menu A, which is delicious and remarkably good value. It includes crispy duck with wafer thin pancakes and a spicy sauce. Lovely scents waft from time to time from the kitchen, making me look forward to trying some of the rest of the large menu. My friend's glass of dry white wine was good and reasonably priced. Bottled water was not cold enough and tasted dull (I was far from sure that this was not tap water dished up in a bottle) and the jasmine tea arrived not in a teapot with a Chinese cup (well, maybe I'm spoiled after many dinners in London's Chinatown) but in a clumpy workman's mug. However the jasmine tea was leaf tea, and I have no grumbles at all other than those. Most of the clientele appeared to be Chinese, always a good sign in a Chinese restaurant. I'll be back, as Arnie famously said. North Oxford sybarite, 06/12/08 Love this restaurant! My husband and I have been several times, and from reading the previous reviews, I am not sure we have been visiting the same place?! After enjoying dinner here on a few occasions we fancied a change but were a bit wary of choosing something random off the menu. We mentioned this to the waiter who took his time to go through a few select dishes with us, going on what we usually have and enjoy. When the food arrived it was amazing, freshly prepared and promptly served. I would and do recommend this restaurant to everyone I meet who mentions they like chinese food and will continue to do so. S Mc, 22/03/08 Went to Cafe Opium on a Thursday night, it was pretty busy and grabbed the only spare table for two. Food was good and reasonably priced. The one disappointing thing was the dim sum were only available at lunchtime and we had picked Cafe Opium especially for the dim sum. Other than that very good. Would go again. Dan, 25/01/08 We used to go to Paddyfield for chinese but when Café Opium opened we were pleased as we didn't have to walk any further! We had a nice time there when we went for the first time so we went back again and again. I told friends about the place, and even suggested that we have our office Christmas party there. We always enjoyed the food - however, we found the waitresses unwelcoming and not very observant - unlike the man we've seen there that we think must be the manager. It was because of him that we went back again. When we had the same bad service again, we sadly decided not to go there anymore. We might return when they change the waiting staff! Anna, 11/10/07 I am a keen worldwide traveller and of oriental origin. I would like to consider myself a connoisieur in oriental flavours and cuisine. The Cafe Opium in Oxford, in my opinion is the most complete oriental restaurant. Even in the far east Asia, you cannot find the varieties of chinese cuisine served under this one roof. Apart from the normal chinese dishes you get anywhere in Oxford, they have introduced some truly "authentic and home made " chinese dishes. They have a "siu lap counter" which does oriental roast duck, crackling skin roast pork, freshly roasted charsiu and the braised "Yau Gai" (soy chicken). Unlike most of the chinese takeaways and restaurants, where these varieties are usually supplied to them, Cafe Opium's varieties are home roasted on premises.I find their "siu lap" are on par those in Hong Kong if not better. Conveyor belt "sushi" is now available (just open I am told) in the basement which is a rare offering in Oxford.I was fortunate to exchange notes with their "chifo" of more 20 years experience from Japan and find their sushi authentic and up to date with those in Japan. Another unique specialty (not much known to westerners and many asians) served here is the Northern China Ramen in light clear soup served plain or with beef slices and special spicy sauce (optional).This "ramen" (literally means "hand drawn") is made from dough, then skillfuly pulled and twisted by a Northern Chinese chef into strands of noodles. There are also the "ever so happening" Shanghainese and Szechuan dishes such as the "mouth watering chicken", "the water cooked spicy beef" etc. These Shanghainese and Szechuan dishes ARE NOT those szechuan-claimed dishes you get from your local take aways. These dishes are of generally known to be "ma lat" (which means numbing spicy hot) and takes a bit of getting used to. Once one acquires the taste, these dishes are addictive! Undoubtedly the ubiquitous chinese light snacks "Dim Sums", parcels of steamed dumplings and sauteed variables, and the "soupe du jour" a la chinese homestyle are on the menu. All are prepared on premises and the homestyle soup of the day is another offering, I suspect, you would not find elsewhere in Oxford. The deco is not your typical local chinese with fussy tablecloths, overladen table setting and brightly lit. This place is more contemproray art deco chinoserie with modern crystal chandeliers and part chinese antique and modern furniture.The mood is easy going during daytime and sultry in the evening. Quite to place to go for food and to impress without hurting your pocket. This brave and enterprising establishment is miles above its class in Oxford. I hope Oxonians are aware of this rarity and appreciate it as not another chain eatery outlet in George Street. V Tang, 22/09/07 A good place for oriental food. Despite having a typical "restaurant" setting, this place is more of a "fast food" joint, where you can grab a quick bite to eat in as little as half an hour. Try the Malaysian ho fun, the chilli in it gives quite the kick! Can be a bit greasy though (probably due to the little care and love put into cooking up the quick dishes). Oxford Student, 31/03/07 Went there on Sat evening at 6pm. Extremely patronising waiter (long haired, 30-40 years old). We walked out. If you are at George Street and want chinese food, do NOT go to Cafe Opium! Edd Wee, 20/03/07 Café Opium is a deceptively huge place. The tables are arranged to maximise the number of diners that can be accommodated at any one time, and on this Friday evening it was certainly doing a brisk and prosperous trade. Curiously, though, the combination of rich and featureless décor and subdued lighting manages to give the main dining area a surprisingly intimate feel. Service was prompt and helpful. The menu is vast and could trouble the indecisive, and is augmented by various specials offered on separate laminations. While it initially seems as if choice is limited for vegetarians, it is possible to ask for a vegetarian version of anything that can be adapted. Taking advantage of this, we began by sharing three starters: thai fishcakes with chilli dip, vegetable spring rolls, and veg-adapted hot and sour soup. These were all pretty good. The soup was warming and well-flavoured, with a slight but welcome hint of gravy. The spring rolls were pretty generic, but perfectly ok, and the fishcakes were odd, being flat and chewy and not awfully fishy, but quite juicy and tasty for all that. They have the same ones at AK City, incidentally. We were set up nicely for the mains, which were however slightly disappointing. The stewed lamb in coconut sauce was very tasty, coming in a thick brown sauce with not a trace of coconut, but had enough bones included to make it just a little bit laborious. Still not bad. The sizzling king prawns in satay sauce, however, was really a bit of a let-down. They did indeed sizzle, but there were far, far, far too many onions, prawns under-represented in both number and flavour, and the satay just wasn’t. No hint of peanuts, no thick and clinging texture. Rice was nice, though. We persevered with a shared banana fritter, which was really quite good, offering an oddly pleasing clash of flavours. Overall we felt that the evening’s shortcomings might easily be avoided by those more familiar with the huge menu, and resolved that we may well give Café Opium another try in the future. Starters and deserts are generally £3-£4, and mains £5-£7, although more exotic and expensive options such as specially prepared duck and lobster are available. Our total for two, including four bottled beers, came to £47.10, which seemed like reasonable value. Our only remaining complaint is that in winter they need a second door on the way in, as an icy blast swept across the room whenever a large party went in or out. Ian Threadgill & Miranda Rose, 10/02/07 Stylish, tasty, affordable, friendly and great ambience... that is Café Opium, a restaurant where you can dine quickly or slowly and enjoy it very much either way. This place has feel and range of seriously good Chinese food, with decor that combines fashion and comfort. One of those great deep menus too, where you can go for the cheap or expensive options and be satisfied with your choice. I will be going back here and often. Try it! Foeken, 04/02/06 Café Opium (the smaller new incarnation of the former Opium Den) does a good value a la carte menu (which includes some of the Opium Den old favourites) and an inexpensive Café Opium Express Selection. The a la carte menu is extensive, featuring freshly roast duck, char siu and roast pork prepared on the premises (none of your prepacked frozen reheat versions) and a daily slow-cooked Chinese soup (very good for the balance of ying and yang in one's constitution). The Express menu starts at £5.20 for a straightforward main (eg. sweet & sour pork with rice). Unlike other lunchtime offers, which can be a little restrictive in terms of choice, a wide range of noodle and rice dishes is available here. The best thing about about the place is that it is open all day, and you can choose whether to enjoy a relaxed meal or just to drop in for a quick, inexpensive bite in the attractive contemporary Chinese surroundings. Teresa Leong, 02/10/05
Fill in the boxes and then click "Send Review" to submit your review for Café Opium. |
