Opus Grill
In the aftermath of an accusatory email that made its way around town highlighting the rogue business practices sent by an ex-chef, many wondered how long Dakota Prime would last. As a result of the unwelcome press and the constant rotation of kitchen and floor staff, Dakota Prime was headed for seriously murky waters, with a broken sail and a mutinous crew.
But that was the fall, and this is the rise. To be fair, we’ve always liked Dakota Prime. The food wasn’t fussy, it had a series of talented chefs, and the meat was cooked just as it should. Their wine list was full of impressive vintages and their ingredients carried pedigrees from notable farms. We received the news of their renaming to Opus Grill with welcome relief.
Now, if Dakota Prime was the anti-steak house, then Opus Grill is the anti-anti-steakhouse, which is to say, it is a traditional meat and starch kind of place. Gone are the nouveau items, instead a classic steakhouse menu remains.
From Bryan Flannery’s California Private Reserve, we chose the hormone-free short ribs ($320 for 12 oz). However, short ribs cooked on a grill are a waste of time. They came out overly chewy. Short ribs, in our opinion, need to be braised to achieve fork-tenderness and praise.
The flat iron is traditionally one of the cheaper cuts. Here, David Blackmore’s Grade 9 flat iron had enough fat marbling to make this one worth comparing with other prestigious cuts. This should be ordered without a second thought. But beware that at $410 for 10oz it doesn’t come cheap. We ordered ours medium rare, but one cut down its centre told us this steak was black and blue: blackened on the crust, with a pulsating fleshy centre. Every chew had so much flavour, and was worth $41 a bite.
The grilled sweet corn stew ($40) was a sauté of fresh-cut corn and red peppers with lots of butter ($40). If only our server didn’t make such a big deal about how the sweet corn was cut fresh, we wouldn’t have made a big deal of telling you how not very sweet it was. The spinach and ricotta with béchamel sauce ($80) is a winner. Do order this.
And finally on to the dénouement: the pudding. It is difficult to find fault with a warm chocolate cake ($100) with a hot fudge centre, and we found none forthcoming. The whole thing was polished despite repeated moans of how we were full to bursting.
You’ll notice right away that they have done very little to the décor apart from a new wall treatment. Everything else was leftover from the old venue, which we think might hurt them as there is very little distinction from their former self. But maybe that is the point. You can reinvent yourself, but the past is never truly lost. All the good parts of the former Dakota are all here: the good wines, the premiere steaks, and the gaggle of well-wishers as you enter and leave. And like its wines and steaks, this place just gets better with age.
Angie Wong
7/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham St, Central, 2526 2366. Daily noon-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm. Meal for two: $1,500.
10 Comments Add your comment
The steaks, wine selection and decor is almost flawless. Just one thing though, it's all a tad over-priced when compared to other top-notch steak houses in town, including the established internatonal names. You may want to re-think some of the prices on the menu. It may be worth the money for some items but you don't want to give the impression that you're out to rip your customers off. All five in our dining party agrees on this.
Reading restaurant reviews at Time Out is like no other. This review gives me background and real expereinces, unlike other websites that seem to just print press releases. I want to this place after reading about it here and the writer was spot on. I didn't like the decor one bit and thought if Dakota Prime wanted to change themselves, they should have put more effort into changing their identity. Even the credit card slip says Dakota Prime on it. So they need to work on some things.
I like steak...steak steak steak (HK has lots of steakhouses but like the above comments, seem to be more about decor than meat)...and the odd splash of wine. I came here on the recommendation of a friend of mine and wasn't disappointed. Highlight was the beef from Flannery--I had the NY strip, cooked to a crispy medium, and it was bovine perfection. The maitre d, Rana is a familiar face -- used to be at Harlan's, always liked him -- and the wine list seemed to be pretty good value to me, especially for Bordeaux and Italians. Relaxing place with pros in charge, worth trying for a special occasion.
Good hassle-free hangout for steak fans. This is the only place I've found in HK that has Blackmore's Wagyu, sublime, suggest trying the Flat Iron. Beef tartare was also best-of-breed. Ambience was chilled and they have some interesting artwork on display, a good "indie" style place that is hard to find in HK's increasingly commoditized dining scene.
Had a great lunch here last week. Loved the brutus salad (innovative combo of white anchovies and burrata) and chicken tartine. Tried a bite of my buddy's Blackmore Flat Iron; great tenderness and lingering flavor, not too rich and heavy. Looking forward to trying dinner there; the wine list is impressive and not overly expensive.
The Flannery steaks are great -- I don't know how they can sell them for the prices they do, pretty similar to the price you would pay for a frozen one that you order online, not even including shipping! I have always been a big fan of Flannery, on par with the beloved Lobel's, and happy to see that it has made its way to HK!
A must try place for serious steak eaters, with a singular focus on quality of the meat & other ingredients. Still working on some service issues, but a great bartender and steaks done just right. Highly recommended.
The steaks here have to rate as some of the best in HK. Cooked to perfection with the taste that you expect from quality cuts of meat. The wine list is one of the most comprehensive that I have seen in HK with prices that aren't too crazy. Service was great as well. Overall, thoroughly recommended.
Stay far away from this restaurant, we spent NYE there, and it was a disaster. we were the biggest table there, 14 people, spent 30,000HKD , and one meat of the steak was bad, another was asked to be cooked rare and was cooked well done. Plus the manager is very rude and aggressive, first we asked to add a chair as a friend was joining for a drink and he tried to make us pay 500HKD just to add a chair. then my friend got a bill for 7,000HKD on his credit card, and he asked to see the breakdown. the manager (which i suspect was a bit drunk as he said he was taking whisky shots) told him no he wasnt allowed to see the breakdown then he and my friend started pushing each other. getting very physical i then proceeded to tell the manager that if he continues behaving like this with clients, he will have the place close down within a few months. he then told me to "F%CK OFF"...and threatened me by saying- watch out i have lived here many years. VERY VERY SCARY! PLEASE STAY AWAY!
A good American style steakhouse that pays attention to detail. A little hard to find on the 7th floor of LKF Hotel. The service is a bit formal, but the steak is very rich and flavorful and good "comfort food" sides. Recommended.
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