- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Opera Bistro Cafe
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
60 Prince William StreetSaint John, NB E2L 2B1
(506) 642-2822
2 reviews for Opera Bistro Cafe
2 reviews in English
-
Review from Mike L.
St John, NB
1/2/2011
This is truly a GEM in the Saint John dining scene! It's really nice to find something different than "road-house" (uptown is pretty good about that in general). Margaret & Axel (the owners) are from Germany and bring a number of things very successfully to the fore.
- European flare (without being at all condescending)
- Energy to spare (they're very active in the uptown & Saint John dining scene)
- Personality plus.... Margaret often mingles, chatting with customers
- Flexibility
- DARN good food!
Spent an anniversary with them and they set us up a table outside in the back courtyard with a flowing white tablecloth and flowers that I'd brought in ahead of time. Treated us like gold!
I'm not sure if you'll find a place in Saint John where your dining dollars will be better spent. -
Review from christian C.
9/27/2011
This place reminded me of a remake of Baghdad Cafe. Odd place. The space on a ground floor level feels like a coffee shop combined with a fancy college dining hall. There were only 6 people in the place at 8 on Friday night, and as a result, it felt odd trying to have a conversation because it was so quite in the restaurant; you felt like you were talking to the other 6 people.
We were greeted by a very enthusiastic and efficient greeter. She was limited in her knowledge of items on the menu and in tasks she could do. She would frequently have to consult with the owner, Margaret, who had an interesting personality and a rather casual outfit as the owner and general server.
Began with the scallops dim sum, which in addition to scallops also included two dumplings and four items that were like gnocchi. They were interesting, though a bit too doughy.
One entree was the Atlantic salmon special, which also came with scallops, and pureed sweet potatoes. It was a large meal, and well prepared. I wanted to get the lobster and chorizo linguine, but the special of lamb three ways also sounded good. Margaret told me to get the lamb. The three pieces, a mergez sausage, chop and braised shoulder, were all distinctly different, with interesting and deep flavor. It came with ratatouille and some heirloom potatoes. It was a substantial meal!
When the young woman asked us if we waned anything else after she cleared our entrees, I asked what was on the cheese plate, which she confused for requesting cheesecake. She clearly thought ordering the cheese plate was odd and needed to get Margaret to explain what was on it. It included 3 local New Brunswick cheeses, a tomme that was too old, a goat that was pleasantly tangy and was almost as soft as cream cheese and an excellent blue from La Bergene aux 4 Vents. The breads, a cracked wheat disk, was way too strong and overpowering for the cheeses. The little dish of honey was excellent.
The final price was probably around $130 with tip and wine.
