nekochan
In my blog posting #6, I recommended Opus Bistro as one of my favourite Italian restaurants. It is pretty much ranks on the top of my list though I haven't been there for a while (reason being I've eaten almost everything they have on the menu!). I have been informed that they now serve all-day breakfast on Sundays so that's one reason to revisit, I suppose ...

But ... on to bigger and better news ... due to the success of Opus Bistro, the owners have decided to open Opus Annexe (well, technically not an Annexe with another restaurant in between but close enough I guess). Saturday evening, after watching all that wine swirling and drinking on screen while watching Aspres Vous (part of the French Film Festival), YL turned to me after the show and asked, "What did you feel while watching the movie?" The correct answer, I learnt later, was "I feel like drinking wine!" So off we trotted to Opus Annexe ..

The ambiance at this newly opened outlet is pretty much the same as Opus Bistro, with the wooden floors and similar style dining tables and chairs (except that the chairs are in warm blood red instead of cream) but that's where the resemblance pretty much ends. The front portion is taken up by a large bar area which would allow patrons to sit and have a drink while waiting for a table, and there's an interesting rock wall thing at the back next to what could possibly be a "private" dining area when the curtains are pulled.

Foodwise - it's suppose to be French-Italian, as opposed to Italian at the Bistro. What this means for us mortals is that we get to see nicely arranged small bits of food on large plates(that must be the French part!) that take up half the table AND there's foie gras on the menu.

Anyway ..I digress ...

What did we have?
We decided on four appetizers as we weren't that hungry. We had the foie gras (this was quite good though the side mushroom was really salty), confit of duck with mashed potato (duck was dry and not enough gravy with the mash), pan-seared brie (sauce was a bit sour. Would also have been better if the brie slices were slightly chunkier) and a combination of scallops, prawns and mushroom salad (not quite sure if this was meant to be a hor or cold appetizer as the pan-seared scallops were not hot and the prawns and mushrooms were slightly cool). Perhap I'm being slight too judgemental seeing that the place had just opened and all ..perhaps once they settle down ...

Drinks - the main reason we were there for. Initially the idea was to order a bottle of red wine but after looking through the drinks menu ... I was drawn to the 'umbrella drinks' section. There's a list of champagne-based (ok, more like sparkling wine-based) cocktails and also a small list of dessert wines. Sorry, mate, but I went for the Bellini while YL had a glass of the house red. We also later had some dessert wine to go with the very sinful chocolate malt cake (which was also slightly dry).

Cost-wise, not the cheapest of places for a night out. The cost of our four appetizers, one dessert plus two glasses of red, one Bellini and two glasses of dessert wine set us back about RM260 including tax. (I forgot to check if Govt tax was included... technically a spanking new restaurant shouldn't be charging Govt tax, it's only when they have a turnover of RM300K ...)

I think the main contributing factors were the drinks (Red wine was about RM14, Bellini and other champagne-based drinks around RM18 and dessert wine ranged from RM14-18. They do sell their wines in full, half or carafe sizes too. The appetizers range in price to about the mid-thirties for the foie gras and mains average around the forties mark.

Anyway, the deal is .. if you want a more laid-back pasta moment .. go to Opus Bistro and if you want a slightly swankier let's have a civilised drink and cigar moment ..then Opus Annexe is the place.

Opus Bistro (Tel: 20924288)
Opus Annexe (Tel: 20936637)
Jalan Bangkung
Bukit Bandaraya
59100 Kuala Lumpur

Reservations are HIGHLY recommended