Opera Tavern expands Salt Yard empire

The team behind Salt Yard and Dehesa will open their third London restaurant in January 2011.

Opera Tavern will take over two storeys of an 1870s pub at 23 Catherine Street in Covent Garden.

The ground floor promises a lively bar, aimed largely at the area’s pre- and post-theatre crowd, serving glasses of fizz along with charcuterie and cheese platters, including legs of jamón ibérico.

Upstairs, the dining room offers an airy space for daytime business lunches, with a more atmospheric candlelit evening feel to bring in theatre goers looking for a more substantial meal.

As with its sister restaurants, the menu at Opera Tavern will be based around Spanish and Italian-inspired tapas. However, in keeping with its pub setting, the venue will also serve a wider range of specials, including Dorset crab with saffron alioli and native oysters with chorizo oil.

A team of “mini-sommelier” waiters will be trained to guide guests through a list of Italian and Spanish wines, which will focus on indigenous varieties from smaller producers and a strong Sherry range.

Gabriel Savage, 17.08.2010