Opah Restaurant & Bar

as the previous reviewer so well-described, opah exudes a trendy-zen ambience w/its glass interior, sea green/blue hues, and sleek dark wood tables. it’s quite an impressive display when you first walk in.

as for the food, the dishes are beautifully presented and taste as good as they look. i was happy eating here, and the only drawback (or aspect that might keep me from returning here is the price – it’s expensive!!!)

service was terrible and the ambiance is loud, but if you don’t mind breaking the ole piggy bank a little, eating here for the food is worth considering.

Although it’s nestled between BJ’s and IHOP, Opah does a great job of making you feel like you’re no where near either. The decor is very modern and trendy. Outside, there’s very cool (well, hot) fireplace seating that I must try someday.

The prices are a little high, but it looks like it has cheaper sandwiches and lunch items (like the Kobe burger).

The service was a little spotty. It seemed hard to find our waiter sometimes and he forgot one of our orders (but did bring it out very quickly after we notified him). We came for a birthday and they were able to store our cake, bring it out for singing/candle-blowing, then serve the slices for us. While that was nice, he did forget we brought the cake at first and tried to sell us on dessert.

If I want a nice meal in Irvine, I’ll probably come back here, but I’ll probably get a sandwich next time.

Two things to know before going to Opah:

1) Opah (aka. moonfish, sunfish, kingfish, Jerusalem haddock): a fish usually caught in hawaii. Order “SEA” on the menu (eg. fishes like opah, sea bass) not “LAND” (lamb, prime rib).

2) Have a well-stocked wallet or a credit card ready

First impression: “Zen meets NYC” interior (glass tables, little zen stone on each napkins, open firepit), a well-stocked bar, a lot of hip young white folks in a city of asians. LOVE their warm toasty bread! Each loaf comes hot & fresh in an individually packed sandwich bag!

Second impression: snobby hostess

Third impression: Great presentation of all dishes.

I had special for the night — a rack of lamb resting on mashed potatoes. Perhaps my expectation far surpassed the reality. I wasn’t too impressed with the “special.” First, the waiter didn’t even ask if I wanted a well done/medium/rare meat. I had a pool of blood in the middle of the rack… and I usually order a well done. Second, it was a bit difficult to cut the lamb since the meat was so stiff. I had to fight to get the meat off the fork.

I had taste of my cousins’ sea bass and opah. They were excellent. I especially liked their sea bass (melts in your mouth) and “bang bang shrimp”~ Mmmm!

I would definitely go back for an after work cocktail. After all, a little snobbishness is harmless in OC. Right?