© Raphaël Ferber / RTL Infos
Renowned chef Philippe Mille and a new management team have revived the Opéra restaurant in Rollingergrund, shifting its focus from fine dining to a relaxed brasserie atmosphere.
After closing its doors at the end of 2023, the Opéra restaurant in Rollingergrund, Luxembourg City, will reopen on Wednesday, 30 October 2024, marking yet another chapter in the history of this iconic location.
Formerly known as the Théâtre de l'Opéra, the establishment was renamed "L'Opéra" in 2019 when Étienne-Jean Labarrère-Claverie (formerly at Cibo's in Bettembourg) and Mathieu Morvan (currently chef at the restaurant "l'Hêtre Beim Musée" in Luxembourg City) took over. Following its closure in December 2023, the restaurant will now shift its culinary focus from fine dining to a brasserie-style menu, reminiscent of its earlier offerings.
The new management team consists of partners from the property sector: Bruno Dogné, Ana Paula Reis Dos Santos, and Marc Laroche. The menu has been crafted by Philippe Mille, a two-star chef who previously spent 14 years at Domaine des Crayères in Reims and recently opened his own restaurant, Arbanne, in Reims. The latter is closed three days a week, which will allow Mille to frequently travel between the two cities to ensure the restaurant runs smoothly. He has prior experience in the Grand Duchy, having served as a consultant during the 2018 opening of Les Jardins d'Anaïs, a gourmet restaurant in Clausen that quickly earned a Michelin star under chef Christophe Quentin.
The daily operations at L'Opéra will be overseen by head chef Jean-Marc Hazée, 56, who has three decades of culinary experience in Belgian kitchens, including L'Eau Rouge in Francorchamps, Domaine des Hautes Fagnes in Waimes, and Château Peltzer in Verviers, as well as in Luxembourg, where he opened the Beaux-Arts restaurant in Bofferdange. L'Opéra can accommodate 90 guests across three indoor levels and an additional 60 on the terrace, weather permitting. "We’ll be able to make each floor private," Dogné noted.
The menu offers a variety of options, featuring six starters, four fish dishes, four main courses, four meat options, two vol-au-vent dishes, five desserts, and a cheese platter. Highlights include a doe tenderloin with elderberry sauce and spaetzles (€35), sole goujonette with tartar sauce and chips (€31), and a generous 300-gramme entrecôte with chips (€37). A two- or three-course lunch menu will also be available for €28 or €36, respectively.
A few minutes before the restaurant opened on Wednesday, chef Philippe Mille appeared relaxed. "We're very happy, but we're going to take things slowly, opening rooms gradually," he told our colleagues from RTL Infos, confirming the return to traditional culinary roots. "We aim to create relaxed, gourmet cuisine featuring generous dishes, products that can be enjoyed with your hands, and a focus on Luxembourgish ingredients," Mille added.
The restaurant's decor has undergone significant changes, now featuring black and taupe tones, new furniture, and paintings by Luxembourg artist Frank Jons, along with renovated parquet flooring. The building was also brought up to modern standards, particularly concerning electrical systems, sanitary facilities, drainage, and windows. These renovations totaled approximately €250,000, while the purchase price of the establishment by the three partners remains confidential.
