Studzio

After reading many positive reviews online, my boyfriend decided to make reservations at Studzio for our 5 year anniversary. Sadly, this is one of the few times the reviews have disappointed us. The food was, in general, quite bland and overpriced for the tiny portions. The service was just average. The only redeeming factor was the original decor and plate presentation.

This French restaurant is located on St-Denis street, right beside another popular French restaurant, L'Académie (which I don't particularly like). I was really excited to try Studzio after hearing it served French cuisine with a modern twist. If modern means bland, they have indeed accomplished their mission.

The decor is very rustic: brick walls, wooden pillars and small fireplace. I didn't see the washrooms, but my boyfriend told me the walls were covered with graffiti. Apparently, the owner wanted the place to look and feel like an apartment. It's different and I like it.

When we entered, we were greeted by a waitress in her late teens, were seated and given one set of menus. That always rub me the wrong way. We are 2 people for heaven's sake, please give us 2 menus! (I sound like a snob haha).

The menus were handwritten and presented on wood clipboards. It matched the whole "wood" theme that was going on. Great concept!

The owner eventually came to our table and explained the menu to us. (He also gave us a second set of menus! Hurray!) We both decided to take the table d'hote which included a glass of wine, an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. For 30$, it seemed like a pretty good deal.

For the wine, I opted for a glass of Pinot noir and my boyfriend, a Bordeaux. Both were excellent.

We shared a salmon tartar (16$) as an additional appetizer. The presentation was fun and creative. The tartar was served in a coconut and the "plate" is a ceramic tile. However, from a practical point of view, the ceramic tile isn't very convenient because the sauce from the salad dripped from the side as we were eating it. The tartar itself was very bland and the pieces of salmon were cut way too big. I love salmon tartar and never thought I would find a restaurant that served one that I didn't like. Studzio accomplished this.

The appetizer that I chose for the table d'hote was the velouté de tomate basilic et parmesan (Cream of tomato with basil and parmesan). It was just your average tomato soup. Nothing to complain about, but nothing extraordinary neither.

My boyfriend ordered the croustilland de chèvre frais (bread with goat cheese). He enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of goat cheese so I cannot comment.

For the main course, I ordered the saumon frais à la Corse, poelé aux aromates (Baked salmon with herbs). It was served with rice and grilled asparagus. They should have named the dish "Flavorless Salmon with tasteless overcooked rice". Of course, no one would order the dish if they did haha. I was expecting to get fresh salmon baked in a perfect blend of spices. Instead, I got a bland mess. I couldn't discern any spices in the salmon. There was a sweet lemon sauce drizzled over the salmon, but there wasn't enough of it to save this dish. (And it wasn't that great neither!) There was also some grated coconut on the dish - I don't know if it was there just as a decoration or if it was meant to be eaten with the salmon, but I ate it with the salmon and the combination was just very...strange. And don't get me started on the rice! It was mushy and was totally flavorless! One out of 4 of my asparagus has been completely carbonized. Why they didn't just remove it before serving the dish is beyond me. This dish was just a major culinary fail.

My boyfriend was tempted by the filet mignon grillé aux épices (Grilled filet mignon with spices), served with potatoes au gratin and what seems like a tomato stuffed with bread crumbs. He didn't enjoy his dish neither. He requested his filet mignon medium-rare and although it looked like it was cooked right, it was incredibly chewy and flavorless (notice the recurrent theme going on?) The filet mignon wasn't round like it usually is so he had doubt about whether or not this really was filet mignon. Or maybe it really was filet mignon but it wasn't cut properly. What a waste. The only word that we could come up to describe the taste of the tomato was "weird". Why not stuff the tomato with cheese or meat? I think they tried to be innovative, but the textures and flavors were just off. The only tasty thing on the plate were the potatoes au gratin. But who in the world can mess up potatoes topped with melted cheese?

For dessert, I chose the mousse au cacao noir (Black chocolate mousse). As you know, I love chocolate and haven't found a chocolate dessert I didn't like. While it was nothing to write home about, I enjoyed it.

My boyfriend ordered the poire au vin à l'anis étoilée (Red wine poached pear with star anise) without really knowing what it was haha. He got curious by the owner's tantalizing description of the dessert and decided to try it out. Bad idea. Not because the dish tasted bad, but because he hates star anise (I guess he didn't catch that part of the description lol). And guess who ended eating most of his dessert? :) I'm not a fan of star anise neither, but its flavor didn't overpower the dessert, except when you bite into the seeds (?) lodged in the pear.

I was quite disappointed with the food at Studzio (aka Restaurant Bland). The owner was really friendly though. He came to our table at the end of the meal and chatted with us a bit. He told us that he bought Studzio one and half years ago and is still trying to build a good reputation for his restaurant. I feel bad for being so harsh in this review, but the food really was bad. He should really fire his cook and hire someone with, you know, taste buds. My boyfriend concluded the cook must be a student or someone with no culinary training because of the poor execution of the dishes - big pieces of salmon in the tartar, amateur cut of filet mignon.

Overall, Studzio's great decor and concept was ruined by flavorless and badly executed food.

Food: 1/5

Service: 3/5

Setting: 4/5

Value: 1/5

Overall: 2/5

Location:

4147 St-Denis

Montréal, QC H2W 2M7

(514) 843-0407

5 Year Anniversary Part 1 - Spa Scandinave

There won't be a Sunday Brunch post this week because Y and I went out to celebrate our 5 year anniversary this weekend! I can't believe it has been 5 years! It feels as if it was only yesterday that we shared our first kiss, drank bubble tea on our first date and clumsily held hands hehe. So many memories...^^

After 5 years and especially after moving in together, Y and I have developped a sort of routine. While having a routine isn't necessarily bad (because let's face it, we need a bit of structure in our life), having the same old routine day in day out can kill a relationship. So we try to go on dates as often as possible, try new activities together and go on roadtrips/vacation whenever we can. One thing that we always do is celebrate our anniversary and not only every year, but every month. My friends and family make fun of me when I tell them that, but I find this is the best way to break the routine - to remind each other of our love every month. When we are too busy with school or work, which happens quite often, we just wish each other a "Happy X year Y month" and that makes the day more special and beautiful. I find it sad that some of my friends don't even celebrate their year anniversaries and can't remember how long they have been with their boyfriend. Am just weird?

Anyways, I was complaining to Y that I am always the one who makes plans for our dates and anniversaries and that he never does anything. (I like to complain haha). So he volunteered to plan our 5 year anniversary which made me ecstatic. He was incredibly secretive about it all and didn't want to tell me anything about what he had planned! I found it so cute that he wanted to surprise me and make it as special as possible. Although I knew it was some sort of spa/massage thing (because he is predictable hehe), I was still curious as to where he would bring me. The day of our anniversary (actually, it was the day after our real anniversary - Y had a special rate for Sundays), he told me to bring along my bikini and makeup kit and I knew I guessed right! What did I tell you? My baby is predictable :) In the car, he revealed where we will go/what we will do and let me tell you, he totally spoiled me!

We went to Spa Scandinave, a high end spa located in the Old Port. The place was amazing - so luxurious and clean. They provided us with sandals and a hooded bathrobe when we first arrived. They warned us about their silence rule, which I found nice because it makes for a better and more relaxing experience.

I was able to snap a few pictures before I was warned by the staff. Usually, I'm not the kind to take pictures à la Asian tourist. However, since I started this blog, I always take 147382 pictures of everything because it's like they say - a picture is worth a thousand words. So yeah, I hate feeling like a tourist...especially in my own city. And that was exactly how I felt when the receptionist warned me lol.

They gave us these waterproof bracelets at the reception to open our lockers. You just touch the surface of the bracelet on the lock and it opens! How cool is that? Am I technologically retarded because I find this so incredibly awesome? lol.

The washrooms were sooo clean! Oh God. I actually took pictures of the washrooms. Gahhh! I AM a tourist!

The most equipped changing area ever. They had everything and I mean everything you might need - hair dryers, hair straighteners, hairspray, body milk, spray deodorant, face moisturizer, bobby pins, hair ties, tampons, cottons pads and the list goes on.

My boyfriend booked a one hour Swedish massage for me. The massage therapist was very professional and the massage was so soothing. I felt completely dazed after the massage - this is what taking drugs must feel like hehe.

After the massage, I joined Y in the bath areas. We followed the suggested cold-hot-relax cycles for the next 2-3 hours. First, you start with the body heating phase: you spend 10-15 minutes either at the eucalyptus steam, Finnish sauna or hot bath. Then, you proceed to cold phase, where you rinse yourself in cool water in the Nordic shower or taking a plunge in a ice cold bath. Yikes! Then comes my favorite part...sleeping! umm...I mean relaxing. You go to the relaxation area and well...relax. :)

I liked the hot bath with the waterfall. The water temperature was just perfect - like taking a hot bath at home. The sound of the waterfall was also incredibly soothing.

Finnish sauna. 90 degrees C according to the sign on the door! Eek! I enjoyed it though.

My favorite place was the zero stress room. Bean bags were scattered all over the floor and they played soothing music. Y and I cuddled on a big bean bag and fell asleep. It was very romantic. :)

Another lounge/relaxation area with more bean bags and plush sofas. There was also a juice bar that served water and tea free of charge. (Smoothies and snacks were available at an additional cost). I'm a big tea drinker and I really liked the tea that they served. It was called Dragon Pearls and came from Camellia Sinensis Tea House, a very nice tea house located in the Quartier Latin. I'll do a review when I return there.

Overall, the experience was amazing! We both left feeling incredibly relaxed, invigorated and clean. If it wasn't for the exorbitant prices (so you can get an idea of the prices: 54$ for access to scandinavian baths, 128$ for one-hour Swedish massage..eek!), I'll return every weekend for sure.

71, de la Commune West

Montreal, QC H2Y 2C6

514-288-2009

Reservations recommended for weekends

Website

Part 2 of my 5 year anniversary will be posted soon!

Mojitos, tapas and good times @ Pica Pica

Last Wednesday, two of my good friends and I decided to meet up and have a nice supper to catch up. Of course, I never go to any restaurant anymore without some form of a group discount in hand. This time, it was Groupon that offered a 50% discount at Pica Pica, a spanish restaurant in the Gay Village. I was curious about their famous mojitos and my friends has never had spanish food before so Pica Pica seems like the right choice, especially with a great discount like that! (My friend J immediately thought of Pikachu when he first heard the name of the restaurant haha)

I've always loved the Gay Village. I love its liveliness and eccentricity. I love the buildings with the rustic exterior but modern and hip interior. I love the restaurants (although they are slightly overpriced). What I love the most is when I'm there, I am reminded how lucky I am to live a city that's so open-minded and liberal. Thank God I don't live in those southern conservative US states. I can't believe they haven't legalize gay marriage yet. God, they still live in the 1800s. Anyways, rant over.

Oh and I apologize for the grainy pictures. I decided against using the flash because I didn't want to bother the other diners with small bursts of light every other minute. The lighting was pretty dim in the restaurant, so that wasn't the brightest idea (no pun intended). Next time, I'll just be inconsiderate and use the flash :)

Ok, back to Pica Pica. The decor was nice. The walls were painted red and the seats/benches were black - very spanish-y. The service was impeccable. Our waiter was friendly and efficient. When we told him it was our first time here, he proceeded to describe the menu and recommended some dishes that were bestsellers. He brought warm, freshly baked bread after we ordered.

The waiter highly recommended the cucumber mojito, which I ended up ordering. Yummm - It was freshness in a glass. I usually hate fresh mint (nothing against mint chocolate though hehe), but this was really good. It reminded me of the vietnamese cabbage salad goi. The waiter explained that their mojitos are renowned because they don't use artificial flavors and always use fresh fruit/cucumber.

J ordered a mango mojito (which was equally tasty and fresh. I love fruity drinks!) and M had a raspberry daiquiri. All 3 drinks were 8.25$ each.

We started with Las ensaladas. The first was the Pica Pica - beet salad with goat cheese served on a nest of baby spinach with balsamic vinaigrette (12$). We reckoned that since this dish was named after the restaurant, it must be good. While it was not extraordinary, it wasn't disappointing. I've only tried beets once before and didn't like it then. But I enjoyed these marinated beets. The goat cheese was served on bread and was excellent. We had a good laugh when I told my friends that the taste of yellow herbs reminded me of my childhood and M remarked that they taste exactly like grass. Yeah, I guess I ate a lot of grass when I was a kid. :) (M knows this because she ate a lot of grass in her day too haha).

The second salad was Mango y chichazon de cerdo - mango julienne, crispy pork, peanuts, coriander and lime juice (9$). It was too spicy for my taste. My fellow diners agreed. My mom makes a kickass mango salad and this really pales in comparison.

Dattes californiennes - Stuffed dates with garlic, wrapped with bacon and served with teriyaki sauce (7$) I hate dates. But not these dates! Wrap anything in bacon and it's good. And dip that bacon-wrapped anything in a sweet sauce and it's amazing! That's a culinary rule. This was without doubt the best tapas dish of the evening! The sweet flavors of the dates and the sauce worked well with the saltiness of the bacon.

Pernil el caribe - roasted pork shoulder, Caribbean style, served on crispy wonton sheets (9$). Tasted good, but wasn't very special.

Relleno de mar - seafood au gratin served on a shell (14$). The most disappointing dish of the evening (and most expensive too!) The scallops and shrimps were microscopic and were swimming in a very rich cream sauce. It tasted like the coquille st-jacques (without the mashed potatoes) that you can get at buffet lines...but worse. Enough said.

Tapas de esparragos - asparagus au gratin with parmigiano reggiano (9$). Although the asparagus were slightly overcooked, this dish redeemed itselft with the sauce which was simply delicious. Overall, a tasty and unique dish.

The waiter wanted to leave the 2 best dishes for last. One of them was the Condornices caramelisados - Marinated and caramelized quail Royal (9$). While M was agonizing over eating such a small bird and promising herself this will be the last time she will eat a quail, I devoured it without having a second thought haha. It was delicious and perfectly marinated.

Gambas Bravas - shrimps with sofrito sauce (10$). "The best shrimps in the world" according to the waiter. The shrimps were breaded and fried and then coated by what seems like a mayo-chili sauce. They're not really the best shrimps in the world, but still damn good.

Although at this point, we were all ready to burst, M decided to give in to the temptation of a orange-flavored Creme brulee (around 6$) of which I had 1 2 3 4 spoonfuls. It was really the perfect ending to a delightful meal.

I had a great evening at Pica Pica; you can't go wrong with tasty tapas, fresh mojitos and great company. :) I will definitely be back again soon for another dose of bacon-dates deliciousness.

Food: 4.2/5

Service: 4.8/5

Setting: 4.5/5

Value: 4/5

Overall: 4.3/5

Location:

1310, Boulevard Maisonneuve Est

Montréal, QC H2L 2A5

(514) 658-2884

Menu

Valentine's Day @ Grill City Steakhouse

A few weeks ago, there was a great deal on Tuango for Grill City Steakhouse (25$ for 50$ of food!). After looking it up on restomontreal and reading all the rave reviews, I decided to buy 2 coupons and bring my boyfriend there for a romantic Valentine's day supper. Armed with coupons worth 100$ of food, we were prepared to pig out shamelessly.

I had very high expectations for this restaurant and it still managed to surpass them immensely. The food was impeccable; it looked and tasted amazing!

We had made online reservations because well, it was Valentine's Day. The restaurant recommends diners to make reservations on fridays, saturdays and sundays. When we went inside, we could see why; the restaurant was tiny by steakhouse standards. However, the romantic ambiance was ideal for a Valentine's Day supper. The decor was very nice; it had a modern and chic feel to it. The restaurant has a parking area which is always a plus.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted and seated promptly. The menu was explained and after we ordered, the waiter brought a basket of fresh bread and butter. The bread was really good; it was warm and crunchy without being hard. I always judge a restaurant by the bread it serves. When they bring out cold or stale bread, your dining experience starts on a sour note and no matter how good the following dishes are, your meal is basically ruined. Yes, I take my (free) bread seriously. As it turns out in this case, the bread was only the tip of the iceberg.

All the main dishes are served with the soup of the day. On that particular day, it was a cream of chicken and lemon. It was an average-tasting soup. Nothing special, but not bad neither. Sorry for the crappy picture - we were hungry and didn't take the time to take a nice picture.

For the appetizer, I took the crab cakes garnished with watercress and served with a mustard-cream sauce (10$). This is my first time trying out crab cakes! They were fantastic! Loved them! I have been wanting to try crab cakes for a while (I think it was after seeing them on an episode of Top Chef) and these did not disappoint at all. Will definitely order them more often in restaurants. Somehow, they are pretty hard to come by in Montreal. I haven't seen them often in menus.

My boyfriend ordered the seared scallops with roasted bell pepper sauce (10$). The scallops were cooked perfectly and the sauce was heavenly. If I was by myself, I would literally lick the sauce off the plate. But I didn't. Because I wasn't alone. haha. The sauce didn't really taste like roasted peppers, more like tomatoes with...something. I guess that something is roasted peppers! :)

For the main course, I took the filet mignon (8oz) served with Yukon puree, vegetables and peppercorn sauce (30$). Let me tell you, the star of this dish is not the filet mignon, but the Yukon puree! It was creamy, smooth and delighted my taste buds! It might sound weird since these are mashed potatoes we are talking about, but I literally had feelings of euphoria when I ate this. lol. On another note, the filet mignon, although less tantalizing, was nonetheless delicious. I read on restomontreal that they tend to overcook the meat so instead of ordering the meat cooked medium like I normally do, I asked for medium-rare and they came out perfect. I wasn't crazy about the sauce though. I just didn't like the taste and would prefer it to be thicker.

My boyfriend scanned the menu for the dish that had the biggest piece of meat and chose the rib steak (16oz) with mushrooms and fries (29$) with a side of cognac peppercorn sauce (3$ additional). His first choice was the rosbif, but it was only served on the weekends. So there you go: manly meal = big piece of huge slab fatty meat + mountain of fries. He enjoyed his meal, although he preferred my filet mignon. He didn't care for the peppercorn sauce neither.

For dessert, I ordered the chocolate souffle with seasonal fruits and vanilla ice cream (6$). I'm a chocolate addict so obviously, I loved this. The one flaw was that by the time it was served to me, it isn't really a souffle anymore. It kind of ...deflated. No matter, it didn't affect the taste, so I'm not gonna complain.

My boyfriend chose the creme brulee with seasonal fruits (6$). Whenever I eat a creme brulee, I think of the movie Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amélie Poulain when she mentions that she loves cracking the surface of a creme brulee with the back of a spoon. It is actually my favorite thing to do when I eat a creme brulee. Unfortunately, it was the only thing I enjoyed doing to this one. The taste of alcohol was too strong and overpowering. I could barely taste the vanilla and caramel.

One huge downside to our dining experience was the service (or rather, lack thereof). We came in at 6:30PM and left at 9:30PM! And it's not like we are slow eaters. There were only 2 waiters for the whole restaurant and one of them worked mostly at the bar. The service was fairly quick at the beginning of the meal, but when the crowd came in around 7-7:30PM, it went downhill. It took forever for them to bring our dishes and took forever to take them away once we are done. When came the time to order our desserts, we literally had to wave for the servers to notice us because saying a simple "Excuse me?" was not enough. At the end of our meal, our server came to apologize for the bad service and explained that they were one server short and well...in a nutshell, that their service is usually not this crappy. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.


Even though the evening's service left to be desired, I will definitely go back to Grill City Steakhouse. The food was delicious and the quality of the food outstanding. Considering what you get, the prices are extremely fair. It is undeniably the best steakhouse I've been to so far. I just hope the servers will redeem themselves next time!

Food: 4.8/5

Service: 2/5

Setting: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Overall: 4.3/5

Location:

500, boul. Henri-Bourassa E.

Montreal, Qc H3L 1C6

(514) 387-2828

Menu

Beautiful flowers that Y bought for me. He usually buys me lilies because they are my favorite, but this is a nice change! And I bought him the little monkey because it reminded me of him. hehe. Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day!

Lyla aka Vietnamese Grill Heaven

Lyla is my family's go-to restaurant when we are craving pho or grilled meat. Located on Jean-Talon, near Park metro, you can find plenty of parking spaces in front of the restaurant (although you need to pay for the parking meter) or in the small side streets. Its modern decor and cleanliness sets it apart from most vietnamese pho restaurants. At Lyla, you don't need to wipe your chopsticks and spoon before using them. :)

We tried out the restaurant when it first opened 8 years ago, it received the nod of approval from my mother (who is very picky about vietnamese food) and we have been going there ever since. The pho is quite tasty, but as the years went by, the portion has been getting smaller and smaller. A large bowl doesn't quite fill me up anymore. How do I satisfy my huge appetite? Two words: Grilled meat! Whether you choose chicken, beef or pork, they are seasoned and grilled to perfection and served with nuoc mam (vietnamese fish sauce), fresh salad and your choice of vermicelli or rice.

Since we haven't been to Lyla for a while, my dad, sister, boyfriend and I decided to go to the there for supper last Thursday. My mom has to work and couldn't join us unfortunately. :(

My dad, boyfriend and I all ordered the bun thit nuong cha gio (vermicelli with grilled pork and spring roll). It was delicious! The spring roll was crispy and flavorful.

My sister took a combo (as she always does, the pig! lol). It came with a small bowl of pho (not pictured) and a plate of grilled chicken with rice and a spring roll. I tasted this dish in the past and let me tell you, it is de-lec-table!

My father and boyfriend each ordered a ca phe sua da (vietnamese iced coffee). It is coffee brewed with a small metal drip filter, then mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice. This one was sweeter than what I'm used to, but since I LOVE sweet drinks/desserts, I didn't mind it at all.

I kept the best for last. Every time I go to Lyla, I HAVE to order this drink: sinh to sau rieng (durian smoothie). I don't care what people say, I think durians smell (and taste) delicious! If you have never tried durian, you are missing out on A LOT! Lyla uses real durian in their smoothies. I know because the whole restaurant smells when they make my smoothie! haha. If you find the smell of durian off-putting, the smoothies also come in other exotic flavors: jack fruit, sour sop and other I can't remember.

Lyla offers an array of flavorful and authentic vietnamese dishes and it will remain a staple among my family for many years to come. I know I will always come back for the durian smoothie! :)

Food: 4.5/5

Service: 3.5/5

Setting: 4.5/5

Value: 4/5

Overall: 4.2/5

Location:

405 Jean-Talon W.

Montreal, Qc H3N 1P9

(514) 272-8332