Foods from Savoy Brasserie
Comments
2015 Sep 15
Headed down to the Savoy Brasserie for a nice lunch date with W.C. and left full and satisfied!
I had the cheese plate which was so nice. It came with so many flavour accents including: sliced apple, raspberries, fresh fig, blueberries, fig jam (my fav), toasted spiced almonds, micro-greens, and delightfully spiced tomato chutney. The cheese included 2 varieties in good sized portion of a lovely ash goat cheese and an applewood smoked cheddar alongside house-made baguette crisps. I would have loved to have three varieties in smaller portions since I'm not a big cheddar fan - I mean I <3 all cheese but cheddar is at the bottom of my list so was a little bummed to have 5-6 big slices of the applewood on my plate. It went very well with the fresh fig and apple slices.
We also shared the flank steak salad - which was epic. It was served on a bed of arugula with baby tomatoes, fingerling potato wedges, a mountain of blue cheese crumble (There was more cheese on the salad than on the cheese plate!!!), and of course perfectly cooked mouth-watering flank steak. This salad in itself merits a visit. The dressing was a mustard vinaigrette that was nicely balanced and really brought all those delightful flavours together. The final tasty touch had to be the pickled onion crown that garnished the top of the salad in a pretty purple pile.
Service was attentive and thoughtful; my only negative from the visit was that the wine list was outdated so the Chardonnay I wanted was no longer available so we opted for a pinot grigio instead that was fine but not as good as my original choice.
All in all I highly recommend and they apparently have a happy hour deal to die for with 1$ seafood and other specials.
I had the cheese plate which was so nice. It came with so many flavour accents including: sliced apple, raspberries, fresh fig, blueberries, fig jam (my fav), toasted spiced almonds, micro-greens, and delightfully spiced tomato chutney. The cheese included 2 varieties in good sized portion of a lovely ash goat cheese and an applewood smoked cheddar alongside house-made baguette crisps. I would have loved to have three varieties in smaller portions since I'm not a big cheddar fan - I mean I <3 all cheese but cheddar is at the bottom of my list so was a little bummed to have 5-6 big slices of the applewood on my plate. It went very well with the fresh fig and apple slices.
We also shared the flank steak salad - which was epic. It was served on a bed of arugula with baby tomatoes, fingerling potato wedges, a mountain of blue cheese crumble (There was more cheese on the salad than on the cheese plate!!!), and of course perfectly cooked mouth-watering flank steak. This salad in itself merits a visit. The dressing was a mustard vinaigrette that was nicely balanced and really brought all those delightful flavours together. The final tasty touch had to be the pickled onion crown that garnished the top of the salad in a pretty purple pile.
Service was attentive and thoughtful; my only negative from the visit was that the wine list was outdated so the Chardonnay I wanted was no longer available so we opted for a pinot grigio instead that was fine but not as good as my original choice.
All in all I highly recommend and they apparently have a happy hour deal to die for with 1$ seafood and other specials.
2014 Sep 5
After three visits (and at least as many to other establishments on the block), this has become one of my go-to places for a decent meal in the area. As noted by BigGreenAwesome last year, it suits all sorts of occasions and groups (with the kids, grandparents/in-laws, dates). The menu is varied and tasty, the tables offer some privacy in the sense they're not crammed together (like so many these days, including across the street), they can throw the bifold windows open to good effect on a nice day making up for the lack of a patio and the service is friendly.
Our last meal was a family one, for brunch, and it was great. Perfect asparagus milanese for myself, with still crisp asparagus. For $15,the dish wasn't cheap but it was on par with brunch prices elsewhere in town. Other dishes at the table were the breakfast burger, mussels a la provencale and banana bread french toast, plus two caesars and a cafe au lait. Everyone enjoyed their meal and the atmosphere, which as reasonable a facsimile of a convivial French bistro as we've encountered in Ottawa, without feeling contrived. While we enjoy Art-is-in for brunch on occasion as well, this is a much more civilized option for when you don't feel like wading through a crush of people for your meal - at a comparable price point.
Our last meal was a family one, for brunch, and it was great. Perfect asparagus milanese for myself, with still crisp asparagus. For $15,the dish wasn't cheap but it was on par with brunch prices elsewhere in town. Other dishes at the table were the breakfast burger, mussels a la provencale and banana bread french toast, plus two caesars and a cafe au lait. Everyone enjoyed their meal and the atmosphere, which as reasonable a facsimile of a convivial French bistro as we've encountered in Ottawa, without feeling contrived. While we enjoy Art-is-in for brunch on occasion as well, this is a much more civilized option for when you don't feel like wading through a crush of people for your meal - at a comparable price point.
2013 Jun 10
Stopped in for dinner during Westfest.
Ordered the Veal Scallopine and the wife had the Bouillabaise. Portions were big but both meals lacked any wow factor.
Service was excellent...fast, friendly and efficient.
Probably won't be coming back for awhile since there are so many other options in Hintonburg/Westboro...and especially when there is a really great option just across the street.
Ordered the Veal Scallopine and the wife had the Bouillabaise. Portions were big but both meals lacked any wow factor.
Service was excellent...fast, friendly and efficient.
Probably won't be coming back for awhile since there are so many other options in Hintonburg/Westboro...and especially when there is a really great option just across the street.
2013 May 27
I've eaten here three times now, so this is kind of a long review. It's a beautiful room with a nice long bar and a small fortune spent on tile. It has a good comfortable neighbourhood vibe that fits Westboro. I felt equally comfortable wearing a suit jacket as a baby bjorn.
I first popped in to spoil myself for lunch when the wife and kids were away. I had half a dozen oysters which were fresh, cold, briney and nicely presented. I also had the salmon tartar, which was nice and simple; a good portion (maybe a third of a pound?) of chopped salmon with just a little pickle, accompanied by a salty olive tapenade. 5 small crostinis is kind of a joke for that much tartar. I ended up needing 12. The friendly waitress was unfamiliar with the beer menu, and they had two I didn't know (Grimbergen and a Kichessipi seasonal I hadn't tried yet) but she turned this from a weakness into a strength with free samples. This was still their opening week.
My wife and I took our two boys (one is still breastfeeding, and one is going through a phase of eating only peanut butter toast, sardines and sausages) there for breakfast on a Saturday morning. I had the Breakfast Bruschetta, which was the best (and most expensive at $16) breakfast I've had in a long time. If there is a better hollandaise sauce in town, I want to eat it. Bread, sausage, poached eggs, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, cheese, covered in a spicy hollandaise, with crispy roasted potatoes on the side. The boy had a custom plate of PB and sausages. No sardines. Food took a while coming out, but I think we walked in just after six or seven other tables.
And then my wife and I went just this past weekend for date night. We sat at the bar and were served by Marshal. Good cocktails from a guy who knows his business, and solid advice about the menu. We shared the salmon tartar which is still good, though they seem to have mixed some of the tapenade into the fish which I don't think improves it. Still only 5 crostinis, but Marshal knew to order us more, as this is presumably a problem that happens every sinlge time somebody orders the salmon. I had the bouillabaise, which was hearty, screaming hot and delicious. Three large scallops, 2 large shrimp, 2 pieces of white fish and 9 mussels for $24. I guess they can keep the price reasonable because they serve it with only one tiny piece of bread. Seriously, open up the bread vault. Two cocktails, a shared appetizer, two mains, two beers and one dessert for $100 + tip.
There aren't many restaurants that I enjoy by myself, with the family and with my wife. But this works for all three scenarios. And a big, but thoughtful menu makes it easy to go back often. Wait staff seems a bit green, but it is still early days. And I like to see young people learning a new skill. Here they make up in enthusiasm what they lack in experience. Bartenders and managers are clearly more experienced so the overall operation runs pretty smoothly. Owners seem to always be in the house, and I overheard one offering to deliver oysters to an elderly woman despite the fact that they don't do delivery. It was a charming gesture that made it easy to like this place.
I first popped in to spoil myself for lunch when the wife and kids were away. I had half a dozen oysters which were fresh, cold, briney and nicely presented. I also had the salmon tartar, which was nice and simple; a good portion (maybe a third of a pound?) of chopped salmon with just a little pickle, accompanied by a salty olive tapenade. 5 small crostinis is kind of a joke for that much tartar. I ended up needing 12. The friendly waitress was unfamiliar with the beer menu, and they had two I didn't know (Grimbergen and a Kichessipi seasonal I hadn't tried yet) but she turned this from a weakness into a strength with free samples. This was still their opening week.
My wife and I took our two boys (one is still breastfeeding, and one is going through a phase of eating only peanut butter toast, sardines and sausages) there for breakfast on a Saturday morning. I had the Breakfast Bruschetta, which was the best (and most expensive at $16) breakfast I've had in a long time. If there is a better hollandaise sauce in town, I want to eat it. Bread, sausage, poached eggs, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, cheese, covered in a spicy hollandaise, with crispy roasted potatoes on the side. The boy had a custom plate of PB and sausages. No sardines. Food took a while coming out, but I think we walked in just after six or seven other tables.
And then my wife and I went just this past weekend for date night. We sat at the bar and were served by Marshal. Good cocktails from a guy who knows his business, and solid advice about the menu. We shared the salmon tartar which is still good, though they seem to have mixed some of the tapenade into the fish which I don't think improves it. Still only 5 crostinis, but Marshal knew to order us more, as this is presumably a problem that happens every sinlge time somebody orders the salmon. I had the bouillabaise, which was hearty, screaming hot and delicious. Three large scallops, 2 large shrimp, 2 pieces of white fish and 9 mussels for $24. I guess they can keep the price reasonable because they serve it with only one tiny piece of bread. Seriously, open up the bread vault. Two cocktails, a shared appetizer, two mains, two beers and one dessert for $100 + tip.
There aren't many restaurants that I enjoy by myself, with the family and with my wife. But this works for all three scenarios. And a big, but thoughtful menu makes it easy to go back often. Wait staff seems a bit green, but it is still early days. And I like to see young people learning a new skill. Here they make up in enthusiasm what they lack in experience. Bartenders and managers are clearly more experienced so the overall operation runs pretty smoothly. Owners seem to always be in the house, and I overheard one offering to deliver oysters to an elderly woman despite the fact that they don't do delivery. It was a charming gesture that made it easy to like this place.
Rizak
We arrived a 5:30 and left at 7:30. It took 40 minutes to get our meals after ordering. Our waiter only brought a bread basket after we had been waiting for 30 minutes, and then another because we devoured the first (and I ASKED him to).
The drink order was taken and filled pretty quickly
1) Water to drink. Calamari to start. She said it was 'fine'. She didn't want to order what I had just ordered, so got the steak frites. Was underwhelmed by the size of it when it arrived. Also, it arrived 5 minutes after the others. Again, it was 'fine'. No dessert because she said she didn't want to be disappointed 3 times in one meal.
2) A lovely glass of red wine. 4 tiny oysters from the cheap appetizers menu (just under the wire). Her main was the burger which was quite nice. No dessert, but a coffee arrived immediately after ordering. It was a bit weak (not unexpected for drip coffee in a restaurant), but good.
3) Water to drink. No appetizer. Her mussels and fries arrived several minutes after the first plates. The mussels didn't seem to have been cooked long enough, so she only finished about a third of the plate. She didn't want to send it back because it would have been too late to eat by the time it arrived.
4) I had a Blanche du Chambly beer. It tasted a bit weak. I'm not saying that to be mean. This is one of my very favourite beers and it tasted a bit weak to me. I started with the potato and leek soup, and it was delicious. My risotto seemed more like a pilaf than what I had ordered. It was tasty enough, but was just on the verge of not being cooked through. It wasn't creamy at all. I left half of it untouched.
The waiter had not shown up when the kitchen staff were bringing in our meals, all at different times. Nobody asked us how it was. I had to flag down our waiter to ask for pepper, and he left it on the table in case we wanted more. When he was grinding it in the fitful candlelight, the fan directly above was throwing it all over me, and not on my plate. He did notice, but offered no apology.
When he cleared away the plates, he made no mention of the half eaten dinners, whether to box them up or to ask if there was a problem.
I had to flag him down and said, "Get us our bills so we can get out of here." No reaction aside from bringing the bills (quite quickly) and 2 payment machines. I told him I was paying cash, and he ignored me after that. He wasn't even around to see me put money in the billfold. I could have stiffed him. He took the 3 other payments and I never saw him again. He left mine on the table.
Bad food. Inattentive service. No tip. Sorry. Okay, maybe $0.35. My bit was just shy of $40.
Thumb down.