On this Tuesday night we made our way to this scruffy neighborhood amongst the car repair shops, we found this little gem. I had heard about Chez Spencer before and was curious to see what Chef Laurent Katgely had in store for us. Chez Spencer has always been higly recommended and now I understand why.

I immediately liked the ambiance, the decor, nice and sophisticated without being pompous. It was raining and I regret not having the chance to seat on their romantic patio outside.

We sat at the bar for a drink, while Paul our bartender helped us find the perfect spot for our dinner. I appreciated his effort to satisfy our complicated request. After a few minutes, we got seated in the area with a view of the kitchen, our perfect spying place. There we can check out how the kitchen is working and how food gets transformed in a great meal!

I ordered a la carte, the BF ordered the tasting menu.

We started with the Bouillabaise soup with saffron aioli. The soup was beautiful, the texture smooth and an amazing taste. The flavors were strong and yet delicate. This is a must.

Then, the BF had the scallops with heart of palm in sauce verte. The execution was perfect, the scallops perfectly cooked. I had the sweetbreads in sherry vinegar and truffle vinaigrette. It was really good, though it seems to my palate that the sweetbreads got deglazed in a bit too much vinegar, making it a bit too acidic to my taste. The watercress mix was a nice balance to the dish, I like the truffle vinaigrette.

As a main course the BF had the wood grilled filet mignon with Morels a la creme. He asked for a rare meat and he got exactly what he asked for. I didn’t taste the dish but looking at it you could already tell the execution was again mastered.

I had the Skate cheeks with haricots vert et jaune with caper emulsion. That was also fantastic.

We finished our dinner by sharing the Chocolate pudding cake.

Chef Laurent Katgely present in his kitchen and cooking with his staff came to talk to us at the end of our dinner. I felicitated him and his staff for a fabulous dinner. Behind the appearance of this French born chef, I found a man that knew his kitchen and what he liked to serve. Not wanting to imitate anyone, he has found his voice in his food. Chez Spencer is a must in my book and a place I will go back again and again.

Summary:  The ambiance is great, the food amazing, the staff was pleasant and efficient. I enjoyed very much my meal there and will highly recommend this place to anyone. Bill for 2: $212.28 (including tip, cocktails and pairing wine)