***UPDATE 25-10-2019: SKARA IS NOW PERMANENTLY CLOSED***

Restaurant: Estiatorio Skara
Event: Turquoise Blog’s #ExperienceSkara Foodies & Bloggers Dinner
Restaurant type: Greek, Mediterranean, fancy, terrasse
Prices: $3.50-$24 mezzes, $16-$48 mains, MP dishes
Date: Sunday May 20th 2018
Table of: 7
My favorite dishes: drunken octopus + saganaki + seafood platter 

I had the pleasure of hosting my second Foodies & Bloggers Dinner at Estiatorio Skara, located in Quartier Dix30 in Brossard. After having sampled their menu a couple months back, I figured, why not bring some of my fellow foodie and blogger friends to #ExperienceSkara with me? This time around, there was myself @elisebgravel, familiar faces Tommy @lecuisinomane and Victor @randomcuisine, as well as new friends GK @spoonfulof.chic, Julie @julie_missjolie, Ryan @hungryhungryhipgrave and Top7 Master Chef Canada contestant, Marissa @mdominique !

Once everyone arrived and introductions were made, we proceeded to ordering some drinks. The majority of us shared a bottle of Malagousia Moraitis Estate from the island of Paros in Greece (private import), while others chose cocktails and Greek beers. I obviously opted for some white wine, which was delicious.

First Service: Greek Mezzes

The first service consisted of 6 Greek mezzes. However, because of the lighting, we chose to first have our food served on a different table, in order to take our photos. As always, things got a bit crazy and the next thing you knew, we were all standing on chairs circling the table, in order to get the best flat lays possible. Some of the guests who were sitting inside the restaurant, just on the other side of us, were staring quite intently at us.

First up was the Drunken octopus, which was excellent. It was very tender, expertly grilled with a nice seasoning and served with a refreshing fennel salad. The Skara salad (arugula, cherry tomatoes, grilled halloumi and balsamic glaze) was also very good. I loved the taste and especially, the slices of grilled halloumi cheese. The Greek salad was delicious and fresh as always, with a generous portion of feta cheese. I loved the Saganaki, which is definitely one of my faves! I love the combination of the kefalograviera cheese with the flambéed ouzo, which makes for a very unique and delicious taste. The cheese is crispy on the outside and warm and melting on the inside. I could eat the whole pan to myself! The Grilled octopus salad was very good, with a great grill on the octopus and vinaigrette for the salad. Lastly, the Grilled vegetables were very good too.

Second Service: The Mains

For the second service, we were yet again served on a separate table for all of our photography needs. First up was a Seafood platter with lobster tails, scallops and jumbo shrimps and everything on this platter was absolutely delicious! The lobster was amazing, very sweet and moist. The scallops were delicious, sweet and nicely grilled. And the shrimps were grilled to perfection and succulent. Of course, there was also a Meat platter with porc chops, lamb chops, Greek sausage and grilled chicken. This was another delicious platter, featuring excellent grilled Greek sausages. Again, I loved the lamb chops, which were so juicy and well seasoned. The porc chops were tender and nicely grilled and the chicken had a great marinade and delicious crispy skin. All of this was served with delicious roasted potatoes; another one of my favorites! These roasted potatoes at Skara are just soo good, I love the taste, the seasoning and the cook. We were also served a plate of Spanakopita for GK, who is a vegetarian. I didn’t get a chance to taste them this time around but I did the last time I was here and they were very good. Crispy and flaky phyllo pastry, wrapped around a mixture of feta and spinach. And, last but not least, we were served a huge 2 lb grilled seabass! I’m not the biggest fan of fish so I didn’t appreciate this dish as much as my guests, who absolutely loved it. The meat was nicely grilled and seasoned very simply with some olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Third Service: Greek Desserts!

The third and final service consisted of a selection of popular Greek desserts. My favorites were the homemade Loukoumades (think Mr. Puff) which I found better than last time, as they were not as heavy and much lighter. They had a nice crispy outside, with a soft interior; excellent when smothered in honey and nuts! The Greek yogurt with honey and sour cherries was also excellent; one of the best Greek yogurts I’ve had! It was very thick and smooth, almost like a custard and even more delicious with some honey and sour cherries to add different flavour profiles (sweet and sour). The Baklava were good too and different from what I’m used to. I found these ones very similar to the Balkan-style baklava my friend’s family makes, which is soaked in honey and so wet, versus dry Middle Eastern baklava. I also got to taste a new dessert called Bougatsa, that had a crispy phyllo pastry, with a tasty custard creamy filling.

Overall, we had an amazing time at Skara, full of delicious Greek foods and drinks. The service, the setting, the people, the food and the drinks – everything was perfect. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to making this evening special, to my guests for attending and to Skara for ensuring a perfect dinner! Part of the planning for this second dinner also included the table decor and gift bags for my attendees. Beautiful table settings were provided by Lulu in a Box, from their Dolce Vita collection, which added a colorful and elegant touch to our al fresco terrasse dinner. Gorgeous blue and white floral arrangements were provided by Elvira Floral Studio, representing the colors of the Greek flag. And, two goodies were provided for the attendees’ gift bags: 4 different kinds of cookies by KOOKEBOX (Oreo, Reese’s, Kit Kat and chocolate chip) as well as 2 turquoise macarons from With Love Cupcakes & Macarons, one with a chocolate raspberry filling and the second with a buttercream and lemon filling. Thank you all for your generous contributions!

Skara is the perfect place to enjoy a lovely traditional Greek meal and if the weather permits it, why not take advantage of their beautiful terrasse? It even has palm trees 😉 So, what are you waiting for to #ExperienceSkara ?

UP NEXT: my guest review of Tchang Kiang (Cuisine chinoise authentique à NDG)

*This restaurant post does not contain my usual restaurant review criteria of restaurants, as this is a sponsored post where I was invited to the restaurant as a guest.

*All photos and opinions are mine