Studio Five Restaurant Review
Get into the Christmas spirit with Studio Five’s a la carte Christmas menu. Studio Five is a restaurant and live music venue situated in the Troubadour Theatre, a state-of-the-art theatre in Wembley, currently home to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express.
You an access the restaurant via a separate entrance or the theatre and as such there are bag checks in place. We went to Studio Five whilst a Sunday matinee was on, so we had the restaurant to ourselves for a while, before it started getting a bit busier for the late Sunday lunch crowd/ pre-show dinner crowd. We both liked the colour scheme- the blue comfy seating with wooden floors and tables, and green plants dotted around gave a relaxing atmosphere. We hadn’t seen each other for a few months and spent over two hours here as it felt comfortable. Given the time of year, of course there’s also a couple of Christmas trees with lights to make it festive.
For starters I had the duck croquettes with orange marmalade sauce (£9). I’m not normally a marmalade person but it really suited the crispy croquettes. My friend had the beetroot tarte tatin with toasted hazelnut (£7) as it was something a little different and liked how the hazelnuts complimented the beetroot.
The menu boasts seasonal and classic dishes such as burger and chips and Asian style lightly spiced fish and chips, it you can be a little classier with fillet of salmon with hollandaise sauce and beef cheek with red wine sauce. Valentina’s Risotto with leek and peas (£15) is a seasonal dish inspired by Studio Five’s general manager, Valentina whose mother used to serve it to the family on colder winter days. Whilst this sounded good I ultimately opted for the turkey with trimmings-glazed carrots, brussel sprouts, pigs in blankets, and unlimited gravy and roast potatoes. Roast potatoes are one of my favourite foods and when I saw they were unlimited I expected to take advantage of this, but the portion size of the turkey (£27.50) was good, and knowing I had dessert coming I restrained myself. The potatoes were crisp and fluffy and the gravy complimented the turkey. It was a hearty Sunday lunch that got me into the Christmas spirit.
Our main issue was that the vegetarian mushroom Wellington came with pigs in blankets. While it was advertised it would do so, when we clarified if these were suitable for vegetarians the waitress was unable to answer. Having said this my friend did enjoy the lentil and spinach filling of the Wellington and the crisp golden pastry.
Reading the menu in advance I was tossing up between the chocolate brownie fudge sundae (£9) or a deconstructed winter crumble featuring spiced apples and berries with custard (£8). On the day I was no closer to a decision so I asked the staff who recommended the sundae. Fortunately, my friend got the crumble so I was able to try both. My friend found this too sweet, so could only eat half but I am a sweet tooth. I found it a good ratio of crumble to fruit. The sundae has everything one should: ice cream, brownie pieces, nuts and chocolate sauce. I was so full after all three courses I didn’t have any dinner.
The drinks menu has also had a festive makeover. The Santa Spritz is made with Select Aperitivo, prosecco, soda, edible glitter and berry garnish while the Winter Mocktail is made with Seedlip Garden 108, mulled spice syrup, lime, orange and berry garnish. The Spicy Margarita comprises tequila, cointreau, lime and Valentina hot sauce and is served with a Tajin rim. Although these all sound great, we didn’t try any of these ones.
Instead, we opted for the drinks inspired by Starlight Express. I had Rusty’s Rail Bramble comprised of gin, blackberry liqueur, lemon juice and sugar syrup. This was my favourite of the two cocktails due to the sweetness of the blackberry and tartness of the lemon. My second was Pearl’s Southern Peach Punch which, as the name suggests has peach puree, along with whisky, lemon and iced tea. It’s great for those who like a strong, sweet cocktail. My friend really enjoyed both her mocktails. She had The Refresher, which as expected, was refreshing though she found the lemon a fraction overpowering. Her favourite was Tassita’s Twist which mixes orange juice, Fever Tree pink grapefruit and raspberries.
The site on which Studio Five Restaurant sits was previously a sound stage, film studio and music studio where music legends such as Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and James Brown have played. Honouring this musical history, there’s a curated program of talented up-and-coming musicians, singers, and artists. Upcoming acts include singer/songwriter writer Max Runham, pianist Alex, jazz musicians Sara Madaluni Trio, soulful songwriter Sam Wray, and Matt Ryan. We went on a Sunday lunch and there was no live music so we can’t comment on this but there was a stage and keyboard ready. For timings please check Studio Five’s website.
The festive menu is available from 13 November until 12th January. There’s also a set pre or post show dinner with 2 courses for £35 and 3 courses for £38.
Address: 128 Wembley Park Drive, Wembley Park, HA9 0EW
Website: https://studiofive.restaurant
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiofiverestaurant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiofivewpt/
Written by Caitlin Neal
