Over the last three years, Grant Smillie and David Combes have transformed Hollywood’s historic studio Grandmaster Recorders into a restaurant. The rock and roll-inspired venue in Hollywood spans across around 1,400 square meters. For your information, Grant Smillie and David Combes constitute the team behind the coffee shop Strings of Life and the E.P. & L.P. restaurant. Chefs Jaci and Monty Koludrovic helped them with the process of turning the studio into this multi-level location in Hollywood.
The ground floor at the venue used to host the studio, which served as a recording area for singer Gwen Stefani’s track entitled ‘The Sweet Escape’. The floor is now home to the cocktail bar Studio 71, live music space and lounge. A disco ball on the floor came from the set of the TV series entitled ‘Dancing With The Stars’.
Downstairs, there is a corridor that features recording memorabilia, including many 8-track and vinyl nostalgia. Here, you can also find a warm and stunning dining room featuring a bar and open kitchen.
Chef Koludrovic adds a few of his Australian flavors playfully to the Californian and Italian influences on the menu. As for starters, consider Koludrovic’s insalata di pesce, a stunning combination of pickled persimmons, Baja tuna, caviar, sourdough croutons, and radish. A variety of the chili sauce you can buy from S.O.L. highlights the in-house burrata with burnt honey and truffle.
Margra ragu, anchovy and capers accompany the restaurant’s sourdough cavatelli. The restaurant also offers a comforting stew of fish, Maine lobster, vegetables and mussels along with lobster grits. Master sommelier Devon D’Arcangelo from Claremont has thoughtfully curated Australian, Italian, Californian and French wines. Another unique product is the fried almond pie that comes with a sourdough pie crust and parmesan cheese. For your information, the restaurant uses Marcona almonds for the pie product.
Another notable item at the restaurant is the so-called Weiss Ebene, a coffee-flavored Italian dessert. There is also a stunning rooftop bar at the restaurant where you can have a nightcap alongside panoramic Hollywood Hills views.