pice Safar is no more. The former cosmopolitan coffee and sweets shop bit the dust. In its place sits a stylish Italian bistro named Basi. The interior looks nice enough with its tall banquettes and azure colour motif, but what immediately catches the eye is the large 30 seat patio.

Once you've taken your seat and opened the menu, you'll see that this is a fairly traditional Italian place. There's no lack of Italian options in Montreal but oddly enough it never seems unwelcome. Maybe it's because, even if you didn't grow up in an Italian household, it just seems comforting. The last time you had a bad day, didn't you just want to curl up with a big bowl of spaghetti? No? Just me then?

The benefit of Basi over the thousands of restaurants like it is the prices. Barely anything on the menu tops $30, which is good if you don't feel like breaking the bank every time you want to have a nice Italian meal. Save that for other European cuisine (this is Montreal, so French immediately comes to mind). The menu will look familiar to just about anyone who's been to this type of place – standard items such as salads, pastas, and meats such as veal and prosciutto occupy most of the chef's attention. If you're looking for something good, if not extremely adventurous, opt for the risotto, a standard dish done right.

All in all, you probably won't be disappointed, but you probably also won't be super-impressed. But you'll be placated. That's all you can really ask for. Everything else is just gravy. Or, I should say, tomato sauce.