We were thrilled with our first Dine Around dinner, one of many to come during this eighteen day Dine Around and Stay in Town restaurant promotion.
We arrived early at the Temple , a sleek and modern subterranean restaurant at the bottom of Fort Street . We were quickly seated as the room began to fill-up (reservations are a must). When the Temple first opened several years back, some thought the room stark and uninviting. But the Temple gang were ahead of their times in Victoria and now, the smart, minimalist palate of the interior design, the plain wood-topped tables lined up along the wall, and the long bar centering the room are right in step with todays casual dining trends—as is the menu.
The $25 Dine Around offers a choice for each course—appetizer, mains and dessert—and suggests VQA wine pairings. First course brought an oversized soup bowl of piping hot, but a little bland celeriac (celery root) soup with a heap of the julienne root vegetable and sliced smoked tuna in the center. This savory slaw made the soup, and I discovered that picking up a little of this in each spoonful more than saved the soup, it made it a slurping delight. Our other first course was a beet & arugula salad topped with goat cheese and candied walnuts. Everyone at the table fought over the crunchy walnuts and pronounced the salad a success.
Main plates were a choice between Sooke trout and lamb shank. Sooke trout is a beautiful local product, and this filet arrived, skin side up balanced on a round of warm sushi rice that had been sweetened and lightly fried. The fish was very fresh and chef Garrett Schacks choice of an orange and almond brown butter sauce for the trout was perfect. The lamb shank had been braised in beer to a firm but very tender degree and served with one of the best soft polenta Ive eaten lately – all cheesy and fluffy light. Again chef chose well with the addition of slightly bitter braised greens to offset the richness of the meat.
For the dessert course, a textbook chewy dark chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and port-soaked cherries pleased, while a delicious bread and butter pudding was the sweets sensation. The bread pudding was crunchy on the outside and invitingly soft inside. A sumptuous custard spiked with orange and licorice-flavoured star anise added a mild spicy note.
I tried a glass of the suggested Tinhorn Creek Merlot 2002 VQA with my lamb and found it to be ripe and fruity with smooth, soft tannins and not overly oaky. It paired well the dish. Service was accomplished and friendly and easily kept up with the demands of the room.
All in all we were pleased with everything, the casual but upbeat room, the not overly complicated but bang on cooking, the competent service and the super value of the $25 menu.
— Bon appetit , The Secret Diner
525 Fort Street Victoria, 250-383-2313
