Temporada: First Taste

Posted on 22 February, 2014

I had been looking forward to this meal since I first read about the newest partnership of Aubergine‘s culinary magicians, owner and chef Ben Willis and sous chef Chris Darragh, in Good Food in September last year. And finally, after months of anticipation, Temporada opened its doors yesterday at noon.

As we revealed in our sneak peek last month, ‘Temporada’ means ‘seasonal’; but the restaurant isn’t focussed on Spanish cuisine. However, its branding certainly has a certain ‘bodega’ feel and the “Spanish way of thinking, cooking and eating” is evident in the sharing that Temporada encourages.

It’s an airy and welcoming space, its moody charcoal walls softened by the high ceiling, raw timber wall panels, metal light fittings, pressed tin bulkhead, and patterned floor tiles that could have come straight from Morocco. The large bar is the focal point of the restaurant, and diners are encouraged to sit and eat ‘tapas’ style or just enjoy a cocktail or one of the wines from the ‘small but interesting’ list.

Temporada has the amazing, fresh produce that Canberrans have come to expect from the Aubergine kitchen, and while the food is simpler, it’s no less delicious. The meats are tender, the oysters and fish super fresh, the fruit and vegetables and other accompaniments full of flavour. So, let’s look at what we ate.

Because we are so predictable in our love of good food, Michelle Brotohusodo had both made (separate) bookings at Temporada last night…which is good for you, because we get to show you more food!

My mum arrived in town last night, so I promptly whisked her off to dinner with our two girls, aged five and seven years. Taking kids to a restaurant where you know there’s unlike to be the ‘easy’ stand by of pizza or pasta is always a little daunting, but they loved the Beef Short Rib Roll, Fermented Cucumber, Horseradish Mayo (sans Cucumber) – pictured above. Although Miss Seven said ‘that’s not a burger!’ when she saw the amazing fall apart meat, she was converted at first bite and wolfed the entire thing down in no time.

Michelle’s favourite dish of the night was the Pigs Head Roll, Romesco, Avruga Caviar (above). She says, “I would quite happily go to Temporada and eat two or three of them and nothing else. Just delicious.”

Miss Five declared she wanted oysters. I was skeptical, but ordered three Wapengo Lake Rock Oysters from the South Coast of NSW for myself (Michelle had the Moonlight Flat Clair de Lune Bouton – above), and let her have one. She loved it. They came with a tangy eschalot dressing and a lime wedge, which I enjoyed, but they were equally good nude.

For mains, Mum and I started with the Blue Mackerel, Smoked Eel, Fire Roasted Capsicum, Capers (above) – simply prepared, it was big on flavour but nice and light. Which was just as well, because then we had 350g Beef Rib Eye, Sauteed Potatoes, Herb Butter to get through.

The beef melted in the mouth, with the herb butter and accompanying jus making it a rich, delicious meal. Very French.

As an accompaniment, we chose the Peach, Fennel and Goat’s Cheese Salad (above) – a beautiful, fresh salad with sweet chargrilled peaches contrasting with a creamy goat’s cheese.

For Michelle’s ‘mains’, she and her friend shared the Grilled Lamb Ribs, Spiced Eggplant, Lemon Dressing (below). She says, “The lamb ribs were cooked to perfection, juicy and full of flavour and nicely accompanied by the spiced eggplant which was also cooked just right. The lemon dressing added a nice bit of tang.”

Their other dish was the Zucchini Flowers, Ricotta Gnudi, Salsa Verdi (below) which they really enjoyed – especially the ricotta gnudi, but commented that they “found the zucchini flowers a bit plain, we prefer them stuffed.”

We tried one of each dessert – the Lime Parfait, Licorice Custard, Hazelnut Praline; Coconut Sponge, Passionfruit Curd and Jelly, Star Anise Sorbet; and Salted Caramel Donuts, Banana Ice Cream, Marshmallow. Yep, they taste as good as they look. My girls loved the donuts (although a bit full on for me), while my mum raved about the liquorice custard, and I adored the fresh flavours of the passionfruit curd and sorbet.

Michelle reports the cocktails were also fantastic, her friend trying the Jerry Jam – “so great, tasted just like you think jam would if it were a cocktail – he liked it so much he had two.”

For cocktail lovers, the list looks adventurous and exciting, Michelle says, “I really liked the sound of the Sherry Cobbler, the Strawberry and Pineapple Batida and the Respect Your Elderflowers – it’s a pity my alcohol tolerance is so low!” 

All in all, a wonderful meal in a relaxing and welcoming space. Service was friendly and professional, with our gorgeous waitress even taking my kids upstairs to the toilet when nature called. We can’t wait for our next visit!

the essentials

What: Temporada
Where: 15 Moore Street, Canberra City
When: Weekdays 7.30am till late – serving coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Saturday from 5pm. Closed Sundays.
Web: www.temporada.com.au
Phone: 02 6249 6683
Email: info@temporada.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/temporadacanberra
Twitter: twitter.com/temporada1