Temporada, Canberra

Tucked up one end of Moore Street, a few doors down from the Hellenic Club, you will find one of Canberra's worst-kept secrets. Temporada is Canberra restaurant supremo Ben Willis' everyday eating joint. Significantly less formal than his hatted home base, Aubergine (which has now had a sleek, modern refresh), Temporada nonetheless has all the hallmarks of a chef at the peak of his powers.

Funky, friendly staff show you to your table or stool in this long restaurant centred around a generous bar. You could just pop in for a drink and nibble, but really the sensible thing is to stay on for dinner (or lunch or breakfast).

It is lovely to talk over options with well-versed staff, excited by the food and drink they are serving and happy to discuss sizes and preferences. The big challenge is eliminating starters you don't want.

We narrow it down to the octopus ($18) and sardines on toast ($5 each). Beautifully blackened tentacles are presented with a simple dollop of pink rouille, the intensely charry exterior contrasting with the super tender and flavoursome flesh. The tangy pink rouille is the only accompaniment this dish needs. Add a fennel and herb salad and this would make a great light meal.

The sardines are subtly marinated, and perfectly presented on lovely thin toasts, the ultimate mouthful of fishy, salty (but not too salty) goodness to interrupt a glass of riesling from Vienna ($13). Before we get too far down the track, the drinks list is a thing to behold. This is a real bar as well as eatery, and a bewildering array of sherry, carefully curated cocktails and beers, precede the carefully selected wine, much of which you will never have heard of. Ask for advice from the bar and you will get an impassioned discussion of various options, or just an apt recommendation if that's all you want.

I don't spend much time rating crockery and furnishings, but here they warrant comment. From the moment you walk in the door it is clear that considerable thought has been given to the way the place looks and makes diners and drinkers feel, as well as to the quality of the food and drink. The understated, faintly industrial decor and vibe just works.

It is tempting to order straight down the entree list, and take a lamb cigar with sumac yoghurt, baked mussels with garlic butter or the sensational raw tuna with smoked olive oil, avocado and yuzu, but we forge on to mains.

Jurassic quail ($28) and roasted barramundi ($32) and a fennel and herb salad make a good spread. Lovely juicy halves of grilled quail are well contrasted with excellent salty speck, and mild savoury pumpkin – making a finger-licking, beautifully balanced dish.

The roasted fish is perfectly cooked, balanced well with the nuttiness of jerusalem artichoke and a dish of tender little calamari pieces on the side. Fennel salad rounds out a lovely meal, with wafer thin slices of aniseedy crunch, well dressed and combined with fresh herbs.

At this point in the evening we realise we have made a terrible mistake, we have left neither time nor space for dessert. Everyone has dessert at Temporada, and tonight is no exception.

As we race out the door we see satisfied couples wiping the last of the chocolate ganache, licorice custard and mandarin sorbet from their plates. Others make slightly obscene noises as banana makes merry with marshmallow, hazelnut parfait and rum-soaked dates.

We have unfinished business – we will be back.