Church on Friday
Do you ever have the urge to go to church, but you know, not actually go to church? Then The Springs, located at 310 Springbank Dr., might be just for you! The Springs carries with it not just an upscale bistro atmosphere and menu, but a rich history. The building was formerly The Kensal Park Baptist Church--built in 1910. Long-since closed, the restaurant owners decided to turn the building into a different form of worship--the savoury kind. When construction began it quickly became apparent that the original structure was beyond repair and the entire building had to be levelled.
And if you haven’t noticed, London has its own rich history of tearing down beautiful buildings to construct either parking lots or eye-sores. However, the owners kept the original brick-work of the entrance-way, and rather than construct an eye-sore more convenient to the food industry, they resurrected the church architecture to pay homage to the original site. And what is really fascinating about this history is that in levelling the building they found a time capsule in the cornerstone--complete with a letter and a copy of the Freeps from 1910--both of which are framed in the restaurant.
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| The Springs' resurrected church architecture. |
What drew us back to The Springs, aside from the churchly design, was a sign out front boasting a new chef and menu. The original menu drew from fresh Ontario products with an emphasis on duck, pork, and lamb dishes as does the new menu. One Reviewer had the yellow-fin tuna that is served like sashimi while I started with the duck pierogies. Served in a cast-iron skillet, these pierogies are hot and crispy. Filled with sheep's milk cheese and shredded duck and topped with a pancetta cream reduction this is probably one of the heavier appetizer options. The crispiness of the pierogies gave the appetizer a good texture but I couldn't, however, find any discernible duck--and I searched those suckers like a scavenging sewer rat. For me, what saved this dish was the sauce--how can you go wrong with a pancetta infused cream sauce? O hallowed pancetta sauce, praise be to thee!
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| Yellow-fin Tuna |
For the main course, once again there is a good selection with a strong emphasis on top Ontario products. Our server informed us that the special was a crab-crusted halibut--what is that?! Exactly like it sounds--essentially you take a halibut and shove it inside a crab cake and fry it up. I guess it’s kind of the fish equivalent of the tur-duck-en. What would you call that? Hali-crab? Crab-ibut? Not sure what to make of the fish-turducken, I went with the Manatoulin rainbow trout. On its own, each component of my meal was a bit bland--fish, green beans, mild jasmine rice. However, I think the intention of this dish, like any dish carefully stacked, is to have a bit of everything with each forkful--that along with the house-made apple-butter. When eaten together, the flavours play off each other nicely and the beans--cooked to perfection--added a much needed crunch to the dish. And did I mention the apple-butter? Glory be to apple-butter, we thank thee!
Overall, The Springs is a good restaurant to check out--especially if you aren't in the mood for dealing with downtown parking lots. It offers a fine-dining experience with the price points matching the quality of the food and service, while still having a casual feel in its naturally lit interior and large patio. The live music, London’s own Glenn Bennett, added a nice James Taylor/Elton John vibe that went well with the bistro atmosphere. My only disappointment was the menu. While true to its local roots, it seemed a lot like the old testament menu. I realize it's hard to change chefs since the regular clientele might be used to certain dishes, but I was really looking forward to seeing Chef Geoff Tew's take on fresh Ontario ingredients. Besides, if he had anything to do with that pancetta reduction and the apple-butter--which were to die for (no religious over-tones intended)--let him cook whatever he wants! Plus, if you're going to put something on the church sign out front, shouldn't you preach the same on the inside? Can I get an 'Amen'?!
Entree Cost: $20-$35
Number of Reviewers: 2
Value: $$$
Overall: * * *
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