– by Lara Gladych –
This is the first in a six-part series of profiles featuring some of the Saanich Peninsula’s wonderful restaurants and pubs.
Sarah Matchett, owner of the Surly Mermaid, is bubbly and personable, and I feel as though I’ve known her for ages. I’m at the restaurant the afternoon before they launch their lunch service, and so on this particular day prep staff are about, getting ready for dinner that evening.
I notice the familial feeling amongst the staff immediately, and ironically one of the first things Sarah wants me to know is how important her team is to her. She couldn’t do any of this without them, she says repeatedly. “A great team is the most important part of having a great restaurant. They represent you, and you take them in like family.”
Sarah also owns the Five and Dime Diner, in Sidney. She knew that she wanted this project to be “a departure from the breakfast scene,” something that would challenge her. Ultimately, “the real inspiration was to bring something different to the already great restaurant scene in Sidney.” With share-plates in mind, Sarah and her partner Voit decided that this should be a “non-traditional, Spanish tapas concept restaurant.”
I ask about the pressure of balancing two restaurants. “Owning a restaurant is humbling. It can be stressful if you’re not organized. It’s like being the parent of two toddlers!” We share a giant laugh about the imagery.
The restaurant space itself, just above Port Sidney Marina, has been completely renovated, in large part by Sarah and Voit themselves. The colour scheme is earthy and woody, polished, but a bit undone at the same time. It’s very cozy.
The tapas-style dishes are the focus of the Surly Mermaid, though they have introduced a standard fare menu as well, in case people are feeling like more of a meal. Everything on the menu is available from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., and share-plates continue to be served until 11 p.m. every day.
Sarah reiterates that she couldn’t have come as far as she has with this venture if it weren’t for the outpouring of support she has felt from the community. She makes special mention of Lisa from Toast, Sean from Boondocks, Bill at the Rumrunner and Mara and Morgan of Ecotopia. She sends a special thank you and welcome, too, to her chef, Kurt Mayville, “the mastermind behind the menu.”
We’ve talked a lot about how the restaurant came to be, but we change gears and start talking food. I ask her about her favourite dishes, and without hesitation she mentions the Duck Drummettes – which Chef is preparing for me as we speak. “They are delicious, fall-off-the-bone tender.”
When the food comes out, I pause to study what I have before me. There are the drummettes, in a tamari glaze with a garnish of fried carrots – so pretty – and the meat does in fact fall off the bone! Then we have pan-seared scallops with chimichurri and prosciutto crackling. This chimichurri is prepared with mint, and I really like the unexpectedness of it. I also enjoy the simple but sophisticated touch of the crackling. The scallops themselves are perfect, not at all overcooked. Finally are prosciutto-wrapped dates stuffed with roasted chili almonds and blue cheese, finished with a balsamic crema. There are so many dimensions to this creation, and like a perfume, the different flavours come in stages, with the blue cheese lingering at the end.
I don’t get the chance to sample one of their Whiskey In the Jar Cocktails, a tribute to Voit’s love of Jack Daniels, but I can’t wait to come back and sit at their fantastic bar with friends for one of these.
This was a really fun experience for me. Drawing from their website, I have to agree when they say this place “is sure to put a smile on the surliest of mermaids.
To learn more about the eatery, visit their website at www.surlymermaid.ca.
