This weekend when itching to escape the couch, we opted to venture out and over to West Vancouver to check out the newly opened Temper Chocolate and Pastry store located in Dundarave Village. After having seen a few tweets about the yummy looking croissants, Stumptown Coffee, and delish deli-style sandwiches, our appetites were more than piqued.
Located in the laidback enclave of West Van, Dundarave is the perfect spot to land on a lazy Sunday afternoon on the best of days. Temper Pastry adds a bit of modern chic to the mix, with mouthwatering goods to round everything out.
Lots of light and high top tables mixed with bistro-style seating are expertly combined with natural wood accents, high ceilings and a minimalist-yet-cozy design style we totally dig. It’s definitely not your average coffee shop (markedly different than neighbouring Delaney’s or Starbucks located across the street). There is a decidedly ‘big city’ feel to Temper that offers something timeless and different to the area.
An open concept kitchen invites visitors to check out the latest tempering process and see freshly baked pain au raisin, croissants, and specialty goods pulled from the oven to cool. We caught sight of staff prepping lemon cakes, folding pastry dough, and setting chocolate. Needless to say, it was enough to entice us to indulge in a few sweet treats.
Owned by Steven Hodge (who greeted us), we learned that he’s a long time Dundarave Village resident who has spent the last several years perfecting his craft under none other than Thomas Haas (another local pastry and chocolate guru). Steve spoke to us with plenty of passion, taking a few minutes to walk us through the space and explain the concept behind his community focused café and bakery.
After enjoying our tour (which included a few complimentary samples) we grabbed a seat and took in the scene while noshing on a coconut croissant and sipping a piping hot Stumptown blend coffee – perfect!
Temper Pastry is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8am until 5pm (closing at 4pm on Sundays, however) and offers dine-in or take-out confections, sandwiches, specialty chocolates, made-to-order cakes and more.