|
To anyone who pays even the slightest attention to the culinary
goings-on in Western Canada, the Sooke Harbour House is already
synonymous with fine dinning. Loaded with local and international
recognition, the restaurant is extensively noted for their
innovative use of extremely local and high quality ingredients.
Contrary to what many might think, the dinning room is a fairly
informal affair. The dress code is decidedly casual and you'll be
overdressed in a business suit. However, it's not without pomp and
circumstance - the service is formal and the cuisine sophisticated.
On this night we signed up for the gastronomical adventure with wine
pairings. They key feature of this $100, multiple course, table d'hote
menu, is that it's all a surprise and there are no choices or
substitutions. Combined with wine pairings we pushed the tab up to $150
per person. Certainly, in a restaurant famous for its wine cellar, it's
a better value and more interesting to order the pairings and benefit
from the experience of the sommelier.
Having had a glass of wine with every of our eight courses, we are in
no way able to describe in detail all of the lovely food we ate. That
said, every course came with lengthy description on the part of the
server and were loaded with very local and occasionally obscure
ingredients. Of course, the execution of the dishes was expert and the
attention to detail meticulous. Unlike many fine dinning establishments
the Sooke Harbour House has a mandate to serve only local products; as
much a blessing, this can also operate as a limitation. We had some very
interesting local fare such as gooseneck barnacles, gooeyduck and sea
urchin. Despite that, we were a little surprised to be served, at the
climax of the meal, two relatively simple and common dishes featuring
salmon and chicken. While they were both well prepared and delicious,
they were less interesting than what we were hoping for - since, after
all, it was called a 'gastronomic adventure'.
The wine however, surpassed the food with respect to novelty and
appropriateness. Our sommelier, a very a likeable fellow who managed our
barrage of questions professionally and with a sense of humour, selected
an intriguing sequence of accompanying wines, including a Kettle Valley
Petit Verdot and a Dirty Laundry Gewürztraminer, that both struck me as
fun and unusual choices.
The Sooke Harbour House has a reputation of leaving diners a little
hungry at the end of their meals. I would like to contradict this
reputation as in both of the two opportunities I've had to dine at this
establishment, I have left quite full. The Sooke Harbour House also has
lives by the reputation of one of its proprietors - Sinclair Philip. Mr
Philip is a very high profile person in dinning circles and is well
known for his dedication and opinions. On this evening we had the
occasion to sit at the table next to the one at which Mr Philip was
entertaining some guests. While not for everyone, this vantage was very
interesting for Patty and I. Upon engaging us in conversation regarding
some product inquiries we were making, we had the opportunity to
experience not only the man's commitment to his restaurant and its
clientele, but also his reputed style. Encountering him again the next
morning as we checked out, we left convinced of the man's unconventional
charm.
If you're looking for a unique experience and the opportunity to
experiment with local cuisine at its purest, the Sooke Harbour House is
a fun and somewhat decadent way to spend the evening. You'll be
surprised by the generally unpretentious atmosphere and accessibility of
this restaurant that's made its reputation by appearing in high end
travel and culinary magazines.
Reviewed November
20, 2005
|