Best Vancouver Island: Sooke Harbour House

Sooke Harbour House (Gold) has “an undeniable cachet—it’s where we go to sample the indigenous, the organic and what tastes good,” said one judge. Chef Edward Tuson raises heirloom pigs, while the herb garden, under the eye of proprietor Sinclair Philip, sprouts a bonanza of more than 300 varieties of herbs, edible flowers and lettuce. Our specialized Island jury found much to applaud in grand fir and wildflower honey pannacotta, or honey, ginger and tea-glazed Cowichan Bay Farm duck breast with a porophyra seaweed split pea cake. The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn (Silver) features the cooking of former Canadian Bocuse d’Or leader Andrew Springett; you can have wonderful lamb or venison from their menu, but go for the Potlatch, a selection of west coast seafood in a shellfish tomato bisque. The salmon tasting trio (tartare, gravlax, candied) or a plate of shucking oysters with a zippy mignonette, make a tasty beginning. “The closest I get to camping is the whole crab steamed or roasted and served simply with drawn butter,” remarked a jurist. Sobo (Bronze) features Lisa Ahier’s elevated kitchen cooking in the lush Tofino Botanical Gardens, where you should start with the trio of soups and move on to crispy shrimp cakes, fish tacos and an order of polenta fries. At The Aerie (Honourable Mention) our judges praised the local forest mushroom-scented bouillon de poule, served with foie gras and truffle ravioli, or a salad of ancient grains with a soya bean tartare and seaweed salad punched up with a wasabi vinaigrette. Nanaimo’s Wesley Street Café (Honourable Mention) features superb weekend tasting menus, very well-priced, and wonderful venison, napped with blackberry jus.

BACK TO RESTAURANT AWARDS