Sooke Harbor House: Sooke, B.C. (restaurant review)

Sooke Harbour House

What a miracle of a restaurant!

Sooke Harbor House is located in a breathtaking setting nestled in a cove just before the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean about an hour or so by auto from Victoria, B.C. The restaurant has tremendous personalized service and food that is some of the most innovative & striking one could find anywhere in the world.

On my first visit about a decade ago, my only memory is of one of my dining companions ordering a whole crab. I will not forget the delighted sounds “yum!” and ‘ummm!’ she emited as she cracked her way through this crustacean. Her hands were messy, her napkin full of crab remnants, but she was one happy human being.

Sooke Harbour House restaurant

On my second visit, I foolishly decided to have the gastronomical menu which is a shoot the works, pull out all the stops kind of meal. You will not only have the best of everything that Sooke Harbor House offers, you’ll have some stupendous wines almost all of which are from local Okanagan wine region. I use the word ‘foolish’ not because it wasn’t wise to order this meal; but rather because the amount and quality of the food is almost too much for a single person to absorb. You should fast for at least a day before if you want to try this culinary delight. I notice that R.W. Apple ordered the gastonomical menu when he reviewed the restaurant for the New York Times a few years ago (An Escape to Eden On Vancouver Island). He apparently has a larger waistline than I.

If you are less ambitious and decide on a smaller meal, you still will not be disappointed. In fact, I venture to say that you will never be disappointed in anything served at Sooke Harbor House. It’s just that good.

On our third visit, we brought our one year old son with us (every time we go we stay at the fabulous adjoining inn run by the restaurant’s owners). The hotel ordered a babysitter for us one night and the second night the wait staff actually babysat our son during most of our meal. They can never know just how grateful we parents were for such extraordinary and ‘beyond the call of duty’ service that night.

By the way, since the bill is in Canadian dollars, your U.S. currency buys that much more to boot.

Amazingly, the hotel allows not only children, but pets as well. In my travel experience most B&Bs and inns do not allow children and I’ve never heard of one that allowed, nay encouraged pets.

If you’re looking for a great getaway to a beautiful place, if you’re looking for a romantic spot to celebrate an anniversary or anything for that matter, this is the place.

SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE
1528 Whiffen Spit Rd. (Hwy. 14)
Sooke, BC, V0S 1
(250) 642-3421