EAT Magazine July_Aug 2015_Victoria_52_Layout 1 6/24/15 9:47 AM Page 15
Wild Mountain Food & Drink 1831 Maple Ave., Sooke | 250-642-3596 | wildmountaindinners.com
Rebecca Wellman
left: Albacore tuna with sweet cicely, white anchovy, radish, and ling cod brandade right: Owners Brooke Fader and Oliver Kienast It’s a dream come true for sommelier Brooke Fader and chef Oliver Kienast. After running a series of pop-up dinners under the Wild Mountain moniker and working in various restaurants over the years, most recently Sooke Harbour House, Wild Mountain Food & Drink has put down permanent roots in Sooke. The couple, who have lived and farmed in West Sooke for the past 10 years, purchased Markus’ Wharfside Restaurant, along with its adjoining one-bedroom home and established gardens. The previous owners, chef Markus Wieland and Tatum Claypool, enjoyed 12 successful years at the location and are now exploring their own paths (he in the Fraser Valley and Tatum in Saskatchewan). Very little was needed to get the restaurant up and running: a fresh coat of paint in pale blue to mimic the outside sky views from the large picture window, a wooden bar— with resin tidal pool—from salvaged Grand fir, woven wood sconces and a turntable for playing vinyl. All have transformed the space into their own. “We wanted to make a place that we could hang out in five days a week,” says Fader, who oversees the front of house. Both are welcoming hosts and passionate advocates of food sustainability, which is reflected in a casual and locally focused menu of snacks, appetizers and mains that draw from Sooke area farms, including their own, sustainable seafood sources and meats from Sloping Hill Farm in Qualicum Beach. Theirs is an everyday kind of place where you can pop in for a quick bite at the bar, share a few appetizers with a glass of wine or celebrate a special occasion with multiple courses. To explore the menu, we shared three appetizers. The Sooke clams in cider broth with housemade pork sausage, celery and fennel was a lovely start, followed by the duck plate trio of rillettes and jam, smoked breast and house pickled carrots, then duck liver mousse, an exploration of textures and techniques. So too, the albacore tuna appetizer of seared slices with an anise hit of sweet cicely alongside a crispy brandade with a cured egg yolk for added richness, and hand-chopped tuna tartare with radishes for crunch. We ended with a main dish of grilled pork tenderloin served with a moreish cheese curd polenta, pickled red cabbage and brassica shoots. Kienast’s cooking is never heavy-handed; it’s skilled, creative and balanced with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and simple combinations. The drinks list further reflects the couple’s sustainable commitment to Island craft brews, spirits and sodas, and wines that are strictly small lots, handpicked and natural with low intervention. “If you’re Slow Food, you should be Slow Wine,” says Fader, a Slow Food leader and founding member of Slow Fish. “Ollie’s food is gentle and nuanced,” she says, “and the wine is gentle and nuanced.” I couldn’t agree more. The Okanagan’s Synchromesh 2014 Riesling was a brilliant match for all the dishes we enjoyed. Luscious takeout treats such as duck liver mousse, chocolate pudding or Wild Mountain honey, sold in mason jars, completes the dream. E BY SHELORA SHELDAN
www.eatmagazine.ca JULY | AUGUST 2015
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