A Taste of Canada: The Wild, Wild West

Tofino’s sophisticated cuisine immersed in nature provides a new kind of adventure for visitors to this laidback coastal town

By Hans Tammemagi

A long drive brings me to Tofino, surrounded by lush rainforest and pounded by the wild waves of the Pacific Ocean. Not surprisingly, the chefs in this isolated community on the west coast of Vancouver Island take advantage of the natural bounty around them. Armed with a notepad and a healthy appetite, I work my way around the area to discover how these culinary masters turn it into incredible dishes that truly reflect a sense of place.

Early in the morning, I stroll into the forest with Paul Moran, one of Canada’s best chefs and a skilled forager. He gathers spruce buds, salmonberries and salal blossoms before tramping into the tidal flat to fill plastic bags with sea asparagus, sea chives, sheep sorrel and more. Later, Moran prepares a flatbread pizza by blanching sea asparagus and searing sea chives with a blowtorch. He garnishes the top with clams and the products he foraged just half an hour earlier. “The quality of the ingredients is critically important,” he says, which explains why he and other local chefs pursue foraged products almost feverishly.

CULINARY ADVENTURES AT WILD ORIGINS WITH CHEF PAUL MORAN

© PAUL MORAN / WILD ORIGINS

Moran, who won Top Chef Canada in 2019, has started Wild Origins – the only company in Tofino that takes guests out in search of the bounty from the forest and the sea. The best part is that he helps them cook what they’ve gathered – perhaps one of his favourite dishes like stuffed morels, spot prawns, Dungeness crab ravioli and smoked fish. “I love being in Tofino,” he says. “I get to combine my culinary and adventure passions.”

The next day at Wolf in the Fog restaurant, I savour the succulent potato-crusted oysters and learn more about its mission to offer top cuisine in a non-stuffy environment. Its décor features a driftwood wolf sculpture and a broken surfboard wall hanging, giving the space a beach-town vibe. “We want people to feel like they’ve been invited over to our house for dinner,” explains chef Nicholas Nutting, who opened the acclaimed restaurant in 2014. He, too, is a devoted forager with a passion for wild mushrooms, like chanterelles.

THE BAR AT THE WOLF IN THE FOG RESTAURANT

© DESTINATION VANCOUVER/JORDAN DYCK

Chef Chad Martin of Hotel Zed’s Roar restaurant is also among those who seek out foraged ingredients. At low tide, he heads out to a secluded cove under a cloudless deep-blue sky to gather wild vetch, sea asparagus and Miner’s lettuce. Later, I sit at Roar’s bar as the bartender juggles various bottles and shakers to prepare a “Lesser of Two Evils.” Sea asparagus, picked only a short time ago, garnishes the cocktail made with gin and seaweed-infused sherry. “Best gin and tonic ever,” I murmur happily.

CHEF CHAD MARTIN FORAGING INGREDIENTS

© KEEGAN BOULINEAU

CARL HAMILTON, BAR MANAGER AT ROAR

© KEEGAN BOULINEAU

At dinner, I watch chef Martin shuck three large oysters and place them on the grill, where he drips pork fat over the top using a red-hot steel cone called a ‘flambadou.’ Huge flames roar upward throwing off immense heat. The finished oysters are outstanding – soft and juicy but with a hint of pork belly.

VIEW FROM OUTSIDE THE POINTE RESTAURANT

© JEREMY KORESKI

On Chesterman Beach, surfers in black wetsuits straddle their boards waiting for the perfect wave to roll in from the Pacific. I take in the scene from the On the Rocks Bar at the Wickaninnish Inn. Tyler McDiarmid, head mixologist, vigorously shakes a “Feather George” – a signature drink crafted with cedar-infused rye whisky, vermouth and apricot liqueur. Garnished with a cedar shaving, it tastes and looks as good as the views of the wild coast. “Cocktails have become a rage, and here they are just as popular as The Pointe Restaurant’s fine cuisine,” he notes with pride.

ON THE ROCKS BAR AT WICKANINNISH INN

© JEREMY KORESKI

THE POINTE RESTAURANT'S FINE CUISINE

© MAKITO INOMATA

For a full-fledged umami experience, JEJU, the only restaurant in Tofino specializing in Korean cuisine, beckons. Seoul-born chef Yunyoung Kim is known for his signature dish, galbi – tender barbequed prime short ribs served with a scallion and arugula salad. Meanwhile, other dishes, like soondubu (a tofu stew), japchae with its sweet potato noodles and Sung-style ribs, are unusual and fabulous.

CHEF YUNYOUNG KIM'S SIGNATURE DISH, GALBI– TENDER BARBEQUED PRIME SHORT RIBS

© MELISSA RENWICK

Though Tofino is known for natural beauty, beaches and outdoor adventure offerings, my trip showed me another side of this destination. It has now developed a towering reputation for its cuisine and cocktail scene, which is equally as enticing.