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quick getaways Point of View: Out past Sooke, on the rugged West Coast Road, a resort with a funny name, amazing views and a first-rate restaurant makes an ideal early spring getaway. n an ink-black evening this past December, my wife and I treated some dear friends to a meal at Point-No-Point O Resort’s Tea House Restaurant and a weekend at the 58-yearold resort’s newest vacation rental, the Bridge House. The quirkily named property (it’s a map-making term) 25 kilometres past Sooke on the West Coast Road sits on a rugged 16hectare plot of ocean frontage overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Bridge House, urban-modern yet comfy with its Asian-influenced furnishings, floor-to-ceiling windows, woodburning fireplace and private hot tub, is a luxurious refuge from civilization. Dinner is supremely civilized, however, thanks to the resort’s very youthful chef Jason Nienaber. Nienaber, reflecting on his 11-year career at the Point-No-Point restaurant with a combination of optimism and humour, told me, “I have been an avid fisher, well, forever and I got a dream gift for Christmas – my first bird gun ‌ Can I mention that I have a gun? The owners, Stuart and Sharon Soderburgh, give me a free hand here. I wanted to create charcuterie unique to the region, and the Soderburghs got me the equipment I needed. I wanted a
smoker and a dryer – and I got it.� As we sip on a variety of wines, we dive directly into our mains: my wife, a perfectly prepared 10 oz. New York steak, served with a sarsaparilla demi-glace balanced with fingerling potatoes and a medley of vegetables—steamed within microseconds of perfection. Our friends chose the Island chicken breast and an in-house jerked pork loin, each of those with a cross section of pan-fried chanterelles, house-smoked bacon and a complement of the local fresh vegetables. I enjoy the baked halibut with the chanterelles, served on a risotto and a trio of cauliflower, broccoli and asparagus. While placing our order, I muse to the server about a meal during the summer (when the restaurant’s spectacular sunset views can be fully appreciated). That day my halibut was served on corn chowder, capped with a hog jowl fritter, and I recount with some emphasis the exquisite tenderness of the jowl. Within minutes, Chef delivers a single-bite-sized hog jowl toast to our table—a half-inch-square morsel on a razor-thin wholewheat toast with a grainy Dijon mustard. For the uninitiated, hog jowl is the tender cheek meat, cut
into thin strips—often less than a quarter-inch thick, smoked and cured. It can be used in stews and soups or served as incredibly rich and decadent bacon. My wife and I visit Point-No-Point, on average, three times a year—and we have done so for the past five years. In that time, I have seen chef Nienaber’s interpretation of local classics evolve from brazen to confident with whimsical twists. He has come a long way in his 11 years at Point-No-Point and being only 31 years of age, has a bright future. Chef Jason enjoys a well-equipped kitchen, a very supportive, young and enthusiastic team, including sous-chef Ian Carr— and wonderful resort owners. And with the ability to frame his menu based on the time of year and the availability of the best local ingredients, Jason and Ian can freely tweak the menu week by week to achieve consistency and accolades from the resort’s guests who, by all account, are as loyal as we are to this unique resort perched on its wild and rocky stretch of island coastline. —By Colin Newell 10829 West Coast Road, (250) 646-2020, www.pointnopointresort.com
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