46 - Sunday, December 20, 1987 ~ North Shore News Pe eon photo John Yanyahyn/Visions West PROVIDING THE perfect spot for a weekend getaway, the Sooke Harbour House boasts a superb view and equally fine cuisine, Cosy inn makes a great getaway close to home ONE OF life’s joys is finding a small, comfortable hotel with good food within easy driving distance of home; the sort of place a couple can escape to for a weekend. Such a place is Sooke Harbour House, located 32 kilometres west of Victoria, a romantic little inn on the water that has been lovingly put together, room by room and plate by plate, by Frederica and Sinclair Philip. In nine years they have acquired a formidable -reputation as inn- keepers extraordinary, drawing rave reviews from all over North America. David . Brewster’s . Best by David Wishart Places says it’s Vancouver Island’s best restaurant, Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Magazine says it is ‘‘the most shockingly excellent restau- rant'on the island with among the most’ stunning settings of any eatery anywhere,’’ while a critic for the’ Philadelphia Inquirer said simply that the meal he had there was the best restaurant dinner he’d _ever had. . . None-of this happened by acci- dent. Philip knows his food, he delivers the atmosphere- people want and then he makes sure the world knows about it. Raised in West Vancouver, he met Frederica in France, where he lived for 12. years studying for a _-Ph.D, in macroeconomics and po- litical science. But once back in Vancouver, Philip had other ideas: he wanted to be able to garden and cook to his heart’s content, and to live by the sea and mountains. _ - Go to Sooke Harbour House and you'll meet a contented man. The location is perfect: a pair of . white wooden buildings perched by the water surrounded by gardens Z of flowers and edible herbs. A brace or two of amiable dogs completes the picture. They started with one building and five bedrooms upstairs, only one with private facilities. Now that’s known as the Old House and there is a New House with 10 rooms, each with its own bathroom. Most have names, including the Sea Song Room, the Little Room Above the Kitchen, the Herb Garden Room, the Underwater Orchard, the Edible Blossom Room, the Forager’s Room and the Ichthyologist’s Room. And in glorious defiance of the twin-bedded fantasies of: retired schoolteachers, the smallest bed in the establishment is a.double; most are queens. There would have to be a honeymoon suite, of course, and- this one features a double bathtub with ocean view. My room, the Herb Garden, had French doors, fireplace, double whirlpool tub, natural wood, original art and a dozen liitle touches you’ll never see in an ordinary hotel. The patio flowed on to a lawn to flower gardens and a view that went on forever. There’s a stony beach below and if you want: to go for a walk there’s always a dog to tag along. Television is absent and the only children observed were well behav- ed and appeared to belong to the house. I can’t imagine a_ better place for a few days replenishment for the soul. . . As for the cuisine, it’s best described as B.C. and very origi- nal. The menu changes daily and may" include appetizers such. as marinated geoduck, octopus salad, local oyster and abalone sauteed with oyster mushrooms. 1 had organically-raised loin and stuffed breast of rabbit with rhubarb and pear sauce, a tasty and beautifully presented dish that turned my head just a little more than the leg of kid with pork glaze and plums. Philip dives for much of the seafood on the menu including sea urchin, abalone, giant flying squid, sea cucumber, free-swimming pink scallops and purple-hinged rock scallops, gooseneck barnacles, mussels and king crab. Taking a leaf out of the book of Nick Ryan of the Crinan Hotel in a wood-burning - Scotland, he plans to buy a fishing boat which will bring a bigger catch to the kitchen. Philip will talk your leg off about marine life and how to turn it into table delicacies, but he’s the last word in discretion. about the interesting people who have discovered his inn. He did con- cede, however, that the man who cooked my dinner was Fred Astaire’s grandson, : Prices at Sooke Harbour House range from $59 for the smallest room to $225 for. the honeymoon suite. Rates include breakfast and a light lunch. Dinner main courses ate around $20. Telephone 642- 3421. woe Book well in advance for, as we were saying, the word has got around. 2 ae SURE, NR CPS TRH tLe Careers in. Travel ¢ Day and Evening Courses ® Airline Computer Training In Classroom ¢ Travel Counselling e Agency Practicum TRAVEL TRAINING CENTRE Ste,'2-1583 Pemberton Ave., . North Vancouver 986-2221 Classifieds Sell 986-6222 May your hol warm glo SNES iday season be decorated w of friends and family and the gift of peace. To all of you from all of us, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! PI TOURIST SPOTS enty to see im California ~ PVE JUST returned from visiting five cities in nine days — something I’ve always cautioned others to avoid. My ge- nuine confusion is proof that the advice should stand. However, it was an opportunity to visit some parts of California and Nevada that J hadn’t visited in some’ vears: Long Beach, San Diego, Palm Springs (a first for me) and Las Vegas. My last mem- ories of Las Vegas include spen- ding a day in Humana Hospital with a nasty case of pneumonia so an update was due. You’ll all be familiar with the Spruce Goose, Howard Hughes’ monstrous wooden float plane. On my fast visit, about six years ago, construction was just starting on a domed viewing area to house the plane in a museum setting. I] was one of the few lucky people who got to prowl around inside the relic, even taking a turn sitting in the pilot’s seat. Now, the museum is displaying .the Spruce Goose, complete with a model of Hughes in the pilot’s seat — famous hat and all. The exhibit is well worth a visit. If I tell you that a DC 10 would fit comfortably under each wing of the Goose you'll have some.idea of the size of it. The fact that it actu- ally. flew (not very far, salvaged Hughes’ reputation) is almost unbelievable. P.O. Box 2396. Parksville, B.C. CANADA VOR 250. * TOLL FREE RESERVATIONS: 1-800-663-7309 i h Beh, but it. A bit of trivia: The name Spruce Goose was coined by the media, The plane does contain some Tele ee Ee travel wise by Barbara '~ McCreadie Fe ETO : rr spruce as well as birch and balsa. Hughes hated the name and refer- ted to his. creation by the proper name Hercules, Lo ‘ . See Diving. Pago 47 EACH FRONT COTTAGES OCEAN VIEW CONDOS Two Bedrooms Woodburning Fireplace Fully Equipped Kitchen Miles of Safe. Sandy Beach Spectacular View AS SEEN OM T.V. ° : ” SG ah Atiynm fravei Ltd. LYNN VALLEY CENTRE RUle->- IP. wie Ia corn 4 m bf aS Aas RIES. WF >. Sai SS “Sa ay aay om