It was exactly 12 o’clock when we arrived and there was an extremely large table of people, maybe 20+ in all just starting to enjoy their food. There were only a few tables left but we managed to scoop one right away.

We were quickly greeted by a lovely young waitstaff who was all smiles and polite. She showed us our table and within minutes came back for our drink order. Our lunch came in a timely fashion, even better since it was so busy, and we all enjoyed what was presented in front of us.

The menu at the Stone Pipe Grill is wonderful. While they have some classics to present, they also boast some kick-ass curry dishes, fantastic salads and soups as well as seafood and pasta lunches as well.

I kept it light and had the club sandwich, and let me tell you, I’m a club snob, and it was very good indeed. I enjoyed the salad with it, which was very nice and fresh.

It’s not the first time we’ve been to the Stone Pipe Grill and it certainly won’t be the last. If you are looking for a wonderful lunch option in the Sooke Region, don’t forget about the Stone Pipe Grill.

Please visit their website and check out their online menu as well as other information about the business.

For more information on the Sooke Region, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

All the tables were filled and the place was buzzing with activity. The service was quick and friendly and the atmosphere was welcoming.

We both decided on the fresh Halibut and Chips and are so glad we chose that. I’ve had many fish and chips before and we are successful with our own at home, however these pieces of fish were perfectly cooked and the batter was very light and fluffy with good colour to it. Mrs. DiscoverSooke made a comment, and I didn’t even realize it until I was half way through my meal, but there was hardly any oil left behind on the serving plate. They were the farthest thing from being greasy or oily.

The fries were top-notch as well. Nice and crispy as well.

Huge kudos to the team working the kitchen last night. Will be back again soon. I highly suggest going to the Coastal Kitchen Cafe next time you are driving around Port Renfrew.

We both ordered something different from the menu to try. Tim had the Pear and Squash soup, I do believe that was what it was, as well as the pulled pork Panini, both which were fabulous.

I tried the grilled veggie Panini with the vegetable pasta salad, which was amazing. You can taste the fresh ingredients in all of these dishes and the addition of real goat’s milk feta was a nice touch.

When we walked in the door this afternoon we were greeted by owner Kate Naugler and she has a wonderful way of making you feel like she’s known you for years. The vibe in this place is contagious.

Kate gave us both a complimentary shot of Hemp Milk, which was something I’ve never tried before. It was quite good, MUCH better than I expected. And on our way out she made sure we were handed some fresh, brownies which were stellar to say the least.

With this addition to our already great dining places in Sooke, the Farmer’s Daughter will stand amongst the best of them as they offer different fare and options. The food is great, the staff is wonderful and the local produce, smoothies, coffee and edible flowers, just to name a few of the things you can purchase here are what makes this place special.

I look forward to my next sit down at the Farmer’s Daughter Food Market in Sooke. This time I might just bring Mrs. DiscoverSooke with me.

Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed.

We all limited out on Halibut and brought in 9 really nice Coho to boot. The help, assistance and pointers shared to us by John was amazing. A truly world class fishing charter.

Along the way we got to stop and watch many, many Humpback Whales, as well Sea Lions and birds.

What a great day to spend with your friends.

Thank you, John for a once in a lifetime trip. We all can’t wait to do it again.

I had never seen these types of boats before and it takes all of 5 minutes to take it out of the carrying case, inflate it and head off on your adventure around the Sooke Region.

He typically launches most people for a leasuire cruise or to explore the vast amounts of coves and beachs right from the boat launch at the marina but can be delivered to your choice of locations around Sooke.

He says a lot of the guests at the marina are enjoying the fact that they can take out these inflatable kayaks, are extremely seaworthy and safe and are easily “paddled” with the feet. You need not any experience with a kayak and almost all fears of tipping  over are gone.

People can even fish off it, it’s that sturdy. There is video of Allen on YouTube paddling the Hobie in the strait in some heavy seas, surfing the waves. Sturdy and rugged, these are the kayaks are perfect for beginners and experts alike.

What a way to spend a day or evening in the Sooke area.

Please visit the official West Coast Outdoor Adventure Rentals website for more information or to book a rental.

For more information around the Sooke area, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

Whether you’re looking for adventure or seclusion, Sooke Harbour Resort & Marina offers a unique island getaway where you can choose your escape. Relax. Explore. Reconnect. Rejuvenate. Surprisingly perhaps, this is also a place that’s within reach. With both whole and fractional ownership opportunities available at affordable prices, this is a rare opportunity to own high-demand, ocean front real estate.

Photo by: Jason van der Valk

Ownership at Sooke Harbour Resort & Marina combines luxurious seaside condominiums with an upscale resort experience. Steps from the resort’s private marina and amenities, each 2 or 3 bedroom townhome boasts stunning interiors and incredible ocean views. Flexible ownership opportunities and a rental management plan that provides rental revenues when you’re not using your condo make for the perfect investment.

Where time moves slow – real estate moves fast

The appeal of Sooke Harbour Resort & Marina lies in its tranquility, location and laid back luxury – but it’s these qualities that also create a very limited ownership opportunity. With only 34 townhome units – and over 70% of these units already sold – the door is closing on one of the island’s best real estate opportunities:

* Sooke’s only fully furnished resort townhome community
* South Vancouver Island’s best ocean front value per square foot
* South Vancouver Islands’ best rental revenue opportunity
* South Vancouver Island’s only private marina
* The region’s top charter guides

Discover the best in Oceanside living from $62,900

For more information on real estate options at the Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina, please click here.

If you’d like more information on the Sooke Region, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

In case you don’t know who Chef Tuson is, he’s the former executive Chef from the world renowned Sooke Harbour House Restaurant, and was there for many successful years building up the reputation of this world class fine dining establishment, an accomplishment well deserved on many levels.

More positive reviews have been written world wide of Chef Tuson and his kitchen crew at the Sooke Harbour House than not, and it was to my surprise and delight when I first heard the rumours that the newly vacant Fish Trap restaurant in downtown Sooke, BC was going to be the new home for Chef Tuson and his culinary talent.

What did we find? Did we enjoy this? Was it all that should be expected from this master at culinary cuisine in his newly opened restaurant?

Upon first walking into the Edge we were quickly greeted by two friendly staff pointing us to the dining area stating we could pick our own seat and table. An opening into the kitchen saw Chef Tuson, who isn’t difficult to spot if you know what he looks like,  hard at work with the rest of his staff.

The restaurant is comfortable, relaxed and was 3/4  just after 1pm on a Saturday afternoon. I honestly expected it to be much quieter than this since this is a new restaurant and advertising has been only word of mouth from what I know, but I suspect that the buzz around Sooke has people coming out to see for themselves what master Tuson is doing under the control of his own ship. Either that or they know a good thing when it comes around.

We were handed a one page menu, asked if we’d like anything to drink; which we both replied Iced Tea, and were left to mull over the options on the lunch menus. This isn’t a “full menu” by “family restaurant” standards, but rather a nicely paired menu given to showcase local and fresh food.

What was relieving to see was a menu of different sorts than the normal “pub fare”, if you would call it that. Let me rephrase that, it had well known and liked lunch fare, but each of these items had it’s own flair and culinary pizazz normally reserved for a 4 star restaurant. The items were unique and all of them sounded tasty.

One could tell that Chef Tuson had taken his many years of experience at the Sooke Harbour House, his life long experience at creating masterpieces, but created them at a pricepoint that the average family could afford. In fact, I said to Mrs. Discover Sooke that  the prices  might be a tad on the low side for the amount of talent and skill Chef Tuson and crew have. We were pleasantly surprised though.

Now, to the actual meal.

We both ordered the iced tea, which came as we were told, unsweetened. House made and fresh. It came with a small glass of  liquid sugar so we could sweeten our own beverage to our liking. Nice touch.

Next, we enjoyed the Caesar salad. As a self proclaimed Caesar Salad Connoisseur, I found it very fresh and one could easily tell it was homemade. The smoky bacon, freshly baked croutons and shaved parm cheese gave it away. Simply put, it was fantastic. However, I still feel Chef Tuson could still learn a thing or two about my Caesar Salad Dressing.

Mrs. Discover Sooke had the hamburger with paprika and fries. Good, very good. Chiabatta was fresh and tasty. I had to help her finish it as it was a large hamburger. She did think there might have been a little too much paprika in it, after eating 3/4 of it, but I wasn’t disappointed in finishing the last 1/4 for her. I suspect it’s just personal taste on that one. While we both love the taste of smoky paprika, I have a greater tolerance for that spice than she does.

I took on the, forgive me if I can’t remember the entire and correct name of this dish, Fusili pasta in a spicy red sauce with clams and sweet peppers?!?

Who cares. It was really good. The clams were cooked to perfection and I was given a lot, about 8-10

Let me also add this. These dishes are priced around the $12 mark. Yeah, really.

You are getting Chef Tuson inspired dishes for the price of a good meal in the Sooke area.

Would I go back? Absolutely.Would I recommend? Well, I am. So of course.

I hope this works out well for Chef Tuson and crew, he deserves it. This is just another step in the positive direction Sooke has been taking over the last few years.

Congrats Chef Tuson and Crew. We wish you the best, and we will return for more food, real soon.

For more information on the Sooke Area, please visit the official Discover Sooke website.

We arrived at Sooke Harbour Resort and Marina around 2:30pm for our departure. We got suited up in our floater suits and headed down to “Sonar”, a sea-worthy rigid hull inflatable that was going to take us out on our 2-3 hour journey onto the Juan de Fuca Strait.

We enjoyed the drive out of Sooke Harbour. It’s a really interesting perspective seeing the lovely seaside town of Sooke from a vantage point not often seen. One can really appreciate the vast amounts of rolling hills and shoreline that surrounds our lovely home.

We headed towards Race Rocks and the word came over the VHF radio that the “t’s”, or transients, were now in Whirl Bay, near Race Rocks. A short 20 minute ride from the entrance of Sooke Harbour brought us past the famous East Sooke Park and the many fishing boats trolling for Salmon.

Once we arrived in Whirl Bay, we stopped the vessel and witnesses 6 large transients close to shore. As all whale watching vessels need to stay at least 100 yards off the pod to their side, we were quite easily able to see these beautiful mammals in their element. A sight one can barely describe over a blog posting.

After we had stayed out in our allowed time with the whales, because all operators must adhere to specific guidelines, we moved on to our other exciting part of the trip. A drive through Race Rocks lighthouse to see the many sea lions and seals. These animals were funny to watch, snorting and scratching themselves on the rocks. They paid no attention to the bring red boat floating down the swift current surrounding this lighthouse.

After our drive through Race Rocks it was time to head home. On the way back we saw a couple of Bald Eagles on Church Island.

Russ Nicks has a lot of insightful information about the various sea life and mammals seen on his eco-tours and I learned a lot about the animals that live in our area.

You certainly don’t need to be a tourist to enjoy this trip. Seeing the landscape from this side of ocean really takes your breath away and brings a sense of rejuvenation.

Be sure to check out the Sooke Coastal Explorations website. Russ puts his trips and adventures on his website blog as well as any photos taken on his various trips.

Here is a little video that we took of our time out. Unfortunately my video camera has a wider than normal lens and they appear much farther than what you would see with the naked eye.

Sooke Coastal Explorations

For all your Sooke Region information, please be sure to check out the official Discover Sooke website.

We love Thai food and have eaten at Nut Pop many times before, but we were interested in finding out just how good and authentic Nut Pop Thai is from two people who love the food.

We walked into the restaurant just past 6pm and was politely and quickly greeted by our server and host and sat us down at a nice wooden table for the four of us. We all ordered some Thai beer, which quickly came as well as our appies – we had the coconut prawns with the sweet chili sauce.

The prawns were cooked perfectly. Still very plump and juicy, which can be hard to do in the deep fryer. For the main course our friends ordered a Tom Yum and said it was really good. Ingredients were fresh and the taste was spot on, the way it should be.

I had ordered the Green Curry and was not disappointed at all. It was a hot dish, spicy and flavourful, just the way I like it.

The service and food was excellent. We were glad our friends enjoyed Nut Pop Thai and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Very clean, very efficient and fresh product with a wonderful taste.

If you haven’t made the trek into Nut Pop Thai yet, what are you waiting for?

On Saturday March 14, to celebrate a family birthday, we dined at Point-No-Point, located about 25 km west of Sooke on Highway 14. We were pleasantly surprised and thoroughly impressed with the calibre of food, diverse but modest menu and excellent fine-dining service. The rustic oceanfront dining room heightened the experience, creating a romantic and peaceful atmosphere.

With a panoramic view of the crashing surf and rustic coastline, we leisurely enjoyed our appetizers and entrees. From roast duck and seared tuna appetizers to our succulent beef tenderloin and creamy chicken entrees, our dinner was spectacular from beginning to end.

As the sun sank deeper behind the clouds and distant mountains, and the candle light created flickering shadows on the wall, we enjoyed a wonderful Baklava and pomegranate gelato dessert.

The unique combinations of flavour made this a one-of-a-kind culinary event. Exalted kudos to Chef Jason Nienaber and the wonderful service staff.

Definitely a place we’ll visit again, and again.

Check out the Point-no-Point website.

For more information on the Sooke area please visit the official Discover Sooke website.