A view of the entire restaurant. The tables line the 2 rows of pillars on both sides of the terrace hall.
Winery-Made Dips & Roasted Olives (red lentil hummus, chèvre herb cream) - The bread was served with 2 different types of breads, baguette style slices and thin crunchy bread chips. I preferred the crispy snaps as they gave a more interesting texture to pair with the hummus and the goat's milk cheese. Both were strong, but not overly pungent. Enough to give you a taste but leave you wanting for more. The olives was a nice counter balance to the thick and creamy dips.
Queen Charlotte Halibut, Olive Oil Sorbet (spot prawn ceviche, sea beans & squash) - This is seafood served straight and simple. The halibut was cooked perfectly, not too dry. The olive oil sorbet was certainly interesting. I'm not sure how else to describe that. The prawns for the ceviche were tender and crisp. The greens gave a good balance to the seafood and the cream sauce.
Kurobuta Pork Belly, Seared Diver Scallop (white bean purée, fennel & apricot) - The scallop is absolute bliss. Seared to perfection with a slight caramelized glaze on the outside and tender on the inside. Kurobuta pork was tender as expected, and goes well with the white bean puree. I had higher expectations for this though, it still doesn't compare to the Kurobuta from The House (in San Francisco).
Jack’s Sooke Ruby Trout, Tarragon Cornbread (green tomato chutney, garden herb purée) - This is awesome! I've never had trout prepared like this. The green puree and green tomato chutney were an amazing choice to give a light flavor to the saltiness of the trout.
Another order of the Kurobuta Pork
Roasted Duck Breast, Crispy Confit Raviolo (almond bok choy, cinnamon jus) - I love everything about this dish. The duck was soft and tender and tasted terrific with the cinnamon jus. The Ravioli was a surprise since I thought it would overpower the duck, but it was a light vegetable filling. Hmmm... the whole dish tasted like the color you see, it tasted orange. (That totally doesn't make sense).
The Dessert Menu
A cup of their coffee with biscotti.
Vanilla Bean Chèvre Cheesecake (hazelnut crisp, caramelized blackberry) - Omgomgomg! This was absolutely fantastico! The goat's milk cheese just makes an absolutely incredible cheesecake. Soft and melting, it gives a strong flavor and a totally unique version of the classic cheesecake. The blackberry coulis, and the green one (I'm not sure what that is), but it tastes magnificent with the cake. MUST TRY!
I am absolutely blown away with this place. Beautiful scenery and absolutely amazing cuisine. The one regret is that I wasn't able to taste more of the menu because I'm sure they would taste as stellar as everything else.
Jeff recommends this. 5 stars++!
Mission Hill Winery Terrace Restaurant
Link to June Menu
Service & Setting: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Cost Level: 4.5
