17 Mile Pub
5126 Sooke Road
Sooke, BC
(250) 642-5942

Heading out to Sooke may feel like a chore to some, but for other’s it’s like walking 500 miles, especially when it comes to parking down the hill and walking the rest of the way to the Sooke Pot Holes. But for hungry foodies like me, the song by the Proclaimers must’ve meant more than just about the quest for love, it’s the hunt for good food.

Just outside of Sooke is 17 Mile Pub and they have some decent grub. Also, for adreniline junkies, right next door is Adrena Line, a zip line park.

Fortunately, one can stop here for some very good french fries. For the second time in the past few months, I found some decent crisps that I lovingly devoured.

If I were to truly walk a hundred or so miles to this pub and home, I would’ve burned off all the calories of the fries I had and then some. The travel was worth it.

Yvonne, her close friend David and I hit the pub after going to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the EMCS Community Theatre last weekend. I enjoyed the play but I also felt hungry afterwards.

I was hoping to finally try the Guinness Burger that I remember seeing in their menu from over a year ago. I was told it must’ve been a seasonal special since it was’t on the menu. The waitress thinks the flavour most likely came from the cheese imbued with the world famous beer than instilled into the meat. Yeah, I can imagine all the drunk cows being slaughtered and they probably went with a smile on their face.

Even for my second choice, the 17 Mile Burger ($10.95) fared well. But I found the burger patty borderline. It was a touch on the dry side and the char broiled flavour didn’t stand out as well as I had hoped. These days, I find the thicker the patties are (thank you M&M Meat Shops), the happier my waistline is going to be. I want my burgers looking like a bear’s paw.

I liked the toppings they used though. The lettuce had a good colour to it and along with the bacon, both were satisfyingly crisp. The tomatoes tasted just right and the melted cheddar cheese made every bite worth it. They didn’t use a lot of mustard, so the symphony of flavours worked very well together to compensate for the less than stellar meat patty.

The Kaiser bun that they used made for a good different style of burger. When the menu only stated one type of onion than two, I did appreciate the combination of white and red onions that was spread before me.

Also, I appreciated the touch of class that was part of my plate. They gave me a slice of guava to finish my meal off.

But to come back, I’d have to get used to the stares by the locals. I hope the gas bill doesn’t add up too fast. There is the public transit option, but when that only appears once an hour, I better know the schedule otherwise home will feel very far away.

3 Blokes out of 5