Tofino’s little sister Ucluelet has just seen the arrival of the Black Rock Oceanfront Resort. Only a few days old, the hotel offers 71 rooms in the main lodge and another 61 Beach Suites ($135 a night and up). In other words, it’s a major development that will likely rival the very best properties on Vancouver Island, going toe-to-toe with such Tofino properties as The Wickaninnish and the Long Beach Lodge (two of my favourite retreats).

I’ll be going to check it out as soon as I can, knowing that the trick up their sleeve is one Andrew Springett, the talented chef who once toiled at La Belle Auberge and Diva at the Met before he moved to Tofino to run the kitchen (to great critical acclaim) at The Wick from 2003 to 2007. It looks like they’re taking the food and beverage program mighty seriously, too.

From the website:

Fetch Restaurant

Enjoy an artisan inspired culinary experience at Fetch, our 90-seat oceanfront restaurant. Dine on our patio overlooking the active surge channel and Wild Pacific Trail or stay indoors; every seat has a spectacular view of the surrounding rocky headlands. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all menus have local themes and are carefully crafted to perfection by our professional culinary team, lead by Executive Chef Andrew Springett. Fetch is an oceanography term referring to the distance a constant wind blows across a body of water for the generation of waves. The longer the fetch length or distance, the higher energy the waves.

Float Lounge

Cozy up to the fireplace with house inspired cocktails and beverages in our 50 seat Float Lounge, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the open ocean. Watch waves continually crash on the rocky shoreline from the comfort of your seat under the remarkable wave inspired bar- no wetsuit required. Enjoy items from our custom designed menu specially created for sharing with friends over warm conversation. Surrounded by nature and West Coast beauty, you’ll find a welcoming, contemporary atmosphere awaits you at Float.

Wine Cellar

The signature feature of Black Rock Resort is the dramatic Wine Cellar looking inside the active surge channel with exploding waves and surrounding coastal features. The Wine Cellar showcases a variety of Pacific Coast region wines, and is the ideal location for a meeting, small reception or event under 60 people. Wine tastings & pairings, chef’s table and custom private dinners, just to name a few, will be available in this impressive location.

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Andrew Morrison is a west coast boy who studied history and classics at the Universities of Cape Town and Toronto after an adolescence spent riding skateboards and working in restaurants. He is the editor of Scout Magazine, the weekly food and restaurant columnist for the Westender newspaper, a contributor to Vancouver and Western Living magazines, and a proud board member of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He lives and works by the beach in Vancouver.

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