Alex Kim, culinary director at Five Sails restaurants and current Canadian Culinary Champion doesn’t rest on laurels and he doesn’t park his culinary skills on a plateau. It seems to me, with every visit, he’s hoisted himself to another level. Upon experiencing his current spring tasting menu, well, he’s done it again. It’s a complete wow!
The menu is part of a seasonal series called The Altitude, inspired by a visit to Peru, and I’d guess, Central restaurant in Lima. There, one of the world’s top chefs, Virgilio Martinez, creates menus guiding diners, vertically, through various Peruvian ecosystems starting from sea level and ending in the Andes. His restaurant is a regular on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant, and it took top spot in 2023. I have visited this famous restaurant in Lima and was gob-smacked by the depth of research, scientific and culinary, through all the country’s ecosystems and by the exotic ingredients.
But, were I forced to vote on which restaurant gave me the most pleasure and excitement in the mouth, I would give it to Kim’s Pacific Northwest Altitude menu for the sensual flavours, gorgeous visuals, playful inventiveness and creative agility. The dishes journey below sea level, to shore, then elevate inland and upward. Out of the gate, his famous oyster tartlet has a shell so real, you must command your teeth to bite. At alpine level, wild berries, spruce tips, and wildflowers feel like a fresh, cool mountain breeze.
Dishes on tasting menus rarely hit home runs with every course but Kim pretty much did. Only one dish felt less than perfect — it dazzled with flavour and technique but was visually overwhelmingly white and pale — a silken rice and almond coverlet hid a couple of chicken surprises underneath, where some pops of colour would have clinched it. Overall, though, what an impressive choreography of story, taste, sight, and talent.
These are highlights from the dinner. Less