At a 40-year-old Vancouver landmark, a Top Chef Canada finalist is finally plating his own story

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There are certain things you expect when settling in for a multi-course menu: a wine pairing option, a few surprises from the kitchen, maybe even a visit from the chef. Finding their childhood photo staring back at you mid-meal, however, is not one of them.

I was well into the tasting spread at Five Sails, the restaurant at the Pan Pacific Hotel, when a 5″x7″ black wooden frame featuring an image of a young chef Alex Kim was delicately placed on the white tablecloth in front of me. The snap showed a five-year-old Kim pushing a farming tractor through his grandparents’ house in Jochiwon, South Korea. The surroundings in the photo were rural and rustic, a stark contrast to the moody dining room perched above Canada Place that I was sitting in.

For a moment, the faded photo pulled my attention away from the modern Korean cuisine and floor-to-ceiling harbour views the restaurant has long been known for. It wasn’t the first personal story of the night. Kim and his front-of-house team had been expertly weaving his anecdotes into every dish introduction — a memory for every plate, a specific reason for each carefully curated flavour combination.

“Guests frequently share that seeing real personal history makes the tasting experience feel more human rather than performative,” Kim says.

This frame was where it all was meant to connect. In that instant, Kim asked the diner to step back in time to when and where his culinary journey truly first began. Before he had moved to Canada at age 15. Before he had cut his teeth in the kitchens of the Shangri-La and Fairmont hotels refining French technique. And before he had be inviting guests into a restaurant he could officially put his name on.

In August, it was announced that Kim was officially chef-partner and co-owner of Five Sails, now formally known as Five Sails by Alex Kim. Previously, the culinary director of Glowbal Restaurant Group, Kim has been involved with the brand’s portfolio of restaurants — which now includes nine properties in Vancouver and Toronto — since first coming on board as executive chef in 2021.

Five Sails has been operating since 1986, most recently changing hands in December 2019 when longtime owners chef Ernst Dorfler and Gerry Sayers retired and Glowbal Restaurant Group took over. Now, it was time for a new era for the waterfront dining destination.

“We decided to be 100 per cent hands-off,” Glowbal Restaurant Group founders Emad Yacoub and Jack Lamont say. “The restaurant was financially stable and able to operate on its own, and we felt this was the perfect time for Chef Alex.”

“He proved to us that he was ready to operate his own flagship restaurant with his own concept and vision,” they say.

For those paying attention to the local and national food scene in recent years, they would likely agree that Kim has indeed proven a lot. After winning both the gold medal and People’s Choice Award at the B.C. regional competition, he was crowned national champion at the 2025 Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa. He was also one of two finalists on season 12 of Top Chef Canada.

Compliment Kim on any of it, and he will find a way to redirect the conversation.

Kim leads with gratitude (those words are literally printed at the top of his tasting menu), and he points to the trust Yacoub and Lamont have in him as the main reason his transition to co-owner has been so smooth.

It also explains his decision not to branch out on his own and open a concept outside of the Glowbal Restaurant Group. Kim says that, in addition to Five Sails’ existing world-class infrastructure and iconic harbour views, the decision to stick around truly came down to loyalty.

“Throughout my time with Emad and Jack, they have always believed in me, supported my vision,” Kim says. “Building Five Sails by Alex Kim alongside partners who have consistently had my back and shared my drive made remaining here the obvious choice.”

While Kim is changing up many things — I’m told some long-awaited design updates to modernize the dining room are coming — he isn’t interested in erasing four decades of history. Kim’s current focus? Rewriting what comes next, and frankly, he doesn’t want you to see it coming.

The views are staying. What Kim describes as “stiff predictability” is going out the window. With restaurant decisions now completely under Kim’s purview, the “generic luxury” of old has been swiftly replaced with deeply personal cooking and dynamic local sourcing.

“Executive Chef is a role; Five Sails by Alex Kim is a commitment,” Kim says. “It means my personal reputation and philosophy are woven into every detail of the restaurant’s legacy.”

Kim’s name is on the restaurant, and his identity is on the menu. As the final decision-maker, he’s sharing food in a way only he can, both obviously and subtly.

“From the moment guests sit down, I want them to notice a shift toward a more expressive, intimate dining experience where local ingredients are elevated through a contemporary Korean lens.”

Some of Kim’s previous menus showcased local ingredients in a classic Pacific Northwest style. Now, he says, he’s finally able to transform them through his own perspective.

“It’s no longer just about regional ingredients; it’s about a personal thesis,” he says. “By weaving in modern Korean techniques and subtle traditional fermentations, I’m building a flavour profile and identity that only I can create, delivering an experience guests truly can’t find anywhere else.”

Previous guests of Five Sails will be delighted to find some familiar morsels still up for order — like the edible oyster shell that requires up to two days of prep (Kim spent more than six months developing the recipe) — while others will be all-new: enter the king crab mandu served with scallop, shellfish bisque, dashi foam and gochujang that’s been fermenting since March.

A personal favourite of Kim’s, the Pacific squid with fermented kohlrabi and a Langley rice nuruk sauce, represents that marriage of past and present he’s after with this menu.

“It relies on fermented condiments inspired by my grandmother, seamlessly balancing my past in Korea with my home in B.C.”

The same photo-on-the-table, open-book philosophy extends beyond the food and the storytelling. Kim is known for inviting folks to peek even further behind the curtain in the restaurant.

“We invite our guests into the kitchen every single day during their tasting menu experiences,” Kim says, “something we can only do because our line is calm, focused, disciplined and supportive.”

This also means there’s no room for toxicity hidden behind closed doors. “My demeanour in the dining room is identical to how I run the pass, and showing patrons our kitchen in real time reflects the absolute confidence I have in my team and our environment.”

Kim’s confidence goes well beyond the current team and menu. If this chapter is rooted in memory, the next one is rooted in ambition. He’s got big plans for Five Sails by Alex Kim, eyeing more experiential and curated dining experiences.

“Dining should evoke emotion beyond taste,” he says. “I hope people say it’s one of the most unique, personal and progressive culinary dining spots in Canada.”

Where: 999 Canada Place, Vancouver.

When: Daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Know a restaurant that deserves the spotlight? Email me at hanmclean@postmedia.com.

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