- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

I can smell the woodsy, campfire-like aroma well before I see executive chef Peter Kim coming out of the kitchen at 鈥攐ne of Victoria鈥檚 most exciting new restaurants. He鈥檚 carrying what looks like a large glass ball filled with smoke and a bed of shells, stones and moss cradling my appetizer and invoking the ocean and forests of Vancouver Island.

鈥淚t not only gives the show aspect, it also gives a nice, very pleasant taste with the grilled bread, and the hickory goes very well with the beef tartare,鈥� Peter says, smoke wafting out as he removes the sourdough bread from the top of the beef tartare smoke bowl.

It鈥檚 my first taste of what the Hotel Grand Pacific鈥檚 new restaurant, which opened earlier this year, has to offer. Decorated in muted greys and greens and a deep, sea blue with gold accents, FATHOM鈥檚 d茅cor and menu are inspired by the ocean鈥攋ust like this Inner Harbour restaurant鈥檚 name.

鈥淎 fathom is a unit of measurement for how deep below the sea you鈥檙e getting, and we鈥檙e a seafood-centric restaurant. So, the idea for the design is that it goes from lighter to darker, like the ocean, and as you get into the lounge, you鈥檙e exploring the depths of the sea,鈥� explains Hotel Grand Pacific marketing guru Becca Penner.

I decide to dive right in, sampling the sweet and juicy scallops served on a spring pea risotto with ginger scallop mousse and accented with an edible shell hand-crafted from phyllo dough and pressed against an actual scallop shell to make the perfect impression.

鈥淲e have to tell people it isn鈥檛 an actual shell or they won鈥檛 eat it!鈥� Peter says with a laugh.

Peter came to the hotel from Vancouver almost a year and a half ago after working in some of the city鈥檚 top hotels and eateries. He鈥檚 also worked throughout the Pacific Rim, including San Francisco, Singapore and Australia. He says his inspiration for FATHOM was to create dishes that are unique and sustainable.

鈥淲hen someone asks me what the concept of our menu is, I joke that it鈥檚 something I would love to eat. But we want something that will be well-received by locals and also very sustainable鈥攕omething that is ethically grown and sourced and harvested,鈥� Peter explains. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 also the responsibility of chefs and the people in the industry to showcase items鈥攂oth in how they鈥檙e created and how they鈥檙e presented鈥攖o bring out the best flavours.鈥�

My next dish, a delicious chicken karaage, packs a flavour-packed punch with some heat, some crunch from crushed cashews, and just the right amount of crispy coating for a unique take on Japanese fried chicken.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little twist with the Korean version,鈥� Peter says. 鈥淲hile we marinade it in the traditional Japanese style, we toss it with the gochujang glaze, so it gets a nice balance of the heat, but a lot of taste with the ginger and garlic.鈥�

It鈥檚 already a huge hit among staff and patrons, but Peter says his absolute favourite item on the menu is the sablefish, which is served with a kabayaki glaze and a house-made prawn cake with a cauliflower puree and nori sand.

鈥淚t is a dish I鈥檇 collaborated on with chefs I worked with in Vancouver, but I鈥檝e added my own twist to it with a little bit of Korean in there and a little bit of Japanese fusion as well,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 really unique in the food scene here in Victoria.鈥�

Taking my first bite of the sablefish, I experience layers of flavour. It almost has a deep smokiness to it. I can see why Peter loves it, but he says there鈥檚 no such thing as perfection.

鈥淚f we say our menu is perfect, our restaurant is perfect, our team is perfect, then there鈥檚 no room for growth and there鈥檚 no more room for creativity,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲e鈥檙e continuously evolving and looking to create new seasonal dishes to use what the harvesters, growers and forager who we work with provide, and make something that is edible as well as beautiful to the eye.鈥�

FATHOM鈥檚 new hand-crafted cocktail menu is also taking its inspiration from the sea, with the help of brand and beverage consultant Soren Schepkowski.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go with the fathom idea, separating the cocktails into different zones: so, the sunlight zone, the twilight zone, the midnight zone, the trenches and the abyss, depending on how adventurous you want to be,鈥� Becca explains. 鈥淭he deeper down, the more spirit-forward, heavy flavours there are. Whereas at the top, in the sunlight zone, they鈥檙e lighter and more approachable.鈥�

I decided to splash down past the lighter zones to midnight for a cocktail called Don鈥檛 Say Rabbit, which is like a black Manhattan. A smooth sipper, it鈥檚 made with Jura 12 Whisky鈥攐ne of the 160-plus whisky options on the menu. FATHOM is also working with Devine Distillery on the Saanich Peninsula to create its own house whisky.

鈥淥ur goal now is to become a local hot spot and more of a go-to spot for locals, especially people in the foodie community, as well as a must-do for tourists,鈥� Becca says.

As I decide to have one last piece of the chicken karaage, I know I鈥檒l be back for more.

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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