Edible Journey

When La Mer opened in 1984, the restaurant revolutionized the white tablecloth dining scene here on the islands. The menus, handwritten by a calligrapher, changed weekly, constantly evolving to reflect what came through the kitchen doors. The menu showcased uncommon species of Hawaiian fish served with delicate seaweed and butter sauces and uni, sea urchin—freshly plucked from the sea and made into a bisque. This was French nouvelle cuisine introduced to Hawaii by the newly arrived Phillippe Padovani. Having studied under French master chefs Michel Rostang and Georges Blanc, chef Padovani came to La Mer by way of two three-time Michelin-starred restaurants: La Pyramide and La Mere Blanc. La Mer forever changed the expectation of French food in Hawaii.

But what happens after the revolution? How does a legendary establishment continue to innovate and evolve while holding fast to an esteemed history? Where is the sweet spot between innovation, consistency and your legacy? Sometimes this can be an elusive space.

In 2008 the Halekulani Hotel brought in Vikram Garg as their new executive chef. A native of India, Garg refined his culinary skills at five-star restaurants in Mumbai, New Delhi and Dubai. Trained in classic French, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian cuisine and influenced by the indigenous Indian flavors of his home country, Garg is a talented chef with a global arsenal of flavors and techniques at his disposal. His fluency in classic French and Mediterranean styles shines brightly on La Mer’s seasonal degustation menu. And so begins my journey...

The first course, four jewel-colored morsels, immediately entices you into the tasting. Bright, translucent, thin red slices of raw tuna garnished with a few Marcona almonds, marinated salmon with a sprinkling of black lava salt, glistening beads of Aquitaine caviar and a ruby red mostarda. Each element independently but happily co-exists—only a drizzle of the lightest lemon curd connects the diverse flavors. This is not a ’90s fusion of flavors, but rather the tuna carpaccio, marinated salmon, caviar and mostarda can be enjoyed as a succession of distinctive bites. According to Garg, the degustation menu is meant to awaken your palate, with subtle hints of aromatics like mint, lemon and basil. “The food at La Mer is rooted in classic French cuisine and is very light to reflect the weather here. The aromatics are intended to engage your senses. When diners leave La Mer, I want them to feel we’ve taken them on a good journey, an experience, and hopefully have created a memory they want to come back to,” says Garg.

My gastronomic trip continues with the next course, a tender curl of Kona Cold lobster sitting a top a watercress veloute. A few tiny mint leaves float on the surface of the pretty green sauce. On first bite, the sous vide poached lobster is succulent, the sweetness of the meat brought out by the slightly bitter and spicy watercress. On my fork, I attempt a balancing act of lobster, dollop of sauce and one tiny mint leaf. It’s worth it. As Garg promises, the mint stirs your palate adding an unexpected brightness to the sweet lobster and mildly bitter watercress sauce.

I once heard a very famous chef instruct his staff to time their routes from the kitchen to their tables and report back to him. “Ego gone wild,” was my first thought, but now I understand. Cooks yearn for the gratification of that first and always most perfect bite, when flavor, texture and temperature come together.

Opakapaka, a Hawaiian pink snapper that tends to quickly overcook, is often a disappointment. The margin for error is so slight—a minute here, a few seconds there and you end up with an expensive dry piece of fish. Not in this case. I don’t know if chef Garg ordered his waitstaff to time their steps, but his fish course, an opakapaka fillet in a delicate Provençal-style sauce made with artichokes, white wine, chicken stock, onions, lemon juice, shallots, garlic and finished with a touch of butter arrived at the table perfectly cooked.

The meat course, a veal cheek braised in red wine with sweet breads and Niçoise ravioli is much lighter than it sounds. My dining companion, an adventurous eater who has roamed many a fine dining room the world over swooned about the veal cheeks. But my heart belongs to the soft pillows of ravioli, providing a light and subtle end to the savory courses.

I am a cheese groupie and while the necessity of a cheese course can seriously be in question with this degustation menu, I must have it. And after an intermezzo of lime gelée with grape must and olive oil, I am pondering a selection of French cheese. I wish the cheese selection mirrored the global fluency of chef Garg, perhaps a Neal’s Yard goat cheese or an artisanal, hipster cheese from California’s Mendocino County.

A beautiful red miniature hibiscus is perched atop a tall chocolate cylinder. I have to take a second look when the waiter says it’s a real hibiscus. Slightly chewy, the flavor is a little tart with some sweetness. Chef Garg first tasted the edible flower before he came to the Halekulani and inspired by the prevalence of the flowers here, decided to use it at La Mer. The chocolate cylinder warmed by a stream of hot white chocolate Champagne sauce poured, at table, into the cylinder is a dramatic finale.

Chef Garg’s intention is to bring the diner along on a memorable journey. And it would be incomplete without the experience of wine pairings. Enter the lead sommelier, Kevin Toyama.

The selections are thoughtful and elegant. “The wines at La Mer are more Old World, with less oak and alcohol, they’re not in-your-face selections that are meant to wow you on the first sip. In selecting wines to complement the aromatics in chef Garg’s cuisine, I look for wines that have structure, what I like to call core strength,” says Toyama. A good example of this philosophy is his choice of a 2009, Domaine Barat, Petite-Chablis with the first course of tuna carpaccio, marinated salmon and caviar. The light minerality of the wine had enough structure without the heavy alcohol to stand up to the oiliness of the salmon and saltiness of the caviar. Toyama is a quiet presence on the floor of La Mer, guiding you to a sublime experience.

Perhaps, the often-elusive space between tradition and innovation can be a delicious journey.

La Mer
*****
Halekulani Hotel
2199 Kalia Road, 923.2311

HOURS
Daily 6-10pm

WHO’S THERE
Business clients that need wooing, someone with a diamond ring in his pocket, serious gastronomes and wine geeks

COST
Two courses and dessert, $95; degustation menu $165 (wine pairings for an extra $85)

WHERE TO SIT
The outside tables with panoramic views from Diamond Head to the West Oahu coastline

RESERVATIONS
Highly recommended