An evening with Bruno Ménard at Halekulani's La Mer

Nadine Kam photos
Halekulani executive chef Vikram Garg and visiting chef Bruno Ménard share a laugh in the kitchen before service begins.

During a special dinner at Halekulani’s La Mer restaurant Sunday night, Chef Bruno Ménard gave diners a taste of the work of a three-star Michelin chef, one of the most prestigious designations in the culinary world.

In the kitchen before guests arrived, Ménard prepped the staff on the ins and outs of each dish and exacting details of service, including just a small pour of red wine and truffle Perigueux sauce that would accompany a filet of beef tenderloin prepared in the style of venison.

“And we should leave the extra sauce on the table?” one waiter asked hopefully, knowing that Hawaii diners love a good sauce.

A sharp “No!” was Ménard’s response, feeling the beef would stand on its own.

And so went the dinner, complex but spare, using the finest ingredients requested by the chef, with some local ingredients — such as Maui onions and Kona lobster — swapped for their French counterparts. Flavors were clear, clean and crisp, with dishes balanced throughout, every ingredient accounted for on the plate and nothing extraneous.

Each dish was paired with wine from Young’s Market Co., selected by Master Sommelier Patrick Okubo.

A beautiful sunset to start the evening.

Amuse of leek purée, tomato gelée and olive oil ice cream, with pickled tomato and pineapple. Essentially a beautiful light salad in a martini glass.

Kona lobster Parisienne blanketed by tomato-hibiscus gelée, with vanilla chutney and dots of crustacean oil. Topped with handpicked local vegetables. Accompanied by Louis Jadot, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru 2012.

Delicate and billowy Maui onion soup over truffle custard royale studded with peas, fava beans and yuzu skin confit. Served with Charles Heidsieck, Blanc des Millénaires, Brut 1995.

Coquilles Saint Jacques Pôelées with Parmesan gnocchi, sake-scented cream, måche couilis and brown butter, served with Domaine Long-Depaquit, Chablis Vaudésir, Grand Cru 2009.

Beef tenderloin prepared venison-style, with savoy cabbage, light potato and foie gras cannelloni, and truffle and red wine Périgueux sauce. Topped with a line of salt, pepper and roasted soba tea. Accompanied by Château Rauzan-Segla, Margaux 2008 and Domaine du Clos Frantin, Vosne Romanée Les Malconsorts, 1er Cru 2012.

Valrhona P125 chocolate macaron soufflé with vanilla sorbet and caramelia pearls. Accompanied by Domaine La Tour Vielle, Banyuls Rimage 2013.

At the end of the meal, the chef asked me which was my favorite dish, which was hard to say. My first thought was of the lobster Parisienne layered over beautiful tomato and hibiscus gelée. But the Maui onion soup over truffle custard royale with textured surprises of fresh sweet peas, fava beans and yuzu skin confit hidden within, was heavenly. I couldn’t help but note the classic French dish is similar in concept to Japanese chawanmushi, which the chef might have also noted during his time at L’Osier in Tokyo, where he earned the Michelin stars.

I also loved the lightness of the non-pasta cabbage, potato, foie gras and black truffle canneloni.

At the end of the meal, many a guest, who had paid $295 per person, asked, “When’s the next dinner?”

The idea is planted, so time will tell.

On the table: HIFF Oscar Night America 2012 at Halekulani

Nadine Kam photos
The finale of the HIFF Oscar Night America 2012 dinner was a mignardise platter complete with caramel popcorn and white chocolate event "tickets."

Inspired by the Best Picture nominees, Halekulani executive chef Vikram Garg created a menu as dazzling on the eye as the palate for HIFF's Oscar Night America 2012 viewing party Feb. 26.

Being in the Halekulani Ballroom and watching the ceremonies on a big screen with amplified sound, made it feel as if you were in the room with the nominees.

Food also figured in the silent auction to benefit HIFF programs. When I saw the logo for Bob Chinn's restaurant, I thought I had missed something and that he had somehow opened in Hawaii, but it was actually for a couple of gift certificates to have one of his seafood dinners for four— including gumbo and four kinds of crab—shipped to Hawaii from his Chicago restaurant.

Although "The Artist" took home the Academy Award that night, it was the gleaming "Moneyball" dessert creation had guests buzzing at the end of the evening, over the sugary orb that encased a square of espresso praline crisp topped with dehydrated chocolate mousse.

Halekulani red carpet: Best dressed and a wardrobe malfunction

"The Artist": A canvas of green pea gelee with lobster, citrus and bouquet of herbs and edible flowers.

"Tree of Life": A tableau of roasted cauliflower, dotted with raisins, pine nuts and onion seeds.

"The Descendants": Kauai shrimp sitting on a cake of smoked pork belly in a pool of tomato honey sauce.

"Midnight in Paris": Steak frites with Café de Paris butter.

The frites were passed around, and there wasn't much left by the time I got the basket.

"The Moneyball": The sugar orb was cracked open to reveal its content of espresso praline crisp topped with dehydrated chocolate mousse.

These days, an extra place at the table is necessary for cell phones.

Guests who weren't munching on candy popcorn in between courses could take home their bags for their next film viewing.

Sustainability delicious at Halekulani

Nadine Kam photos
Patricia Tam, vice president of brand development for Halekulani with the hotel's executive chef Vikram Garg, welcomed guests to "An Evening of Sustainable Cuisine."

Thinking about food sustainability is a luxury when many struggle to simply put a nutritious meal on the table, but it is a topic that should have been discussed long ago, when it might have been possible for a farm industry to thrive and grow with the population.

Living on islands, we're always just one disaster away from being cut off from the rest of the world. If planes couldn't land, if ships couldn't dock, it wouldn't take long for food supplies to disappear.

There are environmental benefits to sustainable cuisine—using products that are grown, harvested and processed with the least amount of impact on the environment—as well, and Halekulani is doing its part to raise awareness through events like "An Evening of Sustainable Cuisne," which took place March 11.

The event, a benefit for the Culinary Insitute of the Pacific at Diamond Head, featured cuisine by Halekulani executive chef Vikram Garg, Roy Yamaguchi of Roy's Restaurants, and Ed Kenney of Town.

The menus were made possible with the support of Big Island Abalone Corp, Kahuku Farms, United Fishing Agency, Nalo Farms, Hamakua Mushrooms, Shinsato Hog Farm and Ma'o Organic Farms.

There was also wine from Hall Winery, California's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold-Certified Winery, as well as cocktails by Julie Reiner, beverage artist in residence, and herbal and kaffir and acai cocktails from Southern Wine & Spirits. Guests interested in the superfruit could also walk away with a bracelet made with acai seeds distributed to promote VeeV Acai Spirit.

Dishes put on the table proved that working for environmental and social good can be delicious.

Of course one part of sustainability is learning to use and appreciate all the food that comes from one animal, and not just savoring the "good parts." Ed Kenney put diners to the test with his coppa di testa or head cheese. Most people opted for sausage, instead. I passed as well, having come from a nine-course Chinese feast earlier that day.

Sorry, Ed! Maybe next time!

"Hawaii Five-0's" Alex O'Loughlin was there and I asked for a picture, which was OK until someone told him I was from the newspaper. He declined because he said he wasn't dressed for press, baseball cap and all. He looked good anyway and was the nicest guy nevertheless.

Chef Roy Yamaguchi with his team, from left, Jason Peel, Clayton Lau and Jacqueline Lau.

Red veal tartare, Vietnamese style, with cold phó noodles, basil lime aioli and quail egg, from Roy's.

Hawaiian ono sashimi with Hawaiian vanilla vinaigrette, Big Island heart of palm and Kahuku sea asparagus, from Roy's.

Among the dishes served by Halekulani was chilled Kona lobster with a sauce of Sumida Farm watercress and fenugreek butter. It was delicious and the first to run out, so I'm glad I got a taste while I could.

Town's Ed Kenney put his family to work, including daughter Celia and mom Beverly Noa.

Ed served a trio of dishes from one pig, from Shinsato Hog Farm. Shinsato chipolatas was an amazing light sausage, served with Ma'o Organic Farms radicchio and saba lima beans.

Master mixologist and Halekulani beverage artist in residence Julie Reiner created two drinks for the occasion, La Rosa of tequila, amaro, lemon juice, organic strawberry syrup finished with rose champagne, and here, she gives New Orleans Buck a shake. It's a refreshing blend of rum, ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup and fresh pineapple juice.

Bob and Janice Stanga of Hamakua Mushrooms show a beautiful mix of frilly pepeiao, giant Ali'i and white shimeji mushrooms, plus their newest offering, the Italian pioppini, the smaller brown ones in the midst of the Ali'is and shimejis.

Dean Okimoto's Nalo Farms provided most of the greens served by Roy's and Halekulani for the event. He's with Mandy Nguyen, left, and Vikram Garg's wife Abhilasha Kumar.

Oscar Night's celebratory meal

Nadine Kam photos
A white chocolate box of candied popcorn and petits fours was a postprandial treat at HIFF's Oscar Night America viewing party at Halekulani.


It's not every day you see grits on the menu at Halekulani, but for one night, Feb. 27, it was all about Oscar and executive chef Vikram Garg presented an Academy Awards-themed dinner to coincide with the hotel's hosting of the Hawaii International Film Festival's annual Oscar Night America 2011 viewing party.

After the red carpet walk, guests settled in for dinner and a 5 p.m. viewing of the Oscar ceremonies that others would be watching on their television sets at 7 p.m. The way the room and screens are set up help give the effect that you are there in the room with the nominees and winners.

I was downstairs taking photos, so missed "The Social Network" of canapes, but here are the rest of the dishes in the order presented:

 

"Inception" salad of Manoa salad with discs of hearts of palm and cured Saikou salmon, topped with a crunchy carambola star.

 

Creamy blue "True Grits" were topped with two jumbo shrimp, Iberico bellota and baby arugula.

 

Orange Fanta granité was the intermezzo.

 

 

"Beef Oscar" comprised a natural beef filet, topped with two large pieces of Alaskan king crab, with asparagus and mashed potatoes with Béarnaise.

 

A "Blue Valentine" dessert comprised a chocolate and champagne bombe, with blueberry and rose confit.