Losing a high-profile chef to the private dining sector can feel like a great loss, on par with seeing master works of art auctioned off to private collectors, removed from public view.
In a way, it’s like a return to the roots of connoisseurship, when only the wealthy could afford to commission works of art and have a cadre of cooks at their service.
But in our democratic society, we’ve become quite entitled and share a belief that great works — whether visible, readable, audible or edible — should be available to everyone.
So I had that feeling of loss when Vikram Garg, former executive chef at the Halekulani, disappeared from the public eye three years ago after partnering to develop and lead the hospitality division of the MacNaughton Group, a Hawaii-based real estate development company.
I kept hoping for his return.
Well, he’s back, though not in the way I had expected, with a permanent restaurant of his own. Instead, fans of the chef can — over the next 18 months or so — indulge in a restaurant pop-up called TBD … at the Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head. The MacNaughton Group bought the hotel and will keep the restaurant open in the initial phase of a long-term renovation and development plan.
The “To Be Determined” reference of the restaurant’s name reflects its experimental and evolutionary nature and Garg’s desire to bring fun and light-heartedness to the table after thinking about what makes life special. He determined it’s a series of random, fleeting micro moments of happiness and pleasure. It’s those moments he hopes to create at the table with a menu that reflects his global journey, which started in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India, and led to Dubai, the British Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., and Hawaii.
THE ROOM is essentially the same as it was when it originally opened more than 20 years ago as David Paul’s Diamond Head Grill. Only the furnishings and art elements have changed.
Guests are greeted in 19th-century European style with a complimentary aperitif, with or without alcohol. It’s a clever sales pitch. Both times I was there these were so good I ordered a second right away. Most recently, it was a blend of Earl Grey tea, cucumber, lemon and club soda.
Then the adventure begins. Fun comes in elements such as a popcorn soup ($12), a browned butter and corn puree finished with a handful of popcorn that adds an element of crunch to the delicious puree. Dinner might end with a dessert of a cookie jar filled with a half dozen chocolate chip cookies ($18) to bring out the kid in us.
Garg’s menu of modern American cuisine features many elements of Hawaii’s melting pot culture, but for me the high points are those moments when Garg draws on his culinary heritage, having grown up with food influenced by his native Indian, Thai and Burmese traditions. His is the rare American kitchen with a tandoor oven. Meat is lowered into the tandoor on metal skewers and cooked with a combination of intense fire and radiated heat that leaves it smoky and tender, making his TFC (tandoori fried chicken, $29) one of my favorite dishes on the menu. Any weight from being fried is balanced with the tart, verdant aspects of a green mango chutney paste and Greek yogurt.
Other favorites are an appetizer of kofta, or meatballs ($18), in a cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce, and the TBD … bento ($29), the familiar Japanese lunch box given a Mediterranean twist with a mezze of hummus, smoked eggplant and falafel served with pita, lettuce and other greens for making light summer wraps. His rationale in creating some of his dishes was to keep hands busy so that diners could be in the moment, without retreating to their phones.
Where prices may catch you by surprise are with entrees such as a seafood hot pot ($59). By local standards it’s a very small portion, but the flavor is gold, a classic lobster bisque infused with the flavors of kaffir lime, lemon grass and cognac, into which go a lobster tail, shrimp and fish.
It’s made to be enjoyed with Japanese Niigata prefecture koshihikari rice, 60% polished to bring out its delicate nature.
OTHER MAIN dishes include a tamarind-braised lamb shank ($42), served with ulu mash; seabass or other seasonal fish ($36), baked in a mushroom crust topped with green peas and mint, dressed with preserved lemon aioli; grilled prime rib-eye or tenderloin ($69); or an aged tomahawk steak for two ($169), with a spice box collection of seven chutneys and sauces drawing from culinary traditions East and West.
Beyond the cookie jar already mentioned, there are some amazing desserts, starting with the visual splendor of a mango kulfi ($14) ice cream bar in colors of a sunset, topped with 23K edible gold leaf, bits of freeze-dried yogurt and pistachios.
Also sure to satisfy dessert lovers are croque-en-bouche banana cream puffs with caramel and rum ($14) and the Equatoriale Chocolate Cup Cake ($12), a deconstructed cupcake of sponge cake and black sesame crunch cremeux.
TBD …
The Lotus Hotel at Diamond Head, 2885 Kalakaua Ave.
Food: ***1/2
Service: ***1/2
Ambiance: ***1/2
Value: ***
>> Call: 791-5164
>> Hours: 5 to 10 p.m.; breakfast starting soon
>> Prices: About $120 to $140 for two without alcohol
Ratings compare similar restaurants:
**** – excellent
*** – very good
** – average
* – below average
Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.
