Gourmet Cuisine Arises at 3660

Since 1992, 3660 On The Rise has been treating customers to its creative Pacific Rim cuisine.

“We present familiar flavors utilizing classic French techniques,” explains chef de cuisine Lydell Leong.

For 3660, a crucial aspect of creating those familiar flavors is to integrate local products.

“These products are so readily available,” Leong says. “We like to support the local community, the local farmers. That’s invaluable — it’s a great outlet for them. And you can’t get any fresher than local.”

For a taste of 3660’s renowned fare, try Warm Duck Rillette on Shiitake Risotto Croquette ($8).

“It’s made out of a confit of duck leg. We season and marinate it for 24 hours, and then we let it confit for about two or three hours until it basically falls off the bone,” he explains. “And then we de-bone it while it is still hot before mixing it with some duck stock and cognac. I think the flavor really pulls through.”

The duck meat sits on a shiitake mushroom risotto croquette, which is pan-fried until crispy. The whole dish is then drizzled with a burgundy honey reduction and topped with micro-greens. It’s also served with a side of homemade lavash.

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad ($12) is another appetizer that offers familiar flavors prepared in an extraordinary way. 3660 enhances the concept of this classic salad by adding sliced prosciutto, micro basil and truffle-scented mozzarella, which includes slices of chopped truffles. The dish also utilizes fresh Big Island tomatoes. The salad is drizzled with a splash of white truffle oil, a sprinkle of Kona sea salt and a smoked balsamic reduction.

After those tantalizing appetizers, you’re certainly going to want to dig into the restaurant’s main courses. Masago Arare Crusted Fillet of Salmon ($28.50), features a Canadian organic salmon coated with masago arare pearls served atop a fire-roasted scallion musubi. It’s then topped with a tempura shiso leaf and a dollop of yuzu paste. The dish also features Waialua asparagus.

For a hearty dish, Leong recommends Grilled Kiawe Smoked Beef Tender-loin ($36) made with certified Black Angus beef.

“I brine it and I cold smoke it in-house with kiawe wood,” Leong explains.

The beef is then accented with a garlic sherry demiglace and topped with fire-roasted apple-wood smoked bacon. Two mushroom caps stuffed with Waialua asparagus and sauteed in butter and garlic add a finishing touch, along with a bit of paprika-scented hollandaise sauce.

“It may seem like a mouthful, but everything has its place,” Leong says.

3660 has a couple of exciting promotions coming up. During tax prep week starting April 8, the restaurant will offer 50 percent off of its wine menu. Easter Brunch is set for 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 20, featuring items such as Eggs Benedict, a waffle station, hand-rolled sushi and omelets.

On the Side

As chef de cuisine of 3660 On The Rise, Lydell Leong is living his lifelong dream. As a child he grew up cooking at home with his parents and grandparents.

“We have a big family, so food is just always a part of our gatherings,” he says. “(Cooking) needed to get done somehow, and somebody needed to do it.”

Through his childhood, he learned to cook a variety of foods, as both his grandmother and mother had eclectic culinary styles — preparing everything from Chinese to American and local-style cuisine.

“Out of high school, I knew what I wanted to do,” says Leong, who studied culinary arts at Kapiolani Community College and then worked at a few restaurants before he joined 3660 in 1996 as an entry-level cook. Now, Leong is at the top of his game and is responsible for creating some of the restaurant’s best dishes.

“It’s an ongoing process,” he says. “You try something and you find out which components work and which do not. If you need to, you go back to the drawing board.

“It’s one thing if I like it, but it is also very important that the customer likes it,” Leong says.

Contact Christina O’Connor at diningout@staradvertiser.com

3660 On the Rise

3660 Waialae Ave., Honolulu
737-1177
Tuesday – Sunday, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.