The first night after chef Marcus Jernmark arrived in Los Angeles, he went to dinner at Walter and Margarita Manzke’s Bicyclette on Pico Boulevard. Now, four years later, nearly to the day, Jernmark has opened Lielle — California ingredients prepared with Nordic cooking techniques — in the former Bicyclette space.
“It’s a nice full-circle moment,” the chef tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Jernmark is one of Sweden’s most famous chefs, and has rounded the globe cooking in several Michelin three-starred kitchens (Restaurant Frantzén in Stockholm, Restaurant Zén in Singapore, Per Se in New York, and Aquavit, also in New York and which he co-owned). It’s an impressive pedigree, but coming to L.A. required a bit of a change: white tablecloths and rigid tasting menus just don’t hold much weight here. “It’s not necessarily something that Angelenos are longing for,” said Jernmark. So when he and his wife, Andrea, decided to open their own restaurant in L.A., they kept “the intention of cooking the best food there is and working with the best producers, but ripping the tablecloth away and cutting the check average in half.”
The result is an intimate 42-seat restaurant that finds a sweet spot between haute cuisine and a more social dining atmosphere. Lielle will operate off a four-course menu ($150 per person) using seasonal ingredients Jernmark and chef de cuisine Matthew Bowden (previously of Providence) scoured from around California. That means abalone and seaweed from Monterey Abalone Company, and cheese from Petaluma’s Andante Dairy. California is Lielle’s inspiration, while Jernmark’s Nordic roots inform his seasonal approach.
“I refer to it as ‘survival cooking’,” he explained. “We’re going to be using whatever is best in season here, and while we’re using that, we’re also going to be preserving it for the next menu.” For example, the Oro Blanco grapefruits used on the current menu for an artichoke dish will have their peels zested and fermented to be used as a spicy condiment for the Spring menu.
Phil South, former beverage director of The Lonely Oyster, is overseeing the California-heavy wine list. Jernmark and South crafted wine pairings under the idea that what grows together goes together. A dish that serves rice and seaweed grown in Sacramento is paired with a local Chenin Blanc.
Lielle’s location will no doubt make it a hit with industry types from nearby studios and agencies. But Jernmark envisions the space as something flexible that can fit various occasions: “I think that’s what’s missing in a lot of fine dining restaurants — you only go there for one reason, and to take a picture of your expensive meal.”
To that end, expect a more casual sister restaurant, Mareé, to open later this year. “I want guests to be able to choose their own adventure and decide why they’re coming back.”
Lielle is open from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday at 9575 West Pico Boulevard, Beverlywood
