Chef Phillip Frankland Lee serves unexpected delights at Leviathan in Encino

The cooking of Phillip Frankland Lee — and the chef himself by extension — is a fascinating, amazing culinary conundrum. He is, at the very least, unexpected. Turn it up a notch and we hit something between experimental and eccentric.

He’s a Valley lad who’s occasionally ventured to Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara. But has always returned to his home turf — and to Encino, in particular, where four of his restaurants are found clustered in an upscale Ventura Boulevard mall: Scratch Bar & Kitchen, Pasta Bar and Sushi Bar upstairs, and his new Leviathan downstairs, where he offers “the flavors of the ocean, one plate at a time.” It’s cooked in an outdoor kitchen, where diners/participants can watch as their dishes are prepared over grills that remind me of my backyard Weber — only far more high-tech.

Chef Lee’s rise to food world prominence would make Horatio Alger proud. He actually began his career as a dishwasher at age 18. By age 21, he had the title of sous chef. At 24, he had graduated to executive chef. And at age 25, he had his own restaurant. His rise has been helped by a style of both obsessive perfection and edgy temperament that earned him spots on TV food competitions like “Chopped,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Top Chef” and “Cutthroat Kitchen.”

He attended Le Cordon Bleu, and worked with chefs Quinn Hatfield and Stefan Richter here in LA, and at the fabled Alinea and L2O in Chicago. He saw what he wanted, and what he didn’t want. And it boiled down to food that was accessible, reasonably priced — and filled with unexpected twists and turns. Maine lobster with fennel, peach and yogurt? Sure…why not?

And, it should be noted, when a chef tries to be experimental, like a batter who swings for the fences every time, sometimes he strikes out.

In my review of his long-closed Studio City vegan restaurant, Gadarene Swine (it’s a reference to a tale told in the Gospels), I wrote, “…at The Gadarene Swine — well, I missed the swine. Not because I needed meat. But because I needed substance, especially when the menu declares the dishes to be ‘Best When Shared.’ The roasted garlic and fresh thyme popcorn was barely a thimble of food — a tiny, somewhat artsy bowl (all the serving pieces feel like they were made by holy venerables in the distant hills) with a couple of nibbles of popcorn. Tasty popcorn, nicely flavored with a hint of garlic and a smidgen of thyme. And not much had to be done to turn it vegan; popcorn is a vegan treat, as long as it’s not been popped in butter. Or lard from those Gadarene Swine…”

In the case of Leviathan (a reference is this case to the Old Testament), the portions aren’t large — but they are sufficient. And they’re so…intriguing. Especially eaten on a warm night, under the softly glowing Encino sky, with the aroma of proteins and veggies caramelizing over a sizzling grill.

Seated at Leviathan, even in these stress-heavy days, with the fire season far from over, it was hard not to mellow out at Leviathan — especially with a cold glass of Isabelle Garrault Sancerre in hand. (And yes, I do love minerally whites, not wisely, and far too much!)

And the flavor combinations always fascinate, even challenge, found on a small menu that changes from week to week. (PF Lee is not the sort of chef who likes to repeat himself.) The chef likes to mix savory and sweet. Not just the lobster with peach. But also shima aji with melon, king crab with watermelon, pork belly with melon and mint, wagyu ribeye with figs and peanuts.

But let me emphasize — this is not toy food. The mackerel with squash, eggplant and peppers is a finely elegant creation, the properly cooked veggies calming the natural oiliness of the fish. I’m always happy to find a quail egg, along with bottarga (salted cured fish roe) on any dish — and finding it with spot prawns made me ecstatically happy on Ventura Boulevard.

It must be noted that the Scratch Restaurants are a husband and wife creation. PF Lee met his wife/pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee in the seventh grade. “Margarita’s sourdough” is found under the salt cod (with tomatoes and olives) and in the panna cotta dessert. I’m not sure if she’s his muse, or he hers. Or perhaps, it’s mutual.

Whatever, it’s made for a fourth restaurant at 16101 Ventura. Restaurants that have turned this particular mall into a culinary oasis. The Boulevard is a hotbed of pancakes and pastries. But Leviathan is sui generis. And like its namesake, that’s big.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.

Leviathan

• Rating: 3 stars
• Address: 16101 Ventura Blvd., Encino
• Information: 818-876-0818; www.exploretock.com/leviathan
• Cuisine: Seafood
• When: Dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday
• Details: Full bar; reservations essential
• Atmosphere: The latest creation from creatively restless chef Phillip Frankland Lee, in a mall space beneath his Scratch Bar & Kitchen, Pasta Bar and Sushi Bar, serving “the flavors of the ocean, one plate at a time” from an open-air kitchen to a small patio of loyal diners. A unique PF Lee experience.
• Prices: About $50 per person
• Suggested dishes (menu changes weekly; recently offered): Blue Fin Tuna ($19), Spot Prawn ($23), Mackerel ($18), Shima Aji ($19), King Crab ($24), Salt Cod ($17), Baby Octopus ($19), Ocean Trout ($29), Maine Lobster ($42), Branzino ($26), Pork Belly ($26), Wagyu Ribeye ($34/$79)
• Cards: MC, V