A potpourri of food cultures, all the way from Sweden and Ethiopia to New York sizzle up on the menu of Hav & Mar, the latest restaurant in NYC by chef Marcus Samuelsson.
A rather celebratory return to the high-spirited streets of New York, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson has arrived in Chelsea to open doors to his world of cosmopolitan, comfort food. Dubbed Hav & Mar, the new restaurant displays the chef’s prowess in bringing a toothsome fare of seafood to the patrons in the most creative and sustainable ways.
While the main man behind Hav & Mar in New York is chef Marcus Samuelsson, a solid team of culinary stars join him in this journey, too. A Brooklyn native, chef Rose Noël who previously helmed Maialino Mare in Washington D.C., is the executive chef with others leading as head bakers, chef de cuisine, sous chef and so on. Chef Marcus has dabbled with a variety of restaurants before Hav & Mar, including Red Rooster Harlem in NY, Marcus Montreal and Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House in The Bahamas. Interestingly to note, he played the guest chef for the first state dinner at the Obama administration, too.
A cultural magic by Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Located strategically in the dynamic centre of the arts district of Chelsea in the Starrett-Lehigh building, Hav & Mar, in first glance, is in fact a curiosity-piquing name. It suggests chef Marcus’s roots and heritage that go all the way to Ethiopia in Africa where he was born and Sweden, where he was raised most of his childhood. Hav translates to ocean in Swedish, while Mar is for honey in Amharic, the official Ethiopian language.
Just as you’d expect coming from the star chef Marcus Samuelsson, who has always showcased an exemplary fusion of the rich culinary cultures he has lived in—at Hav & Mar, a few star dishes stand out as well. Take for example, The Swediopian, a small plate that bursts in colours and flavours alike with berbere-cured salmon, mustard seed caviar and buckthorn. Then there is, The Grand Jubilee, which the restaurant calls the ultimate family-style recipe. A cosy party of seafood and flavours as it is, the dish is made with roasted chicken, mussels, Maine lobster, turmeric rice and lemon.
You can’t miss the Mermaid Black Rice! Harbouring delightful influences from chef Rose Noel’s Haitian roots, the dish is a beautiful play on ingredients with Djon-Djon mushrooms, Maine lobster, jumbo Lump crab and bright green peas.
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