When Paradisaea restaurant opened in La Jolla’s quiet Bird Rock community last fall, its arrival sparked questions. Namely, what does its moniker mean and how do you pronounce it?
For the record, the dinner-only eatery was named after the genus of a species of six birds of paradise. And its name is pronounced “para-DEE-see-uh.”
But as obscure as that may seem, there’s nothing unapproachable about this charming and inviting restaurant. Culinary director Mark Welker’s food is bold and brightly acidic but deliciously balanced, with fresh takes on familiar dishes and innovative twists on everything from pasta to parfaits.
The main, 57-seat dining room at newly opened Paradisaea restauranht in Bird Rock, La Jolla.
(Courtesy of Douglas Friedman/Paradisaea)
La Jolla residents Eric and Zoe Kleinbub built their restaurant to be casual and affordable enough to be a come-as-you-are neighborhood hangout for locals. But it’s also elegant enough in its food preparation and service to be a date-night destination for San Diegans looking to try someplace new.
Eric earned a culinary degree at the now-shuttered Tante Marie Cooking School in San Francisco and Zoe’s mother owned several restaurants in New York City. When the couple decided to leave San Francisco in 2015 to start a family, they moved to the same La Jolla neighborhood where Eric grew up (his parents live right across the street).
In 2018, the Kleinbubs purchased a historic 1949-era building at 5680 La Jolla Blvd. designed by famed architect William Kesling. Locals called it the “piano building” because it once housed a piano store. With the Georgis & Mirgorodsky design firm, the Kleinbubs renovated the building, but kept its Midcentury Modern look and bones, and they decorated it with a tropical bird of paradise theme. The 4,500-square-foot building is now home to both Paradisaea and a sister eatery, Dodo Bird Donuts, a daytime cafe.
Mark Welker, culinary director and executive chef at Paradisaea restaurant in the Bird Rock area of La Jolla.
(Courtesy of Douglas Friedman)
To run the restaurants’ culinary program and serve as executive chef, the Kleinbubs hired Welker, who spent 10 years with the Michelin three-star restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York City and the luxury NoMad Hotel chain. When the pandemic arrived, Welker decided to make a change, move west and find a city where he could get out in nature more and learn to surf.
Most of Welker’s years with the Eleven Madison Park, its parent company Make It Nice restaurant group, and NoMad were as an executive and corporate pastry chef — a job that demands attention to detail, consistency and precise execution. Those skills have served him well at Paradisaea, where every dish is composed with thought and plated with care.
Some of the hallmarks of Welker’s ever-evolving seasonal menu are fresh-caught fish gently enhanced with citrus juices and chile oils rather than heavy sauces; exotic ground peppers; whole-grain mustard; flavorful fresh herbs like sumac and dill; micro-seasonal produce; and a light sprinkle of salt crystals to enhance everything, savory or sweet.
Northern halibut tempura at Paradisaea restaurant in La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood.
(Courtsy of John Dole)
While Welker likes working with less common ingredients, he also enjoys playing with classic American dishes. His 14-day dry-aged Flannery beef burger is served on a Portuguese bun festooned British pub-style with tiny paper flags. The beef is buttery and smoky, with a side of fresh-cut shoestring fries and a tangy mustard-mayo dip.
The coconut shrimp isn’t the pounded flat, battered and deep-fried variety found in many Polynesian restaurants. Instead, Welker’s flavor-bomb alternative is four head-on prawns skewered on a stick, basted with harissa-lemon marinade and grilled, then served with a side of creamy coconut-harissa sauce and lime.
As at most San Diego seafood restaurants, there are halibut and sea bass dishes on the menu. But the halibut is cubed, tempura batter-fried and served in butter lettuce wraps with crunchy veggies, and sides of green curry aioli and sweet garlic chile sauce. The white Baja sea bass is poached in olive oil and served in a pool of aromatic smoked paprika lemon verbena nage (broth) with a side of stuffed squash blossoms.
Jalapeno Caesar salad at Paradisaea restaurant in La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood.
(Courtesy of John Dole)
The jalapeño Caesar salad surprises with its mountain of finely shredded Parmesan cheese over layers of butter lettuce and crouton wafers, drizzled with a light lemon-anchovy dressing and topped with slices of jalapeño and Fresno chiles. It’s playful, unique and packs a spicy punch. Another surprise was the morrel mushroom and ramp tagliatelle, which utilized the two delicate and hard-to-find spring season ingredients served over a bright green parsley pasta. The pasta brought an unexpected peppery flavor to the dish that was also enhanced with a light sherry sauce.
Dessert is Welker’s specialty, so save room. My table’s favorite dessert was the fruit Creamsicle, a frozen treat with poached strawberries, fresh strawberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream topped with a dry ice-frozen meringue cap that explodes with a puff of smoke when tapped with a spoon. The fruit at the center of this dish changes with the season.
The mango Creamsicle dessert at Paradisaea restaurant in La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood.
(Courtesy of Douglas Freidman)
Also nice was the Dark Chocolate Pave, a chilled pastry with devil’s food cake, chocolate mousse, milk chocolate sorbet, cacao nibs and a dusting of shaved hazelnuts. And fans of Eleven Madison Park may enjoy the Straus Milk and Honey, which is a takeoff on one of Welker’s most famous desserts at the Michelin-starred property. The sundae-like creation mixed a soft-serve ice cream made with organic Straus milk, honey oat shortbread, bee pollen and crunchy shards of honeycomb candy.
Straus milk and honey sundae at Paradisaea restaurant in La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood.
(Courtesy of John Dole)
Paradisaea also has a small cocktail bar, with a beautifully hand-designed and watercolor-painted menu of classic 1950s-style tiki drinks served in festive glass tiki mugs. An outdoor patio opened this spring for casual dining.
The Paradisaea menu is best explored tapas -style. I dined with two friends and we split the bill three ways. Together we ordered nearly a dozen dishes and my portion of the bill was just over $100, without tip or alcohol — which was very affordable for the amount and quality of the food we ate.
Like Bird Rock itself, Paradisaea is a bit off the beaten path, but it’s worth the trip. I love making new dining discoveries in San Diego, and Paradisaea surprised me as much as Wolf in the Woods — a hidden gem in Mission Hills — did in 2022. Take my advice and don’t let Paradisaea’s hard-to-spell name delay a visit.
Paradisaea
Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. 3 to 10 p.m. Fridays-Sundays
Where: 5680 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla
Phone: (858) 255-8011
Online: paradisaea.com
The tiki-style cocktail bar at Paradisaea restaurant in the Bird Rock neighborhood of La Jolla.
(Courtesy of Douglas Friedman)