Departure: New Chef, New Menu, and Great Eats in Portland [Photos]

While I was at the Churchill Nines media preview, you may remember that I mentioned meeting Brian Woolley, the Director of Food and Beverage at The Nines hotel. He mentioned that they had a new chef and a recent menu change at Departure, and asked if I wanted to learn more. Heck yeah, I did! Their PR firm helped arrange a tasting for myself and Judith—which means that this meal was comped, but our opinions are our own.

Here’s what we tried and a few tidbits of info about what’s up these days at Departure.

Meeting Chef U’i

Early on we were visited at our table by Chef U’ilaniku’ulei Vele herself! She is the Executive Chef at Departure, but she was a line cook there in 2017 under Gregory Gourdet’s time at Departure. She brings her Polynesian and Samoan heritage to influence the menu, mixing that with the seasonal bounty of the PNW and her broad experiences in restaurant kitchens along the west coast.

Before this, she was the executive chef at The Hoxton, Portland managing Lovely Rita—which, of course, is a space currently occupied by Pamana, serving brunch and dinner.

Departure: Origins of the New Chef

Here’s what Departure wrote a few months ago to announce the return of Chef U’i at Departure:

“Born and raised on O‘ahu and shaped by kitchens up and down the West Coast, her approach blends bold flavors, local ingredients, and a strong sense of community—both on the plate and beyond. Expect an evolving menu that feels fresh, approachable, and deeply intentional, with dishes like coconut lemongrass mussels, chili garlic noodles, and vibrant seasonal greens.”

Chef U’i’s (Brief) Autobiography

Chef U’i told us a little bit about her background. “I was born and raised in Hawaii, grew up in Waiʻanae on the west side, and then when I was 12, my parents moved to California,” she said. “They bought a house in the Central Valley.” That was in Modesto. What a change.

She continued, “We moved there 2001 or 2002, and it was still underdeveloped. Lots of farmland around us, and I was like, ‘So where’s the beach? Where’s the sunshine?'” The tule fog is real.

She spent time in Northern California, and started cooking professionally in Sacramento around 2010. “I just made my way up!” she said. “I worked at Low Brau, I worked at Tank House. I worked for the Wongs—they had probably five or six restaurants when I was there.” Before that, she cooked further south in the Bay Area and further east in the Yosemite Valley.

What We Ate at Departure

Here’s what we at at dinner, with comments from both myself and Judith (indicated with our names in brackets).

I was told this was Chef U’i’s favorite and of all the dishes that night it was mine, too. It’s made with big eye tuna, red yuzu kosho, avocado, sesame, and a big kind of ruffly rice chip. The poke had a little bit of a kick, and the mix of the tender tuna, the crunchy cucumber, and the smooth avocado was really nice. The edible flowers were a nice touch, too. [Meg]

The presentation of this dish was gorgeous and as a local foodie friend of ours, Jordan recently said, “you eat with your eyes first.” This dish is the epitome of that and it’s so attractive that you can’t wait to dig in. The flavors in the poke are bold and have a strong point of view, but they’re also delicate. In terms of texture, the juxtaposition between the tender fish and the airy crisp is was absolutely delightful. [Judith]

Chef U’i told us about this dish: “So admittedly, sushi is not my strongest. This is just inspired by stuff that I like to put together. I love eating sushi—we get some beautiful hamachi in.”

She continued, “This has a hamachi loin on top, on the inside you’ve got house-dipped shrimp tempura, and then a Meyer lemon aioli [on the bottom] and slices of Meyer lemon [on top].

I’m not sure why Chef U’i downplayed this dish because it’s a total standout. I wanted more of it! Chef has a real gift for pairing contrasting textures in a way that feels natural and harmonious. The shrimp tempura was perfectly crisp and delicious, balanced beautifully by the bright citrus notes of Meyer lemon. It tasted like spring on a plate! [Judith]

This Salmon Belly Tartare has minced salmon belly with yuzu atop squares of sushi rice with a crisp exterior and kind of chewy interior, then topped with avocado, sesame seeds, and little microgreens. I really enjoyed this—salmon and rice, plus a bit of avocado, what’s not to love‽ [Meg]

What a special, inventive dish! The crispy rice had me at hello, and once again it was visually stunning. As a big salmon fan, I loved the rich, indulgent salmon belly on top, which was portioned out perfectly. Just a little bit went a long way. [Judith]

As many of you know, I’m not a big fan of prawns or shrimp (it’s a textural thing) but I eat them sometimes out of politeness and curiosity. This time it was curiosity. And this dish was really interesting. There were three big prawns sitting on top of a base of coconut-lime cream that was lovely and rich. There were chiles, strips of daikon radishes, mint, macadamia nuts, topped with a tamarind-chili dressing and sprouts. [Meg]

Another vibrant dish, there was so much to take in on one plate! A medley of bold and interesting flavors, the dish was constructed carefully with rich prawns, bright daikon radish, fresh mint, and crunchy macadamia nuts. But the true standout was the coconut lime cream at the bottom, just waiting to be scooped up and savored. Consider this a little foreshadowing to Portland Salad Week and what’s to come in terms of favorites. [Judith]

The mussels sat in a coconut lemongrass broth, with a grilled Vietnamese baguette on the side. It was awesomely smoky and perfect dunked in the broth. There were rings of peppers, some bok choi, and plenty of cilantro. [Meg]

While I enjoyed the dish and was happy to dig in, it wasn’t a standout for me. Similar to what Meg mentioned about the prawns, the texture of the mussels isn’t my favorite. The coconut lemongrass broth was nice, but a bit muted. That said, the grilled baguette was exceptional and I was perfectly content just dunking that into the broth. [Judith]

I did not expect to like this as much as I did—and it came late in the meal when we were getting full—but I would totally order this again. I loved the tang present from the lime; the crab was both Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, plus Thai basil and lemongrass. [Meg]

This dish was a real exclamation point to our meal, arriving as the final savory item. It packed in so much flavor, with a subtle, sneaky spice that built at the end of each bite and lingered just long enough to pull you right back in for more. The crab was rich and tender, pairing nicely with bright notes of lemongrass, Thai basil, and lime. And it’s worth noting that it made for fantastic leftovers the next day. [Judith]

Still, we had room for dessert, and it was really a tiny thing—perfect for us. Ube butter mochi cake with this macadamia nut streusel. Beautiful to look at, delicious to eat. [Meg]

Oh my! Another beautiful medley of textures and flavors on a plate, and the perfect way to end our evening at Departure. The mochi cake had a stunning deep purple hue that was as appetizing as it was striking, especially set against the crunch of the macadamia streusel. Once again, Chef U’i’s Hawaiian roots were beautifully on display! [Judith]

Food and Drink director Brian Woolley came by to say hello and told us that it was the last day for the cherry blossom activation on the East Deck. He encouraged us to go over and take a look at the city. Gorgeous.

He also told us they are working on a new cocktail menu that will be revealed very soon. And Departure’s West Deck re-opened last Friday, May 1.

Many thanks to Departure for having us and showing off Chef U’i’s menu!

Departure
525 SW Morrison Street, 15th Floor, Portland
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