Advertising whiz, artist extraordinaire and ‘amazing’ closet chef Patrick Waldemar called SunDay Cuisine in the middle of a meal on the South Coast at a boutique hotel called MarBlue. The description of the fillet of red snapper with oxtail Merlot and iced goat cheese praline lingered for the two weeks it took us to experience what we can only describe as ‘food bliss’.

THE instructions are pretty straightforward, so we take the road to Jake’s and with Kingfisher Plaza in sight, spot the first Marblue sign. The second one takes us through the bleach-white entrance (the sign is blue).

It’s perhaps the word ‘domicil’ that suggests a cosy bed and breakfast abode and so our expectations are of entering into a mundane existence. Perish the thought! Waldemar, so blown away by the cuisine, forgot (perhaps) to make mention of the fact that the owner, Axel Wichterich, is an architect and that his wife Andrea worked for years in ‘haute couture’. The entrance is spectacular.

Picture this: blistering South Coast sun bouncing off stark white walls, an entrance that places you in the middle of a sensuous caressing breeze, lounge chairs and cushions that beg to be disturbed, a colourful bar to the left, the bluest of pools and a sea so spectacular that you’d be forgiven, in light of the Easter season, for contemplating the chasms of Hereafter.

With a glass of Champagne in hand, we peek at a few of the truly chic (allow us to stress boutique chic) villa suites with rooms so airy, so deliciously relaxing (plunge pool and all), and with beds so inviting and bathrooms so ample and thoroughly modern that we fully understand why Marblue must remain a three-junior suite, five-villa suite, total population 16-room boutique hotel – and, surely, Jamaica’s most stylish best-kept secret.

It’s lunch time, however, and time to match cuisine to décor.

“I’ve always loved to cook,” shares Axel, as he places our first course – lobster tail on a bed of potato vanilla snow. “I used to sit and do my homework in very close proximity to the kitchen where my grandmother spent a lot of time cooking.”

The German architect who – as many have done – fell hard for Jamaica after a vacation, has been tempting palates for the past four years. When teased about the architect/food connection he smiles and suggests ‘construct cuisine’ as a possible name. Truth be told, however, Axel needs no label to add credence to his excellent fare.

“I’ve stayed small because I don’t think cooking for more people is really what I’m about, nor would it be as much fun,” he says.

Perhaps not, but the thought that many would never experience a lobster so fresh, gently simmered in a vegetable broth, ever so slightly sautéed in butter and a potato puree so delicate, flavoured with vanilla bean, seems tragic.

Thankfully, SunDay Cuisine can lay claim to having sat at one of the cosy, locally-made (Middle Quarters) wooden tables set with silverware given as a gift to the couple by Andrea’s parents to commemorate the hotel’s official opening, and the finest linen, carefully draped across the tables.

The dining room is an experiment in creating successful intimacy – the chef is visible at the range as is the azure of the sea, the constant cross-breeze renders the ceiling fan redundant and there’s just enough art and interesting pieces to keep the eye wandering.

Food is cooked to order and from scratch by a man who, according to his wife, “prepares all of his dishes with love… I remember he cooked for me on our first date.”

‘How fortunate!’ we surmise as we await the entrée, Axel’s fillet of red snapper atop oxtail Merlot and iced goat cheese Praline is a study in tastes and illustrates a sensitivity to food that so few persons can lay claim to even comprehend let alone master.

And so, we have the delicate snapper with the opulently rich oxtail Merlot that works as a perfect foil, not as a competing protein, and finally the explosion of iced goat cheese. It’s sheer magic. Perhaps we finally understand ‘construct cuisine’ and do need to affix a label to Axel’s fare.

Dessert, in keeping both with the season and the chef’s creativity, is French-toasted HTB Easter bun with home-made guava ice-cream. It’s an act of wizardry, with the portion so precise – there goes that term again ‘construct cuisine’ – that we close fork and spoon wishing for one spoonful more…

Guests in residence this Easter Sunday morning at Marblue are in for a gastronomic treat today (fact is, they’ve been thoroughly spoiled since Thursday evening).

Think of us as you enjoy Jamaica’s unspoiled South Coast and the gracious hospitality of Andrea and Axel Wichterich.

Marblue

Domicil & Verandah Villa Suites

Old Wharf, Calabash Bay, Treasure Beach,

St Elizabeth

Reservations are a must: 965 3408/840-5772. Other interesting menu items include: Filet mignon wrapped in Blue Mountain Coffee, Red Thai curry chicken, Tempura from Smoked Marlin and Red Thai curry goat. Dessert creations range from coconut pineapple tart and carameilsed pancakes with coffee ice-cream to crème brulee with coconut crust.

The bartender blends excellent fruit punches as well as papaya ginger smoothies, Appleton Blue Mountain Snow and Bunny Blue (pineapple, Blue Curacao, Vodka and lime-juice.

The wine list suggests both Italian and French and Veuve Clicquot is the Champagne that’s poured.