Chef Kevin Lee takes pleasure in simple elegance at his Pai Honolulu restaurant, where the food and decor reflect his taste for minimalism.

“My style of cooking as well as presentation is pretty minimalist … You’re able to see the technique, there’s really nothing to hide behind,” he said. “The food we make has many layers of flavor and texture that highlight one or two particular ingredients per course,” often in unexpected combinations.

The intention of Pai Honolulu is “to excite, encourage, raise up, rouse,” the menu promises, summed up in the Hawaiian word, “pai.”

BEFORE OPENING his downtown restaurant last June, the 36-year-old California native made his mark as sous chef at Dovetail in New York, helping that restaurant earn its first Michelin star, then spent several months at the three-star Bo Innovation in Hong Kong. In 2011 he helped open the innovative Prima in Kailua, then became a private caterer with a side business sharpening chefs’ knives.

Lee’s menus are “kaiseki inspired,” referring to the classic Japanese meal that highlights seasonal ingredients, artistically designed and presented in multiple courses. His tasting menu has 10 to 13 courses, while a “rustic menu” offers four to five larger courses. Both are rotated every six to eight weeks.

His restaurant draws the “adventurous type of eater,” Lee said, able to appreciate such dishes as his Agedashi XO Turnip Cake, a modern twist on Chinese food.

“We’re taking a Chinese dim sum and presenting it in a Japanese way” — fried and served in broth.

A sixth-generation Chinese-American, Lee found recent inspiration in an art piece — a subdued display in warm shades of brown comprising a classic Chinese ink brush, brush holder and scrolled stand from the 17th to 20th centuries.

He crafted a dish for a special event out of roasted baby carrots and grains, boldly garnished with a swirling brush stroke of bright yellow — made with spicy carrot miso. The grains consisted of braised lentils, steamed quinoa and carrot miso, with accents of green carrot top pesto. It was crowned with a frill of red mustard leaves.

He wasn’t trying to replicate the Chinese writing tools, but merely to reflect their simple beauty, and the culture and rich history they symbolized. They reminded him of his own tools, the knives in particular.

“More often than not, the hardest things to make are simple. One of the reasons I was drawn to the paint brush was because it is not only beautiful, but also has clean lines, very well made, minimalistic. … With the care I give my knives, I am sure the same amount of attention has been taken by each Chinese scholar and/or artist for their prized tools.”

Even the plates for his dishes are custom made specifically for each dish, said Lee, who works with Kuhn’s Pottery locally. For instance, his dry-aged steaks are served on a heavy, rustic plate with a color and texture that beefs up the feel of the entire dish.

LEE’S CUISINE is staged on simple place settings on spare wood tables, with natural-weave mats, napkins and glassware. Chopsticks rest on an abalone shell. No superfluous tablecloths, flowers, candles or bottles of shoyu.

Diners are surrounded by dusky teal walls, interspersed with sections of polished blond wood, and a view of the courtyard that runs along the curving length of the room. It’s an open, spacious feel, with strategic lighting that generates an inviting warmth wherever you sit, whether at the chef’s counter, bar or a corner lounge with a sofa and ottomans.

“I wanted the guest to feel comfortable,” Lee said, “like visiting someone at their home.”

Pai is in Harbor Court, 55 Merchant St., open for dinner Tuesdays to Saturdays. Call 744-2531.