NEW YORK RESTAURANT REVIEW: Semma

People often ask me what is my favorite type of food, and I struggle to answer, because I like all the foods. But if pressed I usually answer Indian, because it's such a vibrant cuisine that features so many incredible spices and seemingly endless regional variations. Or maybe it's simply because many of my closest friends are Indian and I'm just gassing up their motherland, as I'd expect them to do for Czech food on their blogs.

I've been fortunate enough to experience amazing Indian fare all over the globe, from at home in Houston (Musaafer, Pondicheri, etc..), to Gymkhana in London (the planet's only Michelin two-star Indian restaurant), to a random takeaway spot in Russell, New Zealand that was unexpectedly one of the best meals I've ever had. Why is this so? You might be surprised to learn that India has over *Dr. Evil voice* ONE MILLION PEOPLE (actually closer to 1.5 billion, give or take), so there are numerous ex-pats throughout the world, bringing their exquisite culinary delights to the masses. For some reason, seemingly the only place where this doesn't happen is my neighborhood.

Last time out in New York I enjoyed dining at Dhamaka, which features provincial cuisine, the "forgotten side" of Indian gastronomy. So when I learned that the restaurant group (Unapologetic Foods) behind it also had a Tamil spot in the West Village, I had to go see for myself. It turns out that Semma is one of the hottest tables in the city, but fortunately I have become somewhat of a wizard when it comes to reservations in NYC and beyond (stay tuned for my next post, where I discuss this topic at length), so I was able to secure a booking with only mild vexation.

South Indian cooking is quite different than the more common anglicized North Indian restaurants that you'll usually see: there's no chicken tikka masala on the menu here, that's for sure. Instead of creamy, dairy-based curries, the food is lighter and spicier, often featuring coconut milk and lentils in lieu of butter and wheat. That said, these are very broad generalizations, and there's always going to be some overlap and borrowing from one to the other.

Semma is a hopping little spot on Greenwich Avenue with a bright color palate and really tremendous service, though a surprisingly casual vibe. It was awarded one Michelin Star (the only Indian eatery with this distinction in the Big Apple), chef Vijay Kumar won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York State, and this year it was even named the #1 restaurant in NYC by The New York Times, so the accolades are definitely there. Let's find out if it lives up to the hype, shall we?

The menu is divided into small, medium, and large dishes, with a few sides of rice and breads. It goes without saying that I tried several from each category. By the way, for those concerned that I order and eat too much food (you know who you are), this was a five person dinner shared family-style, so no need to worry. Though I was clearly the Hakeem Olajuwon of this 1993-94 Houston Rockets eating team when it came to amount consumed (yes, that's a subtle dig at the Knicks, we can't be too complimentary of New York here).

As this was a social affair with some folks I hadn't seen in a long time, and there were a lot of dishes to go around, I may not have been as diligent with mental note-taking as usual, and therefore some of my descriptions may not be as verbose and comprehensive as you are accustomed to. But my glowing personality will always shine through, that's a PROMISE.

From the smalls there was Paniyaram, a rice and lentil molded dumpling with asafoetida (aka "stinking gum", a pungent spice with a distinct odor that disappears when cooked, lending an onion-y taste) and chutney. These vegetarian morsels were sneakily one of the best bites of the evening, with some lovely heat to go along with the slight earthiness of the lentil.

Also from that section came Eral Thokku, tiger prawns in a beautifully complex sauce of green chili, fenugreek, and curry leaves. This had such deeply developed flavor, with some nuttiness and sweetness to balance out the spice, that I continued to scoop up every last bit with some Parotta flatbread even after the shrimp were long gone. I'm often confused as to how they decide which section to classify certain dishes under, considering the prawns looked pretty large to me... though I suppose once you account for the head there wasn't actually that much meat, so maybe it makes sense, as I could have gone for another couple of the crustaceans.

Moving on to medium we have the Mattu Iraichi Sukka, which was beef short rib, braised with black cardamom and tellicherry peppers. Effortlessly tender and oozing rich, intense, smoky flavor, this was beautifully plated on what I would call a wooden tree-trunk cross-section. Side note: you may not recognize almost any of the names here, and you're not alone... I was familiar with maybe ten percent of the available dishes. But we are here to learn, so next time there is a South Indian cuisine category on Jeopardy!, we will dominate.

The most famous item, present all over social media, is the Gunpowder Dosa (hey, some words I know!). This Texas-sized rice and lentil crepe is stuffed with potato masala and served with a side of sambar – a vegetable stew with tangy tamarind – for dipping. You can see why everyone gets so excited: the massive crisp triangle is eye-popping, the starchy tuber filling has just the right amount of salt, and the "gunpowder" spice mix lives up to its enticing name. If you are lucky enough to get a reservation here, you must order this.

Now we come to the "large" heavy-hitters. Ghee Roast Lamb Chops were offered with a vegetable pulao (aka rice pilaf) and salna, a thin fiery gravy. If I may quote Malcolm from The Thick Of It... "I fucking love ghee, it's like freebasing butter!" He's not wrong, literally any dish that uses this magical clarified butter is automatically delicious, and this one is no different. The succulent meat was amplified by the onions and tomatoes of the salna, which I wish I could buy in a bottle for use at home.

Meen Pollichatu is a Kerala (SW Indian state) dish of fish steamed in banana leaves. Here the protein is branzino, smothered in ginger and shallots, and ceremoniously unwrapped tableside. The European seabass was perfectly cooked, but I am merely an amateur food critic, so I have some childish dislikes... one of which is bones in fish. A few members of our party got to experience a completely boneless portion, but unfortunately my piece contained basically an entire Jack Skellington's-worth (or Héctor Rivera, if you prefer a more contemporary animated film reference). Fortunately I didn't tear my esophagus (always a major fear in these scenarios), but it did somewhat lessen my enjoyment of this otherwise tasty dish.

I've been saving the best for (almost) last. Valiya Chemmen Moilee is a lobster tail with a curry of mustard seed, turmeric and coconut milk. The meat was joyfully presented on top of its shell, covered and surrounded by that luxurious, creamy sauce, and encircled by red and green dots that I can't claim to know the origin of. This otherworldly curry was so silky and luscious that I nearly went back to the kitchen to kiss the saucier. SO GOOD!!!

I'll be honest, by the time we got to dessert I was too full (and slightly or perhaps more-than-slightly intoxicated) to grasp what was going on, and I only had one or two bites. But the passionfruit extravaganza was too beautiful not to include, so please appreciate the photo below, and use your imagination to picture what it tasted like.

If you've made it this far you probably can surmise that Semma absolutely lives up to, nay, exceeds the hype. Completely different than almost any other Indian restaurant I've been to (and there have been many!), I was so happy to experience this unique culture and cooking style. Unfortunately it's borderline impossible to get a table, but if you can, it is so worth it.

RANKING UPDATE: No shade on Dhamaka, but Semma is taking over the New York restaurant entry on my Beyond Houston guide. Not that a top-12 most populated city in the world can't have more than one entry, but two Indian restaurants a few miles apart would be a bit ridiculous. When it comes to global Indian spots, I think I'd slot this at number three, behind the aforementioned Gymkhana and Musaafer.

NEXT UP: Dos pollos, por favor