Semma NYC is Fantastic! A Michelin Star & Indian Cuisine Debate.

It was our first time back in NYC in four years, and I was looking for some new good/great places to eat for the first time. New York has been an annual destination for us; however, the legislation on short-term rentals/lack of Airbnbs has kept us away. Nonetheless, we decided to give the city a visit during Super Bowl weekend.

Quickly, with my Resy index finger ready, I was able to secure us reservations at Bistrot Ha (next article), Red Hook Tavern, The Four Horseman, and Semma. Four years ago, we had dined at Dhamaka (No Stars) and absolutely loved it. Four short months after our visit, chef Chintan Pandya was named best Chef in New York State by The James Beard Foundation, rightfully so. Now it was time to eat another “Unapologetic Restaurant” and the only Indian (Southern) restaurant in NYC with a Michelin Star.

I had heard of Semma and accolades it earned over the past few years; however, I wanted to learn more before dining there. I wanted to know where Chef Vijay Kumar learned to cook, what inspired his dishes, what’s next if anything for him, etc. I had to remind myself that this is Southern Indian Cuisine. For some individuals, that might not mean much, however for an individual (Me) who is married to a Vietnamese woman, one knows that Northern pho is not the same as Southern pho. Yes, there’s a difference, pho is not just pho. I digress, this is an article on Southern Indian cuisine, specifically Semma and Michelin, not Vietnamese cuisine (Next article). I love Indian food from the first time I tried it, yet I wanted greater knowledge of the different geographical cuisines of India.

At the end of my “research project” for Semma in NYC, I came across a Tik-Tok video of Padma Lakshmi clearly restraining herself when speaking about a couple of individuals who dined at Semma and had some not so nice things to say about the food and how they have lost faith in the Michelin Guide. I have never met Ms. Lakshmi, I do not know her, I only know of her from what I have seen on screen and the work she’s done in the culinary world and helping survivors of gender-based violence. In the clip, she (Ms. Lakshmi) looked like she had been triggered, yet doing everything in her power to not cross the metaphoric red line on the tachometer, keeping it somewhat “PG rated” while defending her culture, cuisine, and Indian identity itself. One line from her video that remains embedded in the back of my head was Ms. Lakshmi saying “I’m pretty sure Michelin doesn’t give a "sh_t" about you either….” to the two women when discussing their lost faith in the Michelin Guide.

Semma does not have a phone number listed anywhere, so we wanted to arrive early since it is impossible to let them know you are running 10 minutes late. With the wind chill being -15 degrees outside, we left the hotel early.

We wanted to account for any delays on our 1.7 mile, 28-minute Uber ride from our LES hotel. We in So Cal thought our traffic was bad, oof!. We arrived 20 minutes early, ready to eat. Upon entering the restaurant, you smell it immediately, like a sweet kiss on the cheek.

The aromas of spices, stews, meats, sheer goodness floating around the air. A clear view of the front dining room allows you to see what the other guests have ordered. I would whisper in my wife’s ear. “Oh, that looks good, or what do you think that one is? I want to try everything!” We were seated at our reservation time (9:00 pm), ready to eat.

Semma has their menu online; therefore, we had looked over it for what seemed like an eternity before our visit. There is a disclaimer that the Kanyakumari Nandu Masala (Dungeness Crab for 2 $145) is limited and they request that one pre-order it at least a few days in advance. Fortunately, when reserving online, there is an option to pre-order it and we did.

While doing our homework, reading articles, and watching YouTube or Instagram videos, it was apparent that the Gunpowder Dosa (Vo) was a must order dish. Already having pre-ordered the crab and deciding to go with the consensus Gunpowder Dosa we asked our server for a recommendation to finish out our order, and he pointed us in the direction of the Mattu Iraichi Sukka (Beef Short Rib).

This may not seem like much for 2 individuals, however, it is! The gigantic Gunpowder Dosa should require a tray to sit on as it is too big for a normal sized plate and there were 2 Dungeness Crabs in the bowl they served us. That was a very pleasant surprise as I thought it was a single crab for two individuals.

We also ordered a bottle of Champagne from Semma’s wine list and brought a bottle from home as well ($90 corkage fee). This isn’t about the wine, it is about Semma, the food, service, and how Michelin gets it wrong.

The service could not have been better. From the host who greeted us with a smile on her face, to our server who explained everything from the menu in precise detail, the attention of our wines and asking how and when we would like them to be served. The personal touch of asking if we needed help, where we were from, if it was our first visit, etc. This might sound normal, trust me, many restaurants miss the mark when it comes to the small details, Semma does not.

First-up, Gunpowder Dosa: A fermented rice and lentil based/battered “crepe” filled with potato masala, and 3 dipping sauces. We tried a piece of the dosa before pressing down on the potato masala in the middle to make sure it spread throughout the dosa. The crepe has a crunchy texture, yet at the same time has a bit of a doughy taste to it, which may or may not come from the fermentation, mixed with spices, lentils, and curry. We could have probably finished it on its own without the potato or dipping sauces. The consistency of the mashed yet chunky potatoes along with the chilis, onions, mustard seeds, etc., complemented the dosa perfectly. The restaurant recommends using all three sauces, but the standout was the sambar. This earthy, spicy yet somewhat sweet stew is comfort food at its finest. I could eat a bowl of this stew daily in the cold winter months. If one were to eat the dosa, potatoes, and stew separately, they could easily stand on their own. Put them together and it is music to the mouth.

Second-up, Beef Short Rib: The meat is as tender as can be and just melts in your mouth. There’s something to say when every piece of perfectly tender piece of meat has an appearance like an exuberant amount of spice coated to it and is going to overpower the palate, then one tastes it and it is not overpowering, rather the smokiness of this layered, textured masala spice mixtures and fresh curry leaves was phenomenal. Red meat usually fills me up quickly, however this was not heavy and I could have eaten it for days. I was so impressed that I seriously considered a second order, however we still had the large dish (crabs) to come.

Third-up, Crabs: Next came some shellfish scissors, bibs, carb crackers, sharp tines, along with 2 of the sweetest Dungeness crabs coated with a spicy and tangy masala sauce, with a side of coconut rice, and parotta. If there is one thing I love, it is when a restaurant cracks the crab shells prior to cooking in order to make sure the sauce is infused with the meat and Semma does this. The spiciness of the sauce with its peppery, fennel, cumin profile compliments the sweetness of the west coast Dungeness crabs. This dish personified Indian Food and how to eat it. If one is ever too afraid to get down and use their fingers as utensils at a Michelin Starred restaurant, this was the dish that allows you to and truth be told, you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not. Sucking the sauce from the shells and dipping the rice and parotta with your fingers into the excess sauce on the sides and bottom of the bowl is absolutely heaven.

Semma has rightfully earned its 1 star, perhaps more. Chef Kumar and his team are knocking it out of the park! In my experience, many individuals who are not familiar with Indian food, think it is just a mixture of a boatload of spices thrown together and slapped on a piece of protein to give it a kick, and thrown into a crockpot.

Those who are familiar understand it is one of the most difficult cuisines to master. When was the last time you heard a non-Indian friend or any non-Indian person for that matter, say, “We’re cooking Indian food at home for dinner tonight.” Odds are close to nil, why is that? Not because they do not want to, not because they do not like the cuisine, it is phenomenal, they do not because they do not know how to and it is not an easy cuisine to learn.

Many Indian dishes are recipes that have been in families and passed down for generations. The time, amount of ingredients, precision, feel, layers, etc. required is extremely challenging and truth be told, one cannot just walk into Whole Foods around the corner and find everything required to create these dishes at home. It might be easier to screw-up an Indian dish more than any other cuisine in the world.

I was once in a group when someone asked, “How hard is it to screw-up fried chicken? Even gas station fried chicken that has been sitting under a heat lamp for hours tastes good.” The answers varied, however when it comes to Indian Food the answer is simple, it is not hard to mess-up. Trust me, when it misses, it misses, but when done well, it is MAGIC!

Achieving Shiva and Shatki (Yin and Yang) is very difficult, yet Semma has achieved it in masterfully. The 3 dishes we had were perfectly balanced and harmonious in every way. Is there spiciness in some of the food, yes. Does Chef Kumar balance out the spiciness, yes. If we look at Semma from a micro perspective, then Michelin got this one right, it is OUTSTANDING, however, if we look at Indian Cuisine from a macro perspective, then Michelin is getting it WRONG and is missing the mark BIG TIME regarding Indian food!

The Michelin guide has long been considered the epitome regarding fine dining around the world. Nonetheless, today, it appears “TO ME” that Michelin are ready to hand out stars here in the U.S. and already have plaques engraved upon hearing a Grand Opening  for Italian restaurants who use tomatoes from Campania and lemons from Amalfi or Omakase restaurants where the chef owns a $15,000 Shigefusa Honyaki Gyuto knife, has shown off their swivel cutting technique, and has a connection to Tokyo in the way of a third cousin on their step-siblings biological side.

Obviously, the last paragraph is an exaggeration, or is it? There are 3,780 restaurants in the latest Michelin Guide with at least one star. Of those, 171or so are Italian themed. There are 315 or so are Japanese themed. Yet there are 21 Indian restaurants worldwide and of those, New York City only has 1 Indian restaurant with a Michelin Star. Somehow the guide has 20 restaurants alone with a star listed under Tempura, one fewer than Indian restaurants.  

The requirements for “What is a Michelin Star” can be found here.  

Gaggan, the #6 restaurant on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list and the #1 restaurant in Asia is exactly what Michelin defines on their criteria for 3 stars yet receives 1 Star each year.

I’ve dined at quite a few Indian restaurants to say the least. You CANNOT tell me that there are only 21 Indian restaurants worldwide that “use top-quality ingredients and prepare dishes with distinct flavors to a consistently high standard.” How is it that Dhamaka (NYC), Darjeeling Express (London), Bibi (London) just to name a few of the better-known Indian Restaurants, are starless? They are the epitome of Michelin Star requirements.

New York itself has the highest concentration of Indian Restaurants in The United States and New York’s Metropolitan area has an Indian population of over 700,000. Mathematically speaking, there’s no way they can only award ONE Indian restaurant a Michelin Star.  It defies logic and frankly speaking, common sense. The million-dollar question, why is this? Only The Michelin Guide can answer this.

Semma should be proud of their well-earned star and applauded for what they are accomplishing, however Michelin should be ashamed when are so many Indian restaurants that are starless, yet star worthy. One thing is for sure; Michelin is getting it wrong and I am hard pressed to comprehend the lack of restaurants who should have at least 1 star and Indian Cuisine is a prime example of them missing the mark. Another thing I am sure of is, “Michelin probably does not give a sh_t about me and my opinion!”

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Next article will be our meal at Bistrot Ha.