In a food wonderland called Kimika, a Chinese chef masterfully blends Italian and Japanese flavors. Kimika, a word that means ‘noble’ In Japanese, is also the name of a new restaurant that opened last August in New York serving Itameshi cuisine, a combination of Italian and meshi (Japanese slang for ‘meal’) cooking styles.
Located on Kenmare Street in Nolita, the restaurant is the latest creation of Erika Chou and Doron Wong of Rivers and Hills Hospitality Group, the team behind the popular Lower East Side Thai restaurant Wayla.
Chef Christine Lau
The concept behind Kimika is one that stirs the imagination and tempts the palate. Christine Lau, the venue’s Executive Chef (with 15 years of experience in hospitality), explains that the restaurant combines an Italian core with Japanese techniques.
Where do these two culinary cultures meet? At their simplicity. A factor that translates into selection of the very best ingredients, cooked in a simple way. However, that doesn’t mean that the cuisine lacks in complexity. Why an Italian-Japanese restaurant? “We found the location first, then we picked up the concept,” explains Chef Lau. “We are between Little Italy and Chinatown, and we wanted to be different from both the Italian cuisine and the Chinese mash-mash, so we picked Italian-Japanese because of the similarities between the two.”
Roe Roe Roe Spaghetti
Chef Lau was raised in Oakland, CA, where her family immigrated from Hong Kong, and at 17, she landed her first restaurant job at One Market Restaurant. She moved to New York to attend New York University, surrounded herself with people who worked in the restaurant industry, and ate her way around the city. During this time, Christine decided to follow her passion and took her first leap to become a chef. Her first culinary job in New York was at Alto, where she was the first female to cook at the pasta station under acclaimed chefs Kevin Sippel, Scott Conant, and Chris Cannon.
The concept of an Italian and Japanese restaurant really matched with Chef Lau’s passion: “I am Chinese and I love noodles, so I chase everything that looks like noodles and pasta. But I also wanted to explore other cultures and seafood – that journey brought me to Japanese cuisine,” Lau continues.
Fritto Misto
When going through the menu, Chef Lau speaks about food in the same passionate way that only an Italian can. From the small plates to the main courses, sides, desserts, and cocktails, everything is a melting pot of all her past experiences. All the courses are meant to be shareable – just like you would at the dinner table in Italy or Japan. There is really not a single item on the menu that you can go wrong with. To start, there’s Tsukemono – a selection of seasonal pickled vegetables like cumin carrots, salted cucumbers, and marinated tomatoes, and then there’s Assorted Grissini – three types of seaweed breadsticks. And we can’t forget Crispy Mixed Beans with fava beans, chickpeas, and soybeans. Among the appetizers, highlights are the Heirloom Tomatoes with home-made silken tofu (a twist on the classic Caprese), and Kakiage Fritto Misto with crispy fried shrimp, cuttlefish, baby anchovies, corn, and green beans, served with lemon-pecorino mayo. The Yellowfin Tartare is a next-level version of spicy tuna that any sushi lover will love.
Mochi Bomboloni
For the first courses and main dishes, it’s hard to pick a favorite: Roe Roe Roe Roe Spaghetti, a take on pasta alla bottarga, is topped with a combination of fish roe traditionally used in Japanese cuisine, such as tobiko, mentaiko, ikura, and shiso in addition to the bottarga. The result is a light and creamy dish with a perfectly balanced flavor. Other pasta dishes include Soy Butter Bigoli with cherry tomatoes, chives, and fried shallot gremolata or Crispy Rice Cake Lasagna with sweet Italian sausage, kimchi, scallions, and provolone. The Pizzette Fritte, or fried pizza pies to share, come with different toppings, from a summer squash with a shiso-sunflower pesto to burrata, prosciutto, or the always-delicious stracciatella cheese from nearby iconic Italian cheese store Di Palo. Other must-haves are the whole roasted branzino with salsa verde and grilled carrots and stracciatella on the side.
Pizze Fritte
Leave room for desserts, too. Masterfully prepared by pastry chef Clarice Lam, who has previously worked at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, and for the past eight years owned and operated The Baking Bean. Her playful and highly visual desserts include Yakult Soft Serve, a yogurt parfait with roasted strawberries, and the surprising crispy chicken skin topping. Mochi Bomboloni, deep-fried mochi donuts filled with Nutella and dusted in ground hazelnut, are served warm, and the exceptional tiramisù tastes more like a refreshing coffee granita. Last but not least, the seasonal cocktails menu from head bartender Greg Kong includes a Spritz section featuring the Melone Spritz with Manzanilla sherry, Midori, pink peppercorn syrup, and soda, and a nice selection of mocktails and an extensive wine list.
Hairloom Tomatoes and Silken Tofu
Kimika offers outdoor seating and take-out. Brunch and delivery launching soon – check their website.
Photo cover: Bigoli Cherry Tomatoes (ph credit by Evan Sung)