Kanyakumari - Taste that turns every bite into a celebration

ABOUT US

Fungi Hospitality Group (FHG) was founded by Salil Mehta, the executive chef of Laut in Union Square which was the first Malaysian restaurant in New York to receive a coveted Michelin-star. FHG has since expanded to unveil popular bars and restaurants that include the Singaporean craft cocktail bar, Singapura; the intimate Jelas which focuses on clarified cocktails; and Singapura Gramercy featuring street food fare inspired by the island-nation’s legendary hawker centres and food courts.

Fungi has subsequently introduced award-winning Indian cuisine with the opening of Kebab aur Sharab in 2022, delivering vibrant seasonal dishes that showcase the country’s dynamic food culture. In 2023, Mehta and the Fungi team introduced The Elephant Room at Singapura Gramercy, a collaboration with one of Southeast Asia’s best bars, The Elephant Room Singapore.

FHG continues to innovate in the restaurant scene in New York with their latest opening, Kanyakumari, a labor of love for Mehta to showcase the cuisine of Southern India and of the Tamil community.

PRESS

Salil Mehta opens Kanyakumari

Read at : New York Times

After opening Kebab aur Sharab on the Upper West Side, a restaurant specializing in the food of Northern India, Salil Mehta, the founder of Fungi Hospitality, and the group’s executive chef and culinary director, Dipesh Shinde, are now going to the southern tip of the subcontinent with the food of Tamil Nadu. Expect kochi vegetable stew, several fish curries, lacy nir dosa crepes, crab masala fry, Hira Anna fried chicken with green mango chutney, and baby goat biryani.

Thayir sadam bonda, the curd rice balls.
Photo: Hugo Yu

THE UNDERGROUND GOURMET
In a Sea of ‘Coastal Italian,’ Kanyakumari Specializes in Coastal Indian

The new restaurant opens near Union Square this week.

Read at : Grub Street

At the southernmost tip of India, where the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal meet, is a town called Kanyakumari, which, as of this week, also shares its name with New York’s first restaurant specializing in dishes from the Indian coast. Kanyakumari, the restaurant, is on 17th Street in a space that until a few weeks ago was home to Kebaya, a Peranakan restaurant from owner Salil Mehta. Mehta, a native of landlocked New Delhi, is the owner of Kanyakumari, too, and he’s put the menu in the hands of chef Dipesh Shinde. Together, the two are using the new restaurant to explore the food of their home country’s coast. “Southern India is a spice-forward region with asafoetida, curry leaves, mustard seeds, dried chile — all of these amazing ingredients come together,” Mehta says. “It makes you salivate, it makes you want to eat more.”

Delicately fried curd rice croquettes and mussels, and airy hoppers.
Photo: Courtesy of Kanyakumari

DISHES FROM INDIA'S SOUTHERNMOST COASTLINE
From veteran restaurateur Salil Mehta and Kebab Aur Sharab’s Dipesh Shinde

Read at : RESY New York

Dishes from India’s southernmost coastline get the spotlight at this spot from veteran restaurateur Salil Mehta (Laut, Singapura, and Wau) and Kebab Aur Sharab’s Dipesh Shinde. That means delicately fried curd rice croquettes and mussels, and airy hoppers, best eaten with generous helpings of Sri Lankan curried crab sukka.

Delectable curd rice balls and crab sukka with coconut rice.
Photo: Courtesy of Kanyakumari

SALIL MEHTA, THE PROLIFIC RESTAURATEUR, NOW HAS KANYAKUMARI
Kanyakumari, named after the city, focuses on Southern Indian cooking.

Read at : EATER New York

Salil Mehta, the prolific restaurateur, behind spots like Kebab aur Sherab and Laut Singapora, now has Kanyakumari. It replaces his Peranakan spot, Kebaya, which only opened in the storefront last February. Kanyakumari, named after the city, focuses on Southern Indian cooking. (Mehta is originally from New Delhi.) The menu has curd rice balls, crab sukka with coconut rice, and fish curry with pickled beetroot. 20 E. 17th Street, near Union Square West.

Delectable curd rice balls and crab sukka with coconut rice.
Photo: Courtesy of ALEX STANILOFF @ theinfatuation.com

The Hit List: New NYC Restaurants To Try Right Now
We checked out these new restaurants—and loved them..

Read at : INFATUATION New York

You know what’s hot right now? Specificity. Some of the most exciting restaurants in NYC are focusing on regional cuisine (which is, admittedly, a slightly misleading term, because all cuisine is more or less regional). We’re talking Northern Mexican at Corima, Oklahoma smashburgers at Hamburger America, and pretty much everything at Dhamaka, Naks, and Semma. The latest proof of concept is Kanyakumari, a new spot near Union Square serving ultra-flavorful takes on mostly coastal South Indian dishes. Their menu bounces from state to state, with standouts like sweet, salty Kerala-style duck and crispy beef with coconut shavings.