Side-by-side sister restaurants, Karizma and Karma Modern Indian are a block from Chinatown and have some very interesting dishes. Karma has transitioned to a reservation-only tasting menu concept, with a selection of 4, 6, and 9-course menus show casing a rich culinary journey across the Indian subcontinent. We were lucky enough to try a few of these modern Indian dishes and a couple of cocktails and a small media dinner. Karizma is more casual and features an ala carte menu.
The cocktails we tried at Karizma were the Silk Route, featuring Tequila, Pineapple, Turmeric, Basil and A Moment, featuring Vodka, Beetroot Shrub, Aperol, Falernum. I preferred Silke Route since A Moment was a little sweet for me, but both were well-crafted cocktails.
Karizma’s signature dish, Nirvana 37 includes 37 carefully-selected ingredients: mango, fennel root, turnip, watermelon radish, lotus root, edamame, affila cress, micro cilantro, basil leaves, Aji Amarillo peppers, onion, garlic, Kashmiri chilies, dates, ginger, spinach, potatoes, lemon, beetroot, sorrel, frisée lettuce, radish daikon, jaggery, tamarind, asafoetida, mustard oil, chickpea flour, rice flour, black rice, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, black salt, fenugreek seeds, turmeric powder, and black pepper. This vegan dish is a tasty collection of flavors and textures. The crispy noodles are made from chickpeas and rice, giving them a different texture than heavier traditional chickpea only versions.
We moved next door to Karma where we tried the Tellicherry Pepper Crab (roasted garlic cremeaux, jakhiya, and yellow chili powder; region: Kerala), Coconut Avocado Tikki (red peppers, shallots, and spearmint; region: Tamil Nadu) and Saffron Duck (fennel, broccoli rice, watermelon radish; region: Himachal Pradesh). All three of these dishes were excellent, but I found the avocado dish to be the most surprising, since I have not tried similar cooked avocado dishes.
Desserts were the Dal Lentil Halwa with Pat De Fruit and Dodha Burfi with Rabri Mousse. Both desserts were both creatively presented and tasty.
Pricing at Karma: 4 course menu – $95, 6 course menu – $125, 9 course menu – $165.
It is great having these restaurant concepts side-by-side in the area. Give them a try if you’re an Indian food fan.
-JAY
Disclaimer: From time to time, we are given free meals, but out opinions are our own.
