Latest news with #Kabawa
The Age
06-08-2025
- Business
- The Age
What Momofuku's Paul Carmichael did next – and how Australia lost one of its best chefs to New York
Earlier this year, New York City got something that Australia should have had: A new Paul Carmichael restaurant. Kabawa, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, isn't exactly what Carmichael envisioned when he was trying to find partners, funding and space in Sydney during the years after two-hatted Momofuku Seiobo closed in 2021. But the basic building blocks are the same: something fun, an exploration of Caribbean flavours and history, rum drinks, and Carmichael's particular brand of exuberance and singular cooking. The chef was lured back to the US to work once again for Momofuku, the company that brought him to Australia in the first place. In New York, he's been given the opportunity to create a space and menu that fully unleashes his creativity. Bar Kabawa, a 20-seat room adjacent to the main space, opened in early February serving Daiquiris, wine and snacks. On March 25, Kabawa opened, serving a prix-fixe menu that celebrates the foodways of the Caribbean in intensely personal and thoughtful dishes. Less than six weeks later, it appeared at No.4 on the New York Times' list of the 100 best restaurants in the city. The reviews have been rapturous: The New Yorker's Helen Rosner called it easygoing and joyous; new New York Times critic Ligaya Mishan gave Kabawa a rare three-star revie w last month. All of this is cause for celebration, to see a talented chef get his due. But for food lovers in Australia, it should also be frustrating, because what Carmichael really wanted after Seiobo closed was a chance to open something as personal, standard-setting and excellent as Kabawa is, but in Sydney.
Sydney Morning Herald
06-08-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
What Momofuku's Paul Carmichael did next – and how Australia lost one of its best chefs to New York
Earlier this year, New York City got something that Australia should have had: A new Paul Carmichael restaurant. Kabawa, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, isn't exactly what Carmichael envisioned when he was trying to find partners, funding and space in Sydney during the years after two-hatted Momofuku Seiobo closed in 2021. But the basic building blocks are the same: something fun, an exploration of Caribbean flavours and history, rum drinks, and Carmichael's particular brand of exuberance and singular cooking. The chef was lured back to the US to work once again for Momofuku, the company that brought him to Australia in the first place. In New York, he's been given the opportunity to create a space and menu that fully unleashes his creativity. Bar Kabawa, a 20-seat room adjacent to the main space, opened in early February serving Daiquiris, wine and snacks. On March 25, Kabawa opened, serving a prix-fixe menu that celebrates the foodways of the Caribbean in intensely personal and thoughtful dishes. Less than six weeks later, it appeared at No.4 on the New York Times' list of the 100 best restaurants in the city. The reviews have been rapturous: The New Yorker's Helen Rosner called it easygoing and joyous; new New York Times critic Ligaya Mishan gave Kabawa a rare three-star revie w last month. All of this is cause for celebration, to see a talented chef get his due. But for food lovers in Australia, it should also be frustrating, because what Carmichael really wanted after Seiobo closed was a chance to open something as personal, standard-setting and excellent as Kabawa is, but in Sydney.
Eater
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Best Dishes New York Editors Ate This Week: July 28
With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we come across lots of standout dishes, and we don't want to keep any secrets. Check back for the best things we ate this week. Salted egg yolk & pork floss flatbread at Fat Cat Flatbread My advice for a Citi Field-goer is to skip the in-stadium food options (save for maybe a hot dog just because) and crawl your way to or fro along the 7 train line. For my first Mets game of the season, my friends and I decided to start in downtown Flushing and amble down Roosevelt Avenue, hitting the New York Food Court where this stall is located, and continuing over the bridge to the game. Guo kui, the thin, crispy, stuffed flatbread hailing from Hubei province and popular today all over China, is the perfect walking snack. This version ($7.50) was the most flavorful of those we tried, packed with spindly pork floss and savory salted egg yolk. 133-35 Roosevelt Avenue, between College Point Boulevard and Prince Street, Flushing — Nat Belkov, associate creative director Pepper shrimp at Kabawa. Nadia Chaudhury/Eater NY Pepper shrimp at Kabawa Bar Kawaba is where you go for a rum cocktail and patty party, and its next-door restaurant Kabawa is where you go for a leisurely journey through the Caribbean courtesy of chef Paul Carmichael and his culinary team. On paper, $145 prix fixe comes with three courses, but the kitchen surprises you with breads, chutneys, and such excellent rice and beans with straight-up tamarind pods as a palate cleanser. But of the dishes, the pepper shrimp was one of my favorites. The plump shrimp encrusted with a wonderfully fiery spice blend are placed on a plate with pepper oil. I bit into one and, to my pleasant surprise, I realized the crustacean was chilled, lending to this summer-perfect chewy texture that was wonderful. Likewise, don't miss out on the duck sausage. 8 Extra Place, at East First Street, East Village — Nadia Chaudhury, editor, Eater Northeast Steak, fries, and burger at Dynamo Room. Bettina Makalintal/Eater Steak for One at Dynamo Room Just once or twice a year, I indulge in a steak-and-martini dinner (call it the lingering effects of Mad Men on my psyche). The newest spot from the reliable Sunday Hospitality team, Dynamo Room, is a stylish steakhouse where a server wheels out a cart of meat to show you the cuts on offer, like a splashy $250 tomahawk. The steak-for-one isn't showy enough to be included, but compared to those options, it's a steal at $43 with mashed potatoes, asparagus, and beef jus, and it was savory enough to tide me over until next year. While I can't say I plan to go out of my way to dine at Penn Station, I'm keeping Dynamo Room at the top of my list the next time I need to kill time before getting on the Amtrak — they've got a $30 martini, Caesar salad, and fries deal during happy hour. 2 Penn Plaza, Penn Station, Midtown South — Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter at Eater The Taiwanese breakfast at Gulp. Stephanie Wu/Eater Taiwanese breakfast at Gulp Gulp, a restaurant with a bar hidden behind it, recently debuted Taiwanese breakfast, served until 11:30 a.m. every day. There was a bit of a wait when we went on Sunday (arrive on the earlier side to avoid anything being sold out), but the food was fantastic. The egg crepe ($7.50, called a Taiwanese omelet on the menu) is a layer of egg atop a thin dough, wrapped around pork floss and a hash brown, with the lovely addition of bright corn kernels. And the packaged sandwiches ($6.50), available with pork floss or tun, are a fantastic grab-and-go option, holding up hours later. 42-45 27th St, near 42nd Road, Long Island City — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief
Eater
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Michelin Guide Adds 14 NYC Restaurants Up for 2025 Awards
is the deputy editor of Eater's Northeast region, covering Boston, Philly, D.C. and New York. Based in Boston, she has spent years covering the local restaurant industry. On July 15, Michelin, the tire company and restaurant ratings powerhouse, released a list of 14 new additions to its New York restaurant guide, signaling which new restaurants the inspectors are liking — and earmarking for potential awards later this year. Michelin's additions, which are announced piecemeal throughout the year, join the existing New York guide alongside hundreds of other spots as 'recommended' restaurants. Typically, inspectors have had good first impressions at these restaurants, and they are in the running to possibly be awarded Michelin's more high-powered designations, like stars, later on. First up, it's no surprise that Kabawa, the Caribbean tasting menu spot from Momofuku vet Paul Carmichael, which has been snapping up accolades left and right since its spring debut, is on the list. 'From its elegant dark green dining room with subtle regional references to its sophisticated three-course tasting menu, expect an elevated take on the tropics,' according to the inspectors. Two Thai restaurants made the list, including Hungry Thirsty, the new Carroll Gardens spot run by a band of Ugly Baby veterans, and Glin Thai Bistro, a year-old restaurant in Fort Greene. Inspectors praise the latter restaurant for its 'unique offerings using high-quality ingredients, all with a distinctively Thai look and feel.' In Manhattan, inspectors were impressed by chef Jiho Kim's West Village restaurant Joomak, the second iteration of his former one-Michelin-starred Koreatown spot Joomak Banjum. Adda, the relocated Indian restaurant from the high-flying Unapologetic Foods team (who are also behind the celebrated restaurants Semma and Dhamaka, among others), is on the list, as is Maison Passerelle, Portland chef Gregory Gourdet's sparkling French restaurant inside downtown luxury department store Printemps. Papa San, the Peruvian and Japanese restaurant from acclaimed Llama San creators Juan Correa and Erik Ramirez, and Georgian debut Laliko, home to a formidable 'mother dumpling,' round out the list. The date for Michelin's annual New York awards ceremony has not yet been announced, but it typically takes place towards the end of the year. (Last year, it was held in December.) These 14 restaurants, alongside the other nearly 400 spots in Michelin's recommended New York restaurants list, will be up for the coveted stars and other award designations to be revealed at the ceremony. Eater NY All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Caribbean, Filtered Through One Chef's Imagination
The tamarind pod is dusky brown, light and rough to the touch. Press it with your thumbs or give it a twist. When it cracks, peel off the shell, pull out the veins and free the pulp — sticky as figs and more sweet than sour, because the fruit's so ripe. Still you'll pucker a little, working your tongue around the seeds. Presented at Kabawa before dessert, this might be the loveliest palate cleanser in town. It's all the lovelier for being a little messy, in keeping with the restaurant's ethos: fine dining, but without the pomp. Kabawa opened in late March in the space once home to the half-bonkers, half-sublime Momofuku Ko, on a dead-end alley off East First Street named, as if with a shrug, Extra Place. In 1977, the address was sufficiently down-and-out to be the backdrop for a Ramones album cover; if you sneaked out the back of the punk club CBGB, this was where you wound up. The chef, Paul Carmichael, grew up in Barbados and worked his way through New York City kitchens before taking the lead at Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney, Australia, the farthest-flung outpost of the Momofuku empire. It closed in 2021 — luckily for New Yorkers, for now Mr. Carmichael's superlative cooking and ambitious vision of Caribbean cuisine have been returned to us. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
