This past weekend, I had the opportunity to dine at the only Michelin star Indian restaurant in the United States, Semma. My husband surprised me with a little pre-Mother’s Day dinner and I was so excited because I’ve been wanting to go for a long time! Below is my review based on three different segments, atmosphere, service, and food and drinks. Hope you enjoy!
Overall Rating: 8.7/10
Atmosphere: It was a very casual environment with a lax dress code, I was probably overdressed. It’s not too big of a restaurant, but it does have a bar and tables that extend into a back room, which is where we were seated.
Service: Our server was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu. Being Indian myself, I appreciated his pronunciation of the menu items. He was super accommodating to my picky, vegetarian husband, and checked on us and our meal to make sure we didn’t need anything else. Our table was cleaned after every course and replaced with fresh plates and cutlery, which I truly appreciated. Overall, great service.
Food/Drinks: Now on to the main event, food and drinks. The cocktails were absolutely delicious and really embodied Indian flavors. I got the Semma Sour, which was so delicious, especially if you like cardamom and the Matka Paan Old-Fashioned, which had a very strong paan/supari-like flavor, that mixed well with the bourbon. It was a bit on the sweeter/stronger side, but I still really enjoyed it. The food was exceptional. My husband ordered the seasonal uttapam to start, and I got Attu Kari Sukka, which was a flavorful lamb appetizer. We shared the gunpowder masala dosa, which had the perfect crisp and was paired with the most delicious sambar and chutneys. And then for entree, my husband got the Mirchi Ka Salan, which he devoured, and I got the famous Valiya Chemmeen Moilee, which is a lobster tail in this delicious, rich, coconut curry. We enjoyed our entree’s with the flaky parotta and although I couldn’t finish my entree, we thoroughly enjoyed every bite. We ended the meal with the Shahi Tukda dessert, which was nice, but nothing memorable. Overall, we had an excellent meal with great food and drinks and I would say it certainly does live up to the hype.
