The spices are merely a vessel for culture, community, storytelling, and politics. The recipes were so fresh, simple, and seasonal. That's not the version of South Asian food that most people know.
Adda is one of the earlier restaurants from the Indian dining hitmakers of Unapologetic Foods, of Dhamaka and Semma fame. And while it moved from its homey Queens roots into the East Village, there's a good reason Eater NY named it the Best Comeback in the 2025 Eater Awards: The kitchen hasn't lost its focus on flavorful regional subcontinent fare. Yes, the butter chicken experience ($42 and must be preordered) is highly popular, but there's so much more to explore.
Not content with opening a restaurant at the new V&A East in 2026, Ravinder and Nadeem are adding another place to their growing portfolio with Karam's, opening at The Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury. Unlike Jikoni, which highlights cooking across borders, Karam's will be more specific in its remit, featuring South Asian vegetarian dishes that are reflective of the pair's Indian ancestry and the region's heritage of nourishing maternal cooking.