NYC’s Semma Is Among Padma Lakshmi’s Top 3 Indian Restaurants Globally

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – Padma Lakshmi has spent years tasting food across the world, from judging dishes on ‘Top Chef’ to exploring America’s diverse culinary traditions on ‘Taste the Nation.’ But among the Indian restaurants she considers worth traveling for, one of her favorites is much closer to home.

The cookbook author, television host and entrepreneur has named Semma in New York City among her three all-time favorite Indian restaurants, alongside Trishna in Mumbai and Gymkhana in London.

Lakshmi has been particularly vocal about her love for Semma, chef Vijay Kumar’s acclaimed South Indian restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village.

“Sometimes I feel like a one-woman public relations firm when it comes to Semma, but I can’t help it. I love it so much,” she told Food and Wine magazine.

For Lakshmi, what sets Semma apart is its focus on regional South Indian cuisine and its success in introducing New York diners to flavors and dishes beyond more familiar Indian restaurant fare.

“It has revolutionized how people think of Indian food in New York City,” Lakshmi told the magazine, adding that she loves the restaurant because it “showcases a different side of regional Indian cooking.”

In Mumbai, Food and Wine said, Lakshmi’s choice is Trishna, a seafood restaurant she first visited years ago while filming a Bollywood movie. She has returned whenever she visits the city and recommends the crab and pomfret.

Her third pick is Gymkhana, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in London’s Mayfair neighborhood, where she once celebrated her birthday with the ‘Top Chef’ crew while filming the show’s ‘World All-Stars’ season. Known for its North Indian cuisine and classic Punjabi food, Gymkhana earned Lakshmi’s praise for its old-school dining experience.