| When I lived in Texas, my mom would send me back with deep-frozen portions of her Bangladeshi home-cooked food. |
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Dining Report: Korai Kitchen |
Dining reports are a new way for the Eater team to share their firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, and now we're including extended versions in our newsletters. Jersey City restaurant Korai Kitchen has been on my radar for quite some time, dating back to when it opened in 2018 and the subsequent New York Times profile. I'm Bangladeshi American, so learning about a place entirely dedicated to the homestyle cooking I was familiar with in a sit-down setting intrigued me — what would it be like? Could it be better than my mother's? I knew I had to go. Since its opening, the restaurant has evolved from its buffet service to a daytime takeout spot with highly coveted dine-in reservations for its weekly dinners. And don't call this Indian food — Bangladeshi cuisine is different. Entering Korai Kitchen in Jersey City for its weekly Dawat dinner series feels like entering owner and chef Nur-E Gulshan Rahman and daughter Nur-E Farhana Rahman's home. "Dawat" is the Bengali word for "invitation," and people are invited to partake in the family's only dine-in service, a three-hour meal full of homestyle, halal, Bangladeshi food by way of Dhaka for $95. "This is my mom's interpretation of Bangladeshi food," Nur-E Farhana explains during the meal. While the Dawat menu changes often, based on what Rahman wants to cook, you'll be able to find some of these dishes on its regular takeout and delivery menu. |
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The pulao at Korai Kitchen. Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/Eater NY |
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- The famed murgir roast with pulao (a fancy Bangladeshi rice) is as good as I expected, where two giant chicken leg quarters are doused in a thick gravy, pairing well with the gheed-up rice (available for takeout on Tuesdays, $15).
- The bhortas — crucial Bangladeshi vegetable mashes — complement every single dish. In particular, I loved the badam (peanut), a nicely nutty spread (a variety is offered for takeout).
- Rahman's begun bhaja (fried eggplant) is made with a lightly fried breading, which gives way to a soft vegetable inside (takeout for $12).
- I was particularly taken by the chingri diye palong shak, where the shrimp is paired with potatoes and spinach (an iteration with squash is available for takeout on Saturdays, $25).
- The khashir (goat) biryani is a classic Bangladeshi special, spiced well with tender, juicy chunks of goat meat. ($19 to $29 for takeout).
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The chingri diye palong shak at Korai Kitchen. Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/Eater NY |
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For alcoholic drinks, it's a BYOB affair — bring your own bottle(s) of wine, and they'll offer iced wine buckets, glasses, and bottle openers. There's also a welcome mango lassi. |
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There will be ample reminders that there is a lot of food, but there's no need to rush. Daughter Nur-E Farhana will guide everyone through the meal, explaining what's coming next, which rice to eat with which dishes, and how many courses are left. Thankfully, the team collects and keeps track of leftovers, presented in takeout brown bags with handwritten thank-you notes. |
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Keep your dining receipt for a five percent discount at the family's halal neighborhood market, Hilsa Grocery. |
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The borthas at Korai Kitchen. Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/Eater NY |
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- Remember when we told y'all about Hudson Square restaurant Houseman's next project, Zoli, in Bushwick? Owner Ned Baldwin tells Eater it'll open in late March, but before then, the American-ish restaurant is currently hosting private dinner events in the space, which happens to be connected to big-deal art gallery Amant.
- Midtown Mexican lunch spot Ánimo is getting into the dinner game when it opens its newly expanded space, still on 1004 Second Avenue, at East 53rd Street. Currently, it's temporarily closed.
- Greenpoint bar Achilles Heel closed suddenly over the weekend by Andrew Tarlow and his Marlow Collective group. A now-former employee created a GoFundMe campaign that says that they believe that the bar closed because a group of staffers told them they wanted to unionize just a couple of days before the shutter, per Greenpointers.
- Cool collab alert: There are still tickets available for hot Philly restaurant Honeysuckle's dinner at the James Beard Foundation's Platform venue in Chelsea. Snag 'em while you can; it takes place on Monday, February 23.
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