Executive Chef Ajay Kumar holding tangy sweet potatoes, a popular menu item (Photo by Jay Paul)
In recent years, Richmond has experienced an influx of people and businesses from Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. One of those new arrivals is Kismet Modern Indian restaurant at 2918 W. Broad St., helmed by owners Sachin Mahajan and Ricky Singh and Executive Chef Ajay Kumar, all New Delhi natives. Kismet is an outpost of the Alexandria restaurant of the same name, whose sister establishment is the Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient Karma Modern Indian in Washington. Open since December, Kismet exudes a date-night aura, serving Indian cuisine with a distinct and modern approach.
Richmond magazine: You grew up in India; what are some of your first memories of cooking?
Ajay Kumar: Both my grandmothers and my mothers were always making feasts for the family, and we had a huge family, almost 20 people.
RM: Why did you decide to immigrate to the U.S., and what brought you to this area?
Kumar: I married an American girl. We met in Washington, D.C. I did hotel management in New Delhi and in 2003 came [to the U.S.] to work in restaurants. In 2007, I switched to Rasika restaurant in D.C., and then, after, I met Sachin, who knows me from New Delhi. In 2017, we opened Karma Modern Indian, then Kismet Modern Indian and then after that the Richmond location, with many more to come.
RM: Can you describe this idea behind the concept of modern Indian cuisine?
Kumar: I feel there is not a very good representation of Indian food from people around the world; they tend to think it’s very spicy or there’s lots of grease and it's huge portions. I want to bring Indian cuisine to the same level as fine dining cuisine or Italian cuisine so people can give more respect to Indian cuisine and accept it as modern. I use a lot of modern techniques in cooking with presentation and plating and contemporary design. I get inspired by the other cuisines; Japanese cuisine is my favorite. I always try to put something into the presentation but want to keep the taste authentic.
Avocado-coconut tikki (Photo by Romin Shahpouri)
RM: What are a few dishes that Kismet has become known for?
Kumar: Everybody asks me about the cubes [pan-grilled sweet potato with tamarind sauce] and wonders how I make them and what ingredients and spices I use and how I make it tangy. Also, the tandoor-grilled lamb chops, and the a la carte avocado-coconut tikki, that’s a new one. And we’re always working on new breads.
RM: What ingredients or spices do you lean on the most?
Kumar: We make our own homemade garam masala, which is used in almost 75% of our dishes but in different ratios. I consider it very unique because nobody is making garam masala nowadays. I put 16 types of spices in there … and the freshness, the aroma of the garam masala, we make every day in the morning for the curries.
RM: How has Richmond responded since the opening of Kismet?
Kumar: When we decided to open here, I was nervous about how the people would react to our concept. We were worried whether people would accept us or not, but we were wrong. They like our food, and they welcome us and support us, and we are getting very good response — better than the Alexandria Karma response. It has been so good, and we’re very thankful. We want to expand the Karma and Kismet concept in other parts of Virginia also. We are looking at Charlottesville and Williamsburg.
RM: How do you like to spend your free time outside the restaurant?
Kumar: I have a 13-year-old son, and when I cook at home, he always comes and stands with me and is always helping me. He likes to see how I’m cooking, that is his favorite part. I like painting, so whenever I see a plate, I feel like I’m looking at the canvas. Whenever I have off days, I spend time on paintings. My wife is a designer, and she is also an art teacher in Fort Belvoir. My son also does art, so the whole family loves it. Whenever we have free time, we do sketching, drawing, painting, whatever comes to us.
