Kumi, which has been serving flavorful Japanese cuisine with a Korean American twist at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for years, just made its way to the Big Apple. Located at the Le Meridien New York, this stunning new restaurant is a complement the Sin City staple. Sam Nazarian’s Disruptive Restaurant Group from sbe, who has previously teamed up with the likes of chefs Dani Garcia and Dario Cecchini, just brought Kumi to life in the heart of Midtown Manhattan with executive chef Anastacia Song helming the kitchen.
Song is an NYC native who began her career learning the ropes from chef Harold Moore at Commerce. She went on to become chef de cuisine at Porta in the New Jersey before returning to New York to work at Martha in Brooklyn and Treehaus in Manhattan. Many in the industry know Song from her time most recently as executive chef at American Cut. Last year Song was hired to bring Kumi to life at Le Meridien New York where she harmonizes Japanese and Korean American cuisine into a beautiful ballad of both cultures.
Kumi’s menu features an array of delightful dishes including a stunning Wagyu gyoza that’s plated to perfection, an A5 Wagyu strip loin, green tea smoked chicken, tempura chili lobster, gochujang glazed salmon, and galbi braised short rib. Then there’s unique sushi rolls that you won’t see anywhere else like the playfully named Hot Mess roll with poke sashimi, Mani Kama, avocado, and Screaming O sauce; the Kumikaze with Cajun salmon, asparagus, and yuzu yogurt; and a NYC Roll with smoked salmon, everything seasoning, pickled red onion, and capers. Of course there’s also nigiri, sashimi, and maki.
Specialty cocktails include Seeing Stars made with shochu, sake, plum wine, lemongrass, yuzu, lemon, and shiso leaves; and Peach Don't Kill My Vibe made with Japanese whisky, pisco, pulque, peach, apricot, lemon, and orange bitters. Japanese whisky, beer, sake, Junmai, Ginjo, and Daiginjo are also on the menu in addition to an extensive fine wine list.
When at Kumi — meaning ‘beautiful’ — you can’t skip out on the restaurant’s desserts, which are exactly that. A fan favorite is the chocolate mousse cake with banana milk anglaise and roasted pecans is an elevated take on a chocolate covered banana that’s worth saving room for.
“With the Disruptive Restaurant Group, we've always prided ourselves with being on the cutting edge of culinary cuisine and technique, and we are thrilled to bring Kumi, a Las Vegas favorite to New York City,” said Sam Nazarian, founder and CEO of sbe. Nazarian said, “Chef Anastacia Song and the team at Kumi have created a decadent menu that pushes the boundaries of what Japanese cuisine can be.”
