Kitchen Rumors

New Contemporary Indian Restaurant Kitchen Rumors to Open in Xin Chao’s Former Space in Houston | Eater Houston

"Scheduled to open in the second quarter of the year at 2310 Decatur Street near Washington Avenue, this new restaurant from TheKahani Social Group and executive chef Jassi Bindra will explore contemporary Indian cuisine. Bindra, who is still developing the menu, says every dish and drink will tell a story and reimagine classics with Indian flavors; he adds, “We strongly believe it’s a very great and positive thing that Indian cuisine is no [longer] only stuck to its origin. It’s spread all over the world, and it has such a strong influence on people.” Menu ideas include infusing pecan pie, a Texas favorite, with lemon curd and gulab jamun — a traditional deep-fried, syrupy Indian dessert made with milk solids and yogurt; bison short rib nihari; hokkaido scallop ceviche with tamarind standing in for citrus; pan-seared branzino served with green herbs and vegetables salan; and steaks grilled with Indian cooking techniques. The concept will offer dinner, weekday happy hour, and Sunday brunch, and will lean into bright, colorful decor with a pink-and-green palette and views into an open kitchen — “It’ll be like entering a home,” Bindra says — plus al fresco patio dining and plentiful parking. The announced location occupies the space that formerly housed MasterChef winner Christine Ha’s Vietnamese restaurant, which closed in June 2024. The opening follows a busy stretch for the group, which opened an Indian fried-chicken concept in Midtown in December and a fast-casual bowls-and-wraps spot in January; Bindra, who opened the group's Woodlands fine-dining venue in 2022 with his team, has also hinted that an Indian tasting-menu restaurant is likely next." - Brittany Britto Garley