New restaurant Kembara opening at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort
Dec 5, 2023, 4:05 AM | Updated: 7:24 am
Kembara is set to open Dec. 7, 2023, at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort. (Kembara Photo)
(Kembara Photo)
PHOENIX — A new restaurant from acclaimed chef Angelo Sosa is coming to the Valley.
Kembara, according to a press release, is a “reflection of both Chef Sosa’s and (restaurant developer Mark) Stone’s culinary odysseys traveling, cooking, and tasting across the broad continent of Asia throughout their careers, pulling inspiration from Chiang Mai to Hanoi to Tokyo to Penang and beyond.”
The restaurant will debut Thursday at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in north Phoenix. The addition marks the final phase of an $80 million transformation.
The eatery is designed by Thomas Schoos, who has always outfitted such restaurants as Morimoto in Napa and Mexico City, Margot in Los Angeles and Tía Carmen in Phoenix.
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Kembara features “the rich tapestry of Asian street food culture, exemplifying the tradition of cherishing time-honored recipes and their stories passed down to each generation, while also playfully innovating upon familiar flavors and techniques,” according to a release. Appetizers include dishes such as tuna Thai jewel, which is a savory twist on the Thai dessert tub tim krob with tuna sashimi and lamb spring solls. For main courses, the menu includes black pepper Maine lobster and banana leaf halibut. Desserts include Thai ice tea shaved ice, Vietnamese coffee donuts, and buckwheat taiyaki.
The restaurant, which opens Thursday, will be open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Who is celebrity chef Angelo Sosa?
Readers may know Sosa from his time on the Bravo show, “Top Chef,” where he appeared on multiple seasons.
He is noted for his “bold cooking rooted in Asian flavors and techniques.”
With more than 25 years of experience, he is the protégé Jean-Georges Vongerichten, under whom Sosa was introduced to the wide array of Asian flavors that have influenced his career.
He has worked at several renowned institutions, including Jean-Georges, Spice Market, Buddakan and others.
