Amma $$$$$

 

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Amma, an intimate 38-seat Indian restaurant, is located at 246 East 51st Street, New York, New York. The name means “Mother” in Hindi and the restaurant has the same soothing qualities.

Amma, which opened in 2002, by Anju Sharma and her husband, Devendra, is a gem tucked away on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The stylish restaurant evokes images of Indian spices, with its ochre-colored walls and sensuous red-orange suede wrap-around banquettes. Art Deco chandeliers and pristine linens complete the ambience. At Amma, traditions have been respected, but the take is fresh. Amma's menu has little to do with the food one finds in most Indian restaurants.

At Amma, our Sommelier provides what we call a “United Nations of Wine Pairing”, where he successfully has paired wines from Hungary, Spain, France and Australia with each of the Indian courses to show the diversity of the wines, as well as the food. The wine list, updated on a monthly basis, is carefully chosen from almost thirty countries around the globe.

In the short period of time, Amma has received numerous accolades from the press, and while Amma’s menu is Indian, it is much-admired because it is bold. Because it is one of the forerunners in the new style of Indian food not easily found in the restaurants in India, it has been rated along with well-known Indian restaurants in major cities in the USA. Amma has been and continues to be an inspiration to the new and upcoming chefs and restaurants, and a dining experience to be savored by all.

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Anju Sharma, Owner

Owner, Anju Sharma, a New Yorker by the way of Old Delhi, wanted to share something Indian, yet new, in New York City. Memories of the foods she had eaten in the kitchens of her mother and her mother-in-law remained fresh in her mind long after the passing of these two women. To honor them, and to bring back an honest setting where food could be savored and celebrated, she thought of opening Amma (mother, in several of the Sub Continental languages). Amma celebrates mothers all over by remembering them by its name.

The recipes are based on what has been enjoyed in the kitchens of mothers, and are translated with respect for home cooking, and made to compliment a restaurant environment.

At Amma, she has brought a team of professionals to assist her in sharing her vision of creating a unique space, manageable in size and able to give the feeling of private dining space. One could easily fathom being in a lavish home whilst dining at Amma. The chefs and front of the house staff labor to ensure the shared vision of the team is never compromised. Customers that take time to come to Amma and find a setting that is equal measures about food, setting and sensibilities.

Bikky Sharma, Chef

Bikky Sharma was born in Pokhra Nepal. At the age of nine, his family moved to New Delhi, India. He grew up in Delhi, a large metropolis with an amazing number of luxury hotels. Bikky graduated from high school with admittance in Delhi’s premier hotel management school, Pusa Institute. It was here that Bikky first found that his love for food and wine was deeper than he knew. After graduating, Bikky joined the management team at Sofitel Surya in New Delhi; he then worked with the Holiday Inn group and soon found himself at Delhi’s prestigious Oberoi Hotel. He worked there for two years and then became a key player in the Meridian chain of hotels and with them, traveled the globe as a cocktail juggler and wine sommelier.

He traveled to Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt, Malaysia, South Africa, Germany, Philippines, Abu Dhabi, Australia, New Zealand, France and UK before settling in New York City. In his travels, he refined his own palate and learned how to pair wines successfully with cuisines using spices more generous than the traditional French. The more he studied French wines, the more he found himself yearning to discover the wines of other countries. California, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand have wines that Bikky finds himself reaching for when pairing wines with foods that have complex flavor and spice profiles. He is most comfortable eating Indian food, and hence, he has made it his mission to discover wines that complement the different dishes of his favorite cuisine.

At Amma, Bikky has worked with Joshua Wesson to create a wine list that is accessible and friendly even to those that are not very familiar with wines as a natural partner to Indian cuisine. He hopes that, with the wines that he has selected for the list at Amma, he can give the adventurous, a first successful pairing of wine with Indian cuisine, that will encourage them to come back.

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Featured In:

Zagat Survey

The New York Times

New York Magazine

New Yorker Magazine

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