Lore, a fusion of cuisine and culture

Fusion is the term consistently used to describe the cuisine at Lore in South Slope. This makes sense. The menu, heavily inspired by the flavors of India, is also informed by ingredients and dishes of diverse cultural origins, including Korea, Switzerland, the UK, and America. The food, and inventive cocktail list, orchestrated by Executive Chef and owner Jay Kumar, in conjunction with Executive Sous Chef, Maux Morgan, hits the sweet spot that defines the make-or-break equation that often results from fusion cooking. What defines Lore, though, is not just the inventive yet accessible cuisine but also the successful fusion of harmony that prevails within the corner storefront at 441 7th Ave.

Kumar is a burly and bearded character, bad boy Bollywood handsome, with tattooed arms and a radiant smile. With the open kitchen in the hands of Maux and their staff, Kumar often mingles with customers in the L-shaped floor space, within the modern bistro aesthetic of exposed brick walls adorned with vintage artwork and shelves lined with illuminated blue bottles. Among those with whom he engages one particular night are a table of Sikh men, diverse young women and men on dates or celebrating in groups, a ladies night of WOC, and an elderly couple holding hands over the table. 

The United Nations of Brooklyn vibe is very much reflective of the owner’s background. Born and raised in India, Kumar spent 30 years in Switzerland, where he studied culinary arts and worked in some of the country’s most celebrated kitchens. He also has ties to the UK through a previous marriage. He is now married to an American art curator, Daria Brit Greene (whose love lured Kumar to America, and from whom the interior artwork derives). His original business partner at Lore was Korean. Perhaps the most reflective aspect of Kumar’s ethos is that his Executive Sous Chef, Morgan, is a Jamaican who had no experience with such cuisines before being hired.

The food that comes from the kitchen at Lore is a melting pot of these cuisines. Among the most celebrated are the Fermented Dosa (coconut chutney, potato, red lentil daal, “gunpowder” seasoning, & tomato chutney), Roti Ravioli, (eggplant, spaghetti squash, vindaloo sauce, pomegranate), Sea Bream Saam (Butterhead lettuce, cucumbers, mint chutney, hot red chutney, Malabar spices), Jerk Chicken (coconut basmati rice, okra, cashew sauce), Mushroom Uttapam (shitake, hen of the woods, tomato chutney, mushroom ragu, arugula). The desserts include a Rhubarb Granite (olive oil curd, rhubarb, strawberries), Semolina Pudding (rose ice cream, caramelized banana), and a Chocolate Brownie Cake (chocolate ganache, cardamom salt, vanilla ice cream). 

“I take something from every country I’ve been in and try to make it better, nicer, and more flavorful,” Kumar said. “It’s not complicated, but it has complex flavors, and that’s what we look for wherever we take the dishes from.”

There’s also an emphasis on gluten-free, dairy-free and other common dietary concerns (all thoughtfully noted with each menu item), including a gluten-free Fish & Chips (tartar sauce, Gochujang infused hot sauce, malt vinegar) that brings in the Brits and Irishmen from around the city.

What brings all to Lore is the overall experience, the fusion of cuisines and cultures, of palates and people, that define not only this remarkable eatery but our borough as well.