Notes From The City: An Abundant Life

Korai Kitchen is a very special place. With a feeling of home that is even more special than home because everything you might want or need is shared with you freely in a way that even the most lovely homes cannot always do when they're your own. When you stop by on any given day, Nur-E Farhana Rahman's mother Nur-E Gulshan Rahman will greet you if Nur-E is not there herself to do it, and you feel as if you've stopped by to see an old friend, someone who you've known your whole life who loves and cares about you. And it doesn't matter if it's your first time there, Nur-E's mother will greet you like you're that someone special she's been waiting for, and if Nur-E is there herself, she'll sit you down at a table and feed you the most delicious food you've ever had. And don't worry if you're in a hurry, there are to-go containers that she can pack full of the ambrosial flavors from her mother's kitchen. You won't go away hungry if anyone there can help it.

I met Nur-E Farhana Rahman at an event at the Jersey City Tech Meetup on one of the coldest days of the year last winter. She had been part of a panel of Chefs and people who own restaurants or are in some way part of the food industry in the area, and when she began to describe her restaurant I knew I wanted to visit. And it was not just because it sounded delicious and like a one of a kind experience because of the Bangladeshi home cooking of her mother - there was something about Nur-E herself that made me want to find out more about this entrepreneur who decided to drop everything to help her mother realize her dream of having a restaurant. As the story goes, Nur-E had thought that she would just help her mother get started, but she was enjoying herself so much in the neighborhood, getting to know people who stopped in and sharing the traditions of her family meals, that she stayed, and then she stayed a little longer, and now she is a part of the place as if she had always wanted to own a restaurant and as if she always has.

When I stopped by recently to set up an appointment with her, she was so busy with customers that she didn't have much time to talk, but she threw her arms around me to say hello and then packed me a delicious curry chicken to take home. We set up an appointment for the following week, and I had a chance to try the lunch buffet. I wanted to try a little of everything because it is food that I have rarely had before, only a few times over the years when friends of friends or family would share meals from their native Bangladesh. And there is such an array of delicious food here, curry and chicken and fish and rice and lentils, vegetables and meats seasoned with coconut milk, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, and the smell of each is so enticing. Nothing is heavy and everything so flavorful, and the variety on my plate was so beautiful and so delicious that I can't wait to go back for more. I think if Nur-E had more time that day I would still be there, enjoying the sights and sounds of this lovely oasis, this place of peace in one of the most bustling areas of a busy city. But she was off to the market and I was off to an event at the nearby Mana Contemporary, and so after a lovely conversation we went on our separate ways. I'll be back again soon, though, that's for certain. Korai Kitchen is a special place, and one that feels very much like home.

Korai Kitchen

576 Summit Avenue

Jersey City, New Jersey

https://www.koraikitchen.com