The Kahani Social Group first made its debut in The Woodlands in June 2022 with its upscale Indian restaurant Amrina. Brothers Preet Paul Singh and Surpreet Singh partnered with chef Jaspratap “Jassi” Bindra to bring the innovative concept to the Greater Houston area, making a splash with the beautifully-designed space and stunning food. In 2024, Amrina was named Best Restaurant in The Woodlands here, in the Houston Press.
The group soon began to hint at expanding with more casual ventures and opened Pok Pok Po in downtown Houston in late 2024, followed by its adjacent sister concept, Bol, a month later. Now, it is straddling the line between casual and fine dining with its new restaurant, Kitchen Rumors, and we got a pre-opening preview at a recent media event.
Houston’s weather has been even quirkier than usual this summer with pop-up thunderstorms without much warning. That was the case the evening I set out with my daughter from Cypress toward the Sixth Ward area. Coupled with the unusual event of a woman in a lawn chair on Interstate-45, I had my doubts that we were ever going to make it. Fortunately, we trudged onward, or as much as we could in stop and barely-go traffic.
Luckily for us, we were earlier than many other guests and parking was easy, my red Elantra sharing the lot with a black Ferrari. Right off Decatur, Kitchen Rumors takes over a building that has been hallowed ground in the Houston culinary world. First as Beaver’s, followed briefly by Decatur Bar & Pop-Up, and most recently, Xin Chao. Houston superstar chefs such as Monica Pope, Evelyn Garcia, Victoria Elizondo, Tony Nguyen and Christine Ha have all helmed the kitchen at some point in the Decatur space. Now, Chef Jassi and his team, including chef de cuisine Nadeem Quereshi and pastry chef Sachin Kumar, are making it their own.
The restaurant’s interior is long and not very wide. Each seating area seems to be its own design, though it all melds in a pleasantly eclectic way. The bar is the center focal point with a dining space on each side. We were seated on the left side with six or seven tables that seemed geared toward a more relaxing ambiance while the right side seemed to be more upbeat and casual with a mix of different seating styles. The design leaves a bit of an open space in between, which makes the interior seem less crowded.
While some media events are structured with small bites and passed cocktails, this one allowed media guests, and what seemed to be some friends and family, the opportunity to order from the menu. Our waiter for the evening, Thomas, helped to guide us through the menu.
It’s not an extensive menu, which means that the quality is a higher priority than quantity. Though Thomas said the menu was “international”, much of the influences are still Indian and with Chef Jassi being declared one of the World’s Best Indian Chefs by the Hindustan Times, diners can be assured that the food is going to be stellar.
The cocktail menu offers a handful of signature drinks and I began with the Bhangra Routine, a blend of reposado tequila, lime and mint agave, with salted watermelon ice and Aperol caviar. It was a primo choice and I noticed that nearly every other table had ordered the same thing. It was one of the best cocktails I have had in a while, because the mint undernotes were very subtle and the saltiness of the watermelon ice brought out the flavors of the drink as it does in food itself. Though the Aperol “caviar” was cute, I wish the tiny jewels were a little bigger to get more of a textural feel.
The appetizer portion of the menu offers an array of starters which almost seemed to me more interesting than the mains. We were first served the Lobster Dumpling and Roasted Oyster Tikka. Dumplings are not my favorite thing, but my daughter wanted to try caviar and the lobster shumai each get a small dollop. The dumplings were filled with lobster and the dry mangosteen-infused Malabar sauce was a nice, mild accompaniment. However, it was the oyster dish that really stood out. The coconut curry sauce was amazing, with just a slight herbal brininess from the chimichurri and mignonette. When Chef Jassi stopped by our table, I told him that I would lick the inside of the oyster shells if I wasn’t in public. Perhaps I need to work on my complimenting skills, but he seemed pleased.
A second cocktail, Desi Girl at Heart, was tasty, if a tad too sweet for my palate. With reposado, lime, turmeric, cayenne honey and yogurt wash, it’s definitely on trend with the cocktail fads. I could have used a little more cayenne heat, but then, I think I have a pepper problem.
When it came to entrees, I was a bit stumped. Chicken is not my favorite protein, but the Atta Chicken being served at other tables made us want to get in on the experience, and our server was certain we would be impressed. The Butter Chicken Ramen also called to us. I love butter chicken, my daughter loves ramen. It seemed like a perfect compromise, and boy was it ever.
The broth was very flavorful, with just enough tomato and spice to allow the chicken stock to come through. The skin-on chicken breast slices were tender, but I really could have just had the slightly spicy broth and noodles and been in comfort food heaven. I took the little we had left over to a friend who was recovering from surgery. It made her day, especially since she still talks about the butter chicken we had at one of Chef Jassi’s catering events.
The Atta Chicken arrived at our table and the presentation was dramatic as the dough casing was cut and lifted open, exposing the banana leaf-encased bird. The slow-roasted chicken gets infused with the spices and juices as it cooks in the pastry shell. The chicken is returned to the kitchen, cut into four pieces and then brought back to the table swimming in a mild sauce that for me, was a bit of a let down, especially after the previous flavors. It was also a little dangerous, because the cut-up bird left a few bone shards floating around in the sauce and we had to be very careful. It also meant that we didn’t get to taste the chicken on its own. I think it might be a better idea to serve the sauce separately, though it looked very pretty.
Walnut sauce was served on the side, but it was lacking seasoning. Or maybe I am just too hooked on heat. That didn’t stop my daughter from devouring it with the layered sheermal. Of the three breads we received, the sheermal was her favorite. For me, it would be a toss up between the garlic naan and chili cheese kulcha. Cooked in the tandoori oven at the restaurant, the kulcha was stuffed with herbs and Amul, an Indian processed cheese. The breads are inexpensive and a must for dipping in the tasty sauces. Order all three. Twice.
We also had a couple of sides with our chicken including the Crispy Caulifower & Tajin and the Sichuan Eggplant. I was forewarned about the heat level of the eggplant, but I said, “My dear man, you don’t know me.” And the spice level wasn’t overwhelming, though the next day when I ate the leftovers, the heat seemed to have kicked in a bit.
Though the restaurant is more casual than Amrina, it is still a place where guests might want to dress to be seen, in a nonchalant sort of way.
Cocktails run $14 to $17, though there is a daily happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the bar and on the patio. Most main dishes are $24 to $38, so it’s a bit on the pricier side, but not astronomical for the quality of food and the level of service that the restaurant is delivering. And there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options like Jackfruit Chilla, Pan Fried Paneer and Char Grilled Zucchini.
We were too full for dessert, which was a damn shame. That begs for a return visit, as do the roasted oysters.
I can’t promise not to lick them clean, though.
Kitchen Rumors
2310 Decatur
713-380-2452
kitchenrumors.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
