Good Eats: ASIAN FUSION!! (Manhattan)

Sporting a catchy name ("Kumain" in Tagalog means "to eat"), Kuma Inn is located at 113 Ludlow St. (2nd Floor) between Delancey and Rivington. The closest subway station is the F Train at Delancey, about a block away from the restaurant.
As we passed through the nondescript entrance to ascend up the steep wooden stairs, P wondered out loud to S: "What kind of exotic place is Mama taking us to this time?". He had no choice but to proceed, though. The other day, he took us out for dinner at this BBQ joint at 73rd Street and 3rd Avenue. Everything we ordered (save for the heavenly frozen drinks) turned up drowning in barbecue sauce. Today, it was my turn to call the shots.
Once we got to the 2nd floor, we were met with a welcoming icy blast of AC. "Aaaah - such a relief!" (For the record, the restaurant staff was much warmer). The place was quaintly decorated with bamboo motif, pretty cozy (they had less than a dozen tables), and very clean. There were several lighted candles in the bathroom.

Needless to say, "Picky P" was pleased and instantly went "loco" over the Sake (Rice Wine) Sangria. He didn't hesitate to ordered a pitcher. (BTW, he's gonna kill me if he finds out I posted this particular pic of him). Meanwhile, S settled for the delish Mango Juice. For such a small place, they had a pretty extensive sake list.
They had Thai-Filipino-Chinese-Japaness fusion cuisine served tapas-style, and were relatively cheap. Lucky for them, we were starving. The chef, King Phojanakong is half Filipino (mom) and half Thai (dad). His impressive resume' included cooking for David Bouley (of Danube) and Daniel Boulud (of Bistro Moderne). 

Although one of their signature dishes: Pan Seared Ocean Scallops with Bacon wasn't available, the food we ordered did not disappoint. I heard the Shrimp Shumai (shown) was really good (P and S devoured it all before I could even bat an eyelash), even as the Vegetable Dumplings were a tad chewy. The fresh Grilled Baby Octopus with Pickled Bamboo Shoots (shown) was scrumptious. P and S didn't seem to mind the occasional black ink squirts.

We also had the Whole Grilled Sardines (shown), the Fried Springrolls/Lumpia, and the Lechon Kawali with Achara (shown), paired with a bowl of sticky rice and a serving of steamed rice. Each time, we managed to clean up our plates.

For dessert, the intense flavor of Black Cherry Gelato (shown) was to die for. I was fortunate enough that the Fried Plantains (Turon) with Caramel Sauce (shown) held S' undivided attention. Kuma Inn is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 6 PM till 12 Midnight. Cash Only.

LINKS:* http://www.kumainn.com/profile.html
* https://www.davidbouley.com/
* http://danielboulud.com/