The Kitchen Club

The New Tork Times

“This is the restaurant's second summer with outdoor seating on a quiet block, where a cute little sake carafe goes well with its tempting mixed dumplings.”
- Seth Kugel

Time Out New York

“....food lovers will identify [Marja Samsom] as the owner of a small sake-and-dumpling empire....or the wacky Nolita lady with the cute dog (Chibi).”

BlackBook
(Little Black Book List,
Fall 2004)

"chef/owner Marja Samsom whips out a mean dumpling"

Time Out New York
Eating & Drinking Guide 2005

"The dumplings are a justifiable source of pride, with tasty, inventive fillings including salmon tartare and tofu with chrysanthemum."

New York Magazine

"...the club has its fervent regulars for whatever (often Japanese-inflected) whimsy the chef dreams up, especially tuna grilled rare with wasabi cream, and organic venison with spicy berry sauce."

TimeOut

"One of her most inventive details is seasonal table adornments—tiny apples, foil-covered chocolate eggs or other small, colorful objects that are fun to fiddle with and, like everything else around here, fabulously edible."

The Village Voice

"…there are surprise Japanese elements, too, including soba noodles, dumplings, and a formidable bento box. The mix of cuisines is perfect…."

Time Out New York
Eating & Drinking Guide 2003

"This is relaxed easygoing food that you’d want to serve friends at a dinner party."

New York Newsday

"A meal with Marja is more than four courses; it’s an East Village experience"

New York Magazine

"...sweetly eccentricÖzesty fare, with Japanese accents..."

Food Arts

"[Quoting Chef Marja Samsom] '…though I’m Dutch, there’s been a long history of Japanese influence both in my own life and in Dutch culture—it is a natural way for me to cook.'"

The New York Times

"Mushroom dumplings were another top-flight starter, a mixture of shiitake and Italian mushrooms, mixed with water chestnuts, encased in a thin, crisp skin and served with a ginger-scallion sauce."

The Village Voice

"But what makes the place clublike is the Dutch proprietress, who ministers to every table, supplementing the waitstaff and sometimes handing out unexpected fillips of cheese straws hot from the oven or a small plate of perfect pork dumplings."