Lore, a lovely new neighborhood spot, lands in Park Slope

By Scott Lynch

Lore’s warm reception (Scott Lynch)

Like many of us, chef John Kim struggled with isolation during the early stages of the pandemic. “We entered this kind of social void,” Kim tells Brooklyn Magazine. “Historically restaurants have always been a forum where people come together, talk about many different things, share a meal, enjoy each other’s company. During that first year or so it’s something we all missed.”

Kim and his fellow chef and good friend Jay Kumar—the two met through Kumar’s wife Daria Greene, and then worked together in upstate New York at the Deer Mountain Inn—spent long hours trying to figure a way through this thing. What they decided to do was open their own restaurant. “We just wanted to start something that would make some sort of difference for us, our mindset,” says Kumar. “And also for the community.”

It was Greene who first noticed that Camperdown Elm, on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 15th Street in Park Slope, hadn’t reopened after the initial lockdown. There was no public listing for the place, but Kim and Kumar loved the space, loved the neighborhood, and tracked down the owner with a bit of quasi cyber-sleuthing to make a deal. And so Lore was born.

Kumar is Indian, spent 30 years in Switzerland, and currently lives in Ditmas Park. Kim’s family is from South Korea—he grew up in America—and recently moved to Woodside with his wife after 10 years of living in Brooklyn. In other words there were plenty of influences from which to choose when coming up with Lore’s menu. And while there are several unmistakably South Asian dishes here, most of Lore’s offerings are “just things that we both like to eat ourselves,” as Kumar puts it.

Starters include fermented dosa, generously stuffed with potato and some very good coconut chutney on the side, kabuli naan with spiced honey, and a pair of baked puff pastry samosa covered in a sweet tamarind chutney and mango cashew creme.

Fermented dosa, $14 (Scott Lynch)

All of these will make you happy, as will the “leafy salad” loaded with castelfranco, crunchy seeds, and chickpeas, and, best of all, the smoked steelhead trout, a rich and buttery slab of fish covered in crisp breadcrumbs.

Leafy salad, $13 (Scott Lynch)

Smoked steelhead trout, $18 (Scott Lynch)

After all those apps, my companion and I opted for only one entree, springing for Lore’s sliced-up bavette steak slathered with masala butter. Other large-plate choices include a good-looking smashed cheeseburger with fries, a wild mushroom ragout, a sea bream with Malabar spices, and a classic Indian butter chicken. We ended the feast on a high note with a slice of sticky cashew baklava topped with rosewater ice cream.

Bavette steak, $34 (Scott Lynch)

There’s a full slate of cocktails, a couple of mocktails (the citrusy Lao Tzu was delicious), as well as beer and wine. And if the full house and lively vibe last Monday evening is any indication, Park Slope is as excited as Kim and Kumar about Lore. “The support by the community has been absolutely fabulous,” says Kumar. “It’s been overwhelming how people have received us, have shown their love, and we feel blessed and grateful.”

Cashew baklava, $10 (Scott Lynch)

Lore is located at 441 Seventh Avenue, at the corner of 15th Street, and is currently open on Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 5:30 to 9:00. Weekend brunch is coming soon (347-599-0300)