Kiln and Smoking Goat chefs to join Comal in NYC for collaborative tasting menu

Two of London’s celebrated Thai restaurants, Kiln and Smoking Goat, will bring their chefs to New York City this April for a two-night collaborative tasting menu at Comal, the Lower East Side modern Mexican restaurant that opened last June. The event, sponsored by hospitality technology company Blackbird, will take place on Thursday 23^rd and Friday 24^th April, with the collaboration drawing on early-spring produce from farms across America’s Northeast.

Chef-owner Herbert and Comal head chef Scott McKay will cook alongside Kiln and Smoking Goat’s Albert Smith and Lonnie Rountree across both evenings. The exchange carries a personal dimension for Herbert, who previously cooked in London at The River Café and Ikoyi, where he first met McKay.

Kiln, which opened on Brewer Street in Soho in 2016, was named National Restaurant of the Year at the National Restaurant Awards in 2018 and has remained a fixture in the top rankings since. The restaurant is known for its open-fire cooking and a menu influenced by the rural food traditions of northern Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and the Yunnan province of China.

Sister restaurant Smoking Goat, which relocated from Soho to Shoreditch’s Redchurch Street in 2017, focuses on Thai barbecue and late-night canteen-style cooking inspired by Bangkok’s street food culture. It was listed in the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 Restaurants the same year it reopened and was named Best Casual Restaurant at the Foodism 100 awards in 2019.

The five-course menu will reflect the culinary approaches of both kitchens, combining elements of Mexican and Southeast Asian cooking with seasonal produce. Dishes will include a Som Tam–style Salad, Pork Sausage Al Pastor and Fish Crudo with Monkfish Liver Mole. The main course will be Lobster and Beef Hang Lay, served with sticky rice and seasonal greens. For dessert there’s Mango and Coconut-Lime Soft Serve and Cinnamon Caramel Banana.

The drinks offering brings old-world wines selected to complement the spice-forward menu, alongside lesser-known Mexican varietals, beers, rare teas and a selection of bar specials.

Herbert said of the collaboration: “Having the Kiln team in New York is a real pleasure. Both kitchens work closely with bold heat and the seasons, and we’re excited to see how spring produce comes to life across our collaborative menu at Comal.”

The popular New York restaurant opened in June 2025 on Forsyth Street in the Lower East Side. Founded by Herbert, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu London and previously worked at the much-celebrated Ikoyi, the restaurant draws on his Mexican upbringing and plays with Northeast American seasonal produce. Head chef Scott McKay brings experience from Fäviken Magasinet in Sweden, Smoking Goat and Ikoyi in London, and Atomix in New York, among others.

The five-course tasting menu is priced at $95 per person, excluding drinks. Three seatings will be available each evening: 5 and 5.30pm, 7 and 7.30pm, and 9 and 9.30pm. The restaurant has noted that, due to the nature of the set menu, it will be unable to accommodate specific dietary requirements.

Tickets will be available in advance exclusively through the Blackbird app, before going on general release via Resy from 8^th April onwards.

Food Desk

Comal’s collaborative dinner with Albert Smith and Lonnie Rountree takes place on 23^rd and 24^th April 2026 at Comal, 116 Forsyth Street, New York, NY 10002, USA. To book advance tickets, download the Blackbird app here, or visit here to book tickets from 5^th April 2026.

For further information about Comal, visit the restaurant’s website here.

For further information about Smoking Goat, visit the restaurant’s website here.

For further information about Kiln, visit the restaurant’s website here.