The Fusion Risotto That New York City Did Not Know It Needed

Risotto is one of the most technically exacting dishes in Italian cooking. The technique is specific, unforgiving, and the product of centuries of Northern Italian culinary tradition. Carnaroli or Arborio rice, warm stock added ladle by ladle, constant movement, the final mantecatura with butter and parmesan that produces the dish's characteristic creaminess. It is not a dish that tolerates shortcuts or casual reinvention.

Which is exactly why the Thai basil and lemongrass risotto at Sesamo, at 764 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, is so compelling. The technique is Italian and unchanged. The aromatics are Southeast Asian and uncompromised. The result is a fusion risotto in NYC that tastes like both things at once and neither thing in particular, and that combination is exactly the point.

This is what happens when a kitchen understands two culinary traditions well enough to let them inhabit the same dish without either one giving ground.

What Makes Risotto So Hard to Get Right

Before understanding what Sesamo does to risotto, it helps to understand what risotto actually is and why it is so technically demanding. Most people have eaten a version of risotto that was overcooked, underseasoned, or cooked from start to finish without the attention the dish requires. That is not risotto. That is rice in sauce.

True risotto depends on three things working in sequence:

• The right rice: Short-grain varieties like Carnaroli or Arborio are selected specifically because their high starch content releases slowly during cooking, creating the creamy consistency that defines the dish. Long-grain rice produces a different dish entirely.
• The mantecatura technique: The final stage of risotto cooking, where cold butter and parmesan are beaten into the hot rice vigorously off the heat. This emulsification is what produces the glossy, creamy texture that defines a correctly made risotto. Skip this step and you have rice porridge.
• Timing and attention: Risotto cannot be made in advance and held. It cannot be reheated. It is made to order, served immediately, and it requires someone in the kitchen who is paying attention to nothing else during the approximately 18 minutes it takes to cook.

Chef Nikita's kitchen does all of this correctly. The risotto at Sesamo is a technically sound Italian risotto. The Thai basil and lemongrass are not a workaround or a shortcut. They are an aromatic choice applied to a correctly executed dish.

The Aromatic Argument: Thai Basil, Lemongrass, and Why They Belong

The conventional aromatics in a Northern Italian risotto are sage, rosemary, or saffron. Occasionally thyme. The Milanese risotto uses saffron specifically: one of the most expensive spices in the world, chosen because its floral, honeyed depth complements the richness of parmesan and butter without overpowering the rice.

Thai basil and lemongrass make an argument that the same slot in the aromatic structure can be occupied by Southeast Asian herbs, because both traditions are doing the same thing: adding complexity, depth, and something the grain alone cannot provide. Here is exactly how the two aromatics work:

Italian basil (Genovese) What Italians use Sweet, floral, slightly peppery. The classic pesto basil. Delicate and bright, best added at the last second so heat does not destroy it. In traditional Northern Italian risotto, Italian basil appears only occasionally. The classic risotto aromatics are sage, rosemary, or saffron.

Thai basil (Horapa) What Sesamo uses Anise, clove, and pepper notes. Stronger and more assertive than Genovese basil. Holds up to heat, which means it can go into the risotto during cooking rather than only at the finish. Paired with lemongrass, Thai basil creates a layered aromatic profile that is entirely Southeast Asian in character but structurally compatible with the Italian grain beneath it.

Lemongrass adds a dimension that has no Italian equivalent. Its citrus notes are different from lemon zest, its floral quality is different from saffron, and its volatility means it infuses the entire dish during cooking rather than sitting on top as a garnish. In the risotto, it does not compete with the parmesan. It does something parmesan cannot: it makes the dish smell like an outdoor kitchen in northern Thailand while tasting like it was made in Milan.

The Full Anatomy of the Dish

Here is how each component works in the Sesamo risotto, from grain to plate:

COMPONENT	ELEMENT	TECHNIQUE / SOURCE	THE BIGGER PICTURE
THE GRAIN	Arborio or Carnaroli Short-grain rice, high starch	Italian technique Mantecatura: constant agitation releases starch	Why it matters Starch is what makes risotto creamy without cream
THE AROMA	Thai basil Different from Italian basil: anise, clove, pepper notes	Lemongrass Citrus and floral, volatile aromatics released by heat	Together Southeast Asian aromatics at their most powerful combination
THE BASE	Soffritto Onion, fat, aromatics, Italian foundation	Stock Warm throughout, added ladle by ladle	The logic Italian structure carries the Asian aromatics perfectly
THE FINISH	Butter and parmesan Mantecatura finish, Italian style	Lemongrass oil Optional fragrant drizzle at the moment of plating	The result Creamy, aromatic, coherent. Neither Italian nor Asian alone.
THE DISH	Sesamo's version Creamy risotto, Thai basil, lemongrass	On the menu at 764 10th Avenue, Hell's Kitchen, NYC	The proof Italian technique, Asian soul. Exactly what Sesamo does.

Fusion Risotto in NYC: What Sets This Apart

New York City has thousands of risotto dishes available on any given night. Most of them are Italian and competent. Some are excellent. Very few of them are genuinely interesting. The Sesamo version is interesting because it makes an argument rather than just delivering a dish.

Here is how it compares to a classic Italian risotto, honestly and directly:

	CLASSIC ITALIAN RISOTTO	SESAMO THAI BASIL LEMONGRASS RISOTTO
Aromatics	Sage, rosemary, thyme, or saffron	Thai basil and lemongrass
Finish	Parmigiano-Reggiano, cold butter	Parmesan and a fragrant herb oil
Stock	Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth	Stock built around the Asian aromatic profile
Technique	Mantecatura: Italian, unchanged	Mantecatura: Italian, unchanged
What you smell	Northern Italian kitchen	A garden that spans two continents
What you taste	Rich, savory, deeply familiar	Rich, savory, and completely surprising
Where to find it	Thousands of restaurants in NYC	One restaurant: Sesamo, Hell's Kitchen

The row that matters most in that comparison is the last one. You can find a perfectly good traditional risotto at dozens of restaurants in Manhattan. The Thai basil lemongrass version exists at one place. That is not a marketing claim. It is a fact about supply and demand, and the supply is entirely at Sesamo.

Sesamo is at 764 10th Avenue at 52nd Street in Hell's Kitchen. The Thai basil lemongrass risotto is on the dinner menu, available Monday through Sunday from 4:30pm to 10pm. The menu rotates seasonally: if the risotto has shifted form when you visit, ask your server what the kitchen is doing with rice that week.

How to Build the Perfect Meal Around the Risotto

The risotto is a main course at Sesamo, not a side. It is rich, generous, and designed to be the center of the table. Here is how to build the evening around it:

BEFORE THE RISOTTO Start with lardo dumplings Paper-thin dumpling skin, cured Italian fatback filling, soy-balsamic sauce. This is the dish that opens the Sesamo argument. Order it first so you arrive at the risotto already understanding what the kitchen is doing.	ALONGSIDE THE RISOTTO What to drink with it The Thai basil and lemongrass in the risotto call for something with aromatic complexity. Ask Sabrina's bar team for a wine with floral and citrus notes. A light northern Italian white, a Soave or Lugana, works beautifully. So does a yuzu-based cocktail during Aperitif Hour.
AFTER THE RISOTTO The pasta or the braise The risotto is generous and satisfying. If you still want something else, go toward the tamarind bolognese: the richness of the braise follows the creaminess of the risotto in a way that feels designed rather than accidental. Both dishes understand how fat carries flavor.	THE FULL PICTURE A meal built around the risotto Lardo dumplings, Thai basil lemongrass risotto, glass of northern Italian white from Sabrina's list. That is a complete Sesamo dinner. Three courses, two culinary traditions, one evening that makes sense from beginning to end.

The Broader Context: This Dish in the Sesamo Menu

The Thai basil lemongrass risotto is one of four signature dishes that best demonstrate what Sesamo is doing as a restaurant. The other three are the tamarind bolognese, the lardo-stuffed dumplings, and the Szechuan pasta. Each one takes an Italian form and applies an Asian aromatic or ingredient logic to it without destroying the Italian structure underneath.

The risotto is the gentlest of the four. It is not aggressive or confrontational. It does not hit you with heat or funky cured fat. It is warm, aromatic, and beautifully textured, and it shows you two culinary traditions cooperating rather than competing. If you have never eaten at Sesamo and you are uncertain about the concept, the risotto is the dish to order first.

Practical Details

• Where: 764 10th Avenue at 52nd Street, Hell's Kitchen, New York, NY 10019
• Hours: Dinner Monday through Sunday, 4:30pm to 10pm. Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11:30am to 3pm.
• Aperitif Hour: Sunday through Thursday, 4pm to 7pm. Cocktail specials and bar snacks at reduced prices.
• Reservations: Book on Resy. Walk-ins welcome at the bar any night.
• Press: Forbes, TimeOut New York, Noms Magazine, W42nd.

Come Try the Thai Basil Lemongrass Risotto at Sesamo 764 10th Avenue at 52nd Street, Hell's Kitchen, NYC | (212) 265-2755 | sesamorestaurant.com Dinner Mon-Sun 4:30pm-10pm | Aperitif Hour Sun-Thu 4-7pm | Walk-ins welcome at the bar | Book on Resy

Plan your visit: Explore the full Sesamo menu, Italian-Asian fusion at 764 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. Discover more at sesamorestaurant.com.