Check Out 2 Asian-Fusion Restaurants Heating Up Phoenix

New entrants to the Phoenix dining scene Pyro and Kembara bring tantalizing menus made all the more enticing by their attractive settings.

Photo: Courtesy Pyro

Pyro

Located at The Grove, Japanese American bistro Pyro celebrates the art of flame-cooked seafood and meat with live fire and a custom hearth. All that searing and roasting complements the global sake and wine lists, but it’s the restaurant’s design that really underscores the attractiveness of the menu. Inspired by a 1930s Japanese-style supper club, the space is tantalizingly indulgent. Rectilinear architecture and dark wood nod to traditional Japanese design, while decorative screens and layers of sumptuous textiles in geisha and floral patterns create an otherworldly escape. Mirrored accents and the occasional neon snake add a frisson of excitement and push an already lavish design into the world of maximalism. Pyro creates different vignettes in several seating areas: There are banquettes in dark and moody corners, palm-tinged spaces with woven furnishings and fabric-paneled ceilings, and even a lush outdoor patio with an open hearth.

Photo: Courtesy Kembara

Kembara

Kembara opened at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa this winter, replacing the once iconic Roy’s with chef Angelo Sosa’s homage to pan-Asian cuisine. Just as the menu takes visitors on a voyage through Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and elsewhere, the Thomas Schoos design offers layers of texture, light and color that play to the diversity of the Asian continent. Visitors arrive through an illuminated moon gate, a not-so-subtle tribute to the nighttime street food vendors whose dishes inspired Kembara’s menu. Inside, neon rope lights sizzle against black walls, while a whooping crane-printed wallpaper adds dimension to the generous bar area. There are also hand-painted murals that nod to the kind of graffiti you might see while waiting in line for pho after a night out. Outside, a garden-like space is replete with sharing tables, paper lanterns and a fire pit.