We had an absolutely exceptional dining experience at Kembara, located inside the JW Marriott Desert Ridge. We were drawn in by the promise of Asian-inspired cuisine, which we already love — but what we experienced far exceeded expectations. Chef Stephanie’s recommendations were creative, flavorful, and truly unforgettable.
One member of our group has a dairy allergy, and both Chef Stephanie and our server Megan were impressively knowledgeable about every ingredient in each dish. They not only understood the origins of the ingredients but paid close attention to the smallest details — even adjusting microgreens like cilantro for personal preference. Their attentiveness was next-level.
Every dish that came out was a showstopper. We enjoyed a variety of plates including the Smashed Cucumbers, Dumplings, Shrimp Shu Mai, Chicken Satay, Tuna Thai Jewel, two types of Fried Rice, Lo Mein, and a Garlic Chicken Noodle dish affectionately dubbed “Chicken Alfredo,” Fishy Waffles with Coconut Cream Dip. Each bite topped the last, making it nearly impossible to pick a favorite.
In a word? Outrageous — in the best way possible. We’re already counting down the days until our next visit!
M D
Absolutely horrible experience! First of all they told us that were gonna sit us for a table of four and told us it would be a 15 minute wait, however we waited over an hour and they did not sit us. (Keep in mind that we did check in two times with them and they told us that it will be ready soon). But because this is a work trip, we decided to go ahead and just order “to go” instead and it took them more than 30 minutes to have our food ready so of course because of the bad experience I did not tip them and they decided to tip themselves without my knowledge. I do not recommend this place. Very unprofessional!
Kendra Westman
We had a 745 pm reservation for outside , we were sat on time even with it being a holiday weekend . The atmosphere was beautiful and the service was great ! The food was excellent especially the NY Strip and the coffee and coffee donuts !! Highly recommend hitting this place up if you are staying at the JW !
Megan Graupensperger
I really loved how they sprinkled the most colorful flowers onto my vegetable lo mein. Tell me that’s not the cutest thing ever.
Kyle Frashier
Shout out to our server Cole and chefs Stephanie and Penny for giving us one of the best meals we’ve experienced. Amazing food and amazing service, plus you can’t beat being at the JW. We absolutely LOVED the Tuna Thai Jewel appetizer (must get) along with everything else we ordered… Shrimp Shu Mai, Crab Fried Rice, Beef Rendang, Vietnamese Coffee Donuts, and Ube Delight. The cocktails were fantastic too. Hands down one of our new favorite restaurants. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Mary J A
Food is gross! The waiter and staff are wonderful and go above &beyond. But the food….I can smell and taste the old cooking oil and the frozen seafood . Disgusting. Some of the worst food ever.
Michael
As a longtime fan of Chef Angelo Sosa and a frequent diner at Tía Carmen, I was genuinely excited to try his new restaurant, Kembara. Unfortunately, the experience was an enormous letdown from start to finish. My friend and I arrived at our 7:00 PM reservation on a Friday night, and we were surprised to find the restaurant about 90% empty—a red flag in hindsight. After being seated, we waited nearly 20 minutes before anyone acknowledged us or took our drink and food orders. Once our drinks arrived (about 10 minutes later), they were weak and uninspired. We ordered two appetizers, which came out at the same time, but both were excessively salty. The dumplings, especially, were incredibly underwhelming—I've had better from the frozen section at Trader Joe’s. To make matters worse, my friend’s entrée (the Pork Belly Noodle dish) arrived before we had even finished our appetizers. I don’t eat red meat, so I didn’t try it, but he said it was incredibly salty, undercooked, and lacked pork belly—just two or three small pieces in the entire dish. He ended up leaving most of it uneaten. I waited another 30 minutes after his dish arrived for my own entrée, which never came. During this span, no one checked on us, offered refills, or even made eye contact, despite the restaurant being mostly empty. I eventually gave up, had my credit card in hand, and flagged someone down to ask for the bill. Only then did my dish arrive—over an hour after we were seated. I politely told the server to take it back, as I was no longer interested. About five minutes later, a man claiming to be the manager approached and asked what was wrong. I explained the situation: the long wait, the lack of communication, and that I never received my meal until I was already asking for the check. He defensively explained that the restaurant serves food “family-style” and it’s normal for dishes to come out at different times. This was never mentioned to us, either by the server or in anything I read online. I told him I don’t eat red meat, so “family-style” wouldn’t have worked for us regardless. To my surprise, the manager said he would “be nice” and not charge me for the dish I never touched. I was already hungry and frustrated—and being told he was doing me a favor by not charging me for something I didn’t eat just added insult to injury. The bill came to $125 for two mediocre, overly salty appetizers, two weak drinks, and one barely edible entrée. The server never apologized, only mentioned that “the manager comped my meal,” as if that was a consolation. This experience was such a stark contrast to what I’ve come to expect from Chef Sosa’s restaurants. Kembara was chaotic, disorganized, overpriced, and completely lacking in hospitality. Sadly, I won’t be returning and can’t recommend it to others.
Gregg Peterson
Go for happy hour!! Get drinks and sample their dinner affair!
Salim Hayek
Incidental visit - blown away by the food and service. The lamb rolls and Tuna Thai Jewel are a must!
John Esperanza
Incredible dinner. Service and food were both excellent.
Phenomenal dinner experience. It wasn’t loud as other reviews stated. Maybe they fixed the issue. I can’t do loud restaurants and I was comfortable. You can hear the noise level in my video below. Get the noodles!
Glamorama
Wow. What an experience. Every dish has a beautiful story. The Vietnamese coffee and desserts (all 3) took me into another dimension. The house made noodles are rustic and chewy. Every dish was phenomenal. Highly recommend going.
Jeff Lumbo
Kembara is a great place to amaze a guest! This elegant restaurant is perfect to impress a client, a prom date, or celebrate an anniversary. The atmosphere is sexy, the service is 5 star and the food is delicious. The chef did cater to our gluten free restrictions. Do not skip dessert. The Halo Halo and Vietnamese Coffee Donuts are mandatory!! We just celebrated the Chinese New Year with dinner at the Kembara and they put on a fantastic show!
Ankur Kikani
Joy Luck Club was a super yummy surprise of a drink. The fried rice and noodles were very very good.
Heather Edwards
Overall poor experience poor service, ok food, the best part about this restaurant is the cocktails.
We had an absolutely exceptional dining experience at Kembara, located inside the JW Marriott Desert Ridge. We were drawn in by the promise of Asian-inspired cuisine, which we already love — but what we experienced far exceeded expectations. Chef Stephanie’s recommendations were creative, flavorful, and truly unforgettable.
One member of our group has a dairy allergy, and both Chef Stephanie and our server Megan were impressively knowledgeable about every ingredient in each dish. They not only understood the origins of the ingredients but paid close attention to the smallest details — even adjusting microgreens like cilantro for personal preference. Their attentiveness was next-level.
Every dish that came out was a showstopper. We enjoyed a variety of plates including the Smashed Cucumbers, Dumplings, Shrimp Shu Mai, Chicken Satay, Tuna Thai Jewel, two types of Fried Rice, Lo Mein, and a Garlic Chicken Noodle dish affectionately dubbed “Chicken Alfredo,” Fishy Waffles with Coconut Cream Dip. Each bite topped the last, making it nearly impossible to pick a favorite.
In a word? Outrageous — in the best way possible. We’re already counting down the days until our next visit!
Absolutely horrible experience! First of all they told us that were gonna sit us for a table of four and told us it would be a 15 minute wait, however we waited over an hour and they did not sit us. (Keep in mind that we did check in two times with them and they told us that it will be ready soon). But because this is a work trip, we decided to go ahead and just order “to go” instead and it took them more than 30 minutes to have our food ready so of course because of the bad experience I did not tip them and they decided to tip themselves without my knowledge. I do not recommend this place. Very unprofessional!
We had a 745 pm reservation for outside , we were sat on time even with it being a holiday weekend . The atmosphere was beautiful and the service was great ! The food was excellent especially the NY Strip and the coffee and coffee donuts !! Highly recommend hitting this place up if you are staying at the JW !
I really loved how they sprinkled the most colorful flowers onto my vegetable lo mein. Tell me that’s not the cutest thing ever.
Shout out to our server Cole and chefs Stephanie and Penny for giving us one of the best meals we’ve experienced. Amazing food and amazing service, plus you can’t beat being at the JW. We absolutely LOVED the Tuna Thai Jewel appetizer (must get) along with everything else we ordered… Shrimp Shu Mai, Crab Fried Rice, Beef Rendang, Vietnamese Coffee Donuts, and Ube Delight. The cocktails were fantastic too. Hands down one of our new favorite restaurants. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Food is gross! The waiter and staff are wonderful and go above &beyond. But the food….I can smell and taste the old cooking oil and the frozen seafood . Disgusting. Some of the worst food ever.
As a longtime fan of Chef Angelo Sosa and a frequent diner at Tía Carmen, I was genuinely excited to try his new restaurant, Kembara. Unfortunately, the experience was an enormous letdown from start to finish.
My friend and I arrived at our 7:00 PM reservation on a Friday night, and we were surprised to find the restaurant about 90% empty—a red flag in hindsight. After being seated, we waited nearly 20 minutes before anyone acknowledged us or took our drink and food orders. Once our drinks arrived (about 10 minutes later), they were weak and uninspired.
We ordered two appetizers, which came out at the same time, but both were excessively salty. The dumplings, especially, were incredibly underwhelming—I've had better from the frozen section at Trader Joe’s.
To make matters worse, my friend’s entrée (the Pork Belly Noodle dish) arrived before we had even finished our appetizers. I don’t eat red meat, so I didn’t try it, but he said it was incredibly salty, undercooked, and lacked pork belly—just two or three small pieces in the entire dish. He ended up leaving most of it uneaten.
I waited another 30 minutes after his dish arrived for my own entrée, which never came. During this span, no one checked on us, offered refills, or even made eye contact, despite the restaurant being mostly empty. I eventually gave up, had my credit card in hand, and flagged someone down to ask for the bill. Only then did my dish arrive—over an hour after we were seated. I politely told the server to take it back, as I was no longer interested.
About five minutes later, a man claiming to be the manager approached and asked what was wrong. I explained the situation: the long wait, the lack of communication, and that I never received my meal until I was already asking for the check. He defensively explained that the restaurant serves food “family-style” and it’s normal for dishes to come out at different times. This was never mentioned to us, either by the server or in anything I read online. I told him I don’t eat red meat, so “family-style” wouldn’t have worked for us regardless.
To my surprise, the manager said he would “be nice” and not charge me for the dish I never touched. I was already hungry and frustrated—and being told he was doing me a favor by not charging me for something I didn’t eat just added insult to injury.
The bill came to $125 for two mediocre, overly salty appetizers, two weak drinks, and one barely edible entrée. The server never apologized, only mentioned that “the manager comped my meal,” as if that was a consolation.
This experience was such a stark contrast to what I’ve come to expect from Chef Sosa’s restaurants. Kembara was chaotic, disorganized, overpriced, and completely lacking in hospitality. Sadly, I won’t be returning and can’t recommend it to others.
Go for happy hour!! Get drinks and sample their dinner affair!
Incidental visit - blown away by the food and service. The lamb rolls and Tuna Thai Jewel are a must!
Incredible dinner. Service and food were both excellent.
Restaurantji Recommends
Phenomenal dinner experience. It wasn’t loud as other reviews stated. Maybe they fixed the issue. I can’t do loud restaurants and I was comfortable. You can hear the noise level in my video below. Get the noodles!
Wow. What an experience. Every dish has a beautiful story. The Vietnamese coffee and desserts (all 3) took me into another dimension. The house made noodles are rustic and chewy. Every dish was phenomenal. Highly recommend going.
Kembara is a great place to amaze a guest! This elegant restaurant is perfect to impress a client, a prom date, or celebrate an anniversary. The atmosphere is sexy, the service is 5 star and the food is delicious. The chef did cater to our gluten free restrictions. Do not skip dessert. The Halo Halo and Vietnamese Coffee Donuts are mandatory!! We just celebrated the Chinese New Year with dinner at the Kembara and they put on a fantastic show!
Joy Luck Club was a super yummy surprise of a drink. The fried rice and noodles were very very good.
Overall poor experience poor service, ok food, the best part about this restaurant is the cocktails.
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