KGB (Kitchen, Galerie, Bis) Restaurant – Paris, France: Opened in 2009, Kitchen, Galerie, Bis (KGB) is the new venture of chef-restaurateur William Ledeuil, the man behind Michelin-starred Ze Kitchen Galerie (ZKG), which has been around for a number of years. KGB is an offshoot of ZKG (tagged “gourmet heaven”) but a smaller, more casual version. High ceilings, sleek designs, and bright tones set a lively and contemporary ambiance.

Perhaps, what sets this restaurant apart from all others is their signature “Zor-d’ouvres” (so called in lieu of Hors d’ Oeuvres). Other than the name, what makes it different is the way it is served and presented; you can get three, four or six kinds and they are arranged on the table in a colorful bouquet style that is too beautiful to eat. We ordered six kinds.

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I truly enjoyed the Prawn avocado with beets and citrus-zesty reduction, Seared tuna with radish and a sugary-salty miso condiment, Deep fried lamb kofte with sweet chilli dipping sauce, and Carrot-turmeric soup froth with grilled mushrooms. Each one was a tiny adventure with every bite—the colors, the textures, the scents, and the taste, from potato to prawn, from carrot to lamb.

For our main dishes we had:

• Roasted pork of Bigorre (a region in southwest France) with miso and anchovy condiment. (I found the pork to be extremely fatty and the portion size way too small. For 26 Euro, I was expecting more; both in quality and quantity).

• Grilled scallops, litchee and wasabi condiment. (The scallops were good, but I couldn’t help thinking that for the price we were paying and the restaurant’s reputation, it could have been more impressive. Yes, it was tasty and fresh, but not much better than I could have gotten at a local bistro for about half the price).

For dessert we had the Chestnut & Olive Cake with kumquat confit and vanilla & olive oil ice cream, as well as the Mango Cappuccino with guava sorbet and passion fruit emulsion. Both desserts were interesting but if I had to do it over again, I would have just ordered the mango cappuccino. It was so refreshing and luxurious at the same time.

The crowd was the chic and stylish set. I had a feeling that many of them were there just to say they had tried KGB or to see who else was trying KGB. The acoustics were pretty bad and the whole time it was just too loud. The service was attentive, and I had no complaints in that department. Overall, my experience was dulled by the lack of outstanding food. There were many interesting combinations but it just missed the WOW factor to make it truly brilliant. Rating, Between Bombastic and Not.

What I liked: Zor-d’ouvres

What I didn’t like: Lackluster main dishes, loud atmosphere

Rating: Between Bombastic and Not

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