Sunday, December 29, 2013

Kitchen Galerie Bis

Last night I ate an incredible meal with PBers at Kitchen Galerie Bis (or KGB) in the 6th.
Atmosphere is simple, relaxed with the splashes of color from the abstract paintings on the walls and the food on your plate. I told you about eating at KGB's sister up the street (4, rue des Grand Augustin) Ze Kitchen Galerie? I knew it would be a tasting adventure.
Chef William Ledeuil is mad for Asian ingredients. He combs the 13th arrondissement Chinatown markets each morning for the day's fusion menus. So this framed apron from the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo is spot on.
The menu is a tad confusing and frankly from the descriptions I didn't see a single thing I wanted to eat. Honestly I could have chosen blindfolded but I trust this chef to make me happy. The staff could not have been kinder or more helpful with our choices. I'm glad we each chose different dishes (except for our similar 3 'zors-d'oeurvres).
You can order a 'flight' of firsts/entrees/bites/amuse bouche. Three or four or five. I can easily say they were extraordinary. Starting with a creamy chestnut velouté on the far right. In the middle was something with Basil. That's all I can tell you. And lastly on the left foie gras cru (C is French so she could identify it - READ all about foie gras here) with tiny dollops of Balsamic reduction (I think...) and slivers of tart Granny Smith apple. Are you salivating yet?
S ordered the 'marché' dish - a quail cooked Moroccan style - in a tajine. Our waiter said there would be 'seasonal vegetables' with each dish. Naturally you imagine everyone getting the same dish of puréed something or other.
NO way! Each dish had perfect accompanying vegetables like melt-in-your-mouth baby onions and paper-thin sweets serves with the quail.
C ordered a...Seabream-like fish with tiny clams. Delicious no matter what the H. it was. We shared tastes natch. Really it's the only way to go at KGB.
I ordered grilled squid, something I would normally never order. Go figure. I asked our waiter about the 'Peribleus' (?)crevette.
His response,
"They are the happiest shrimp in the world".
OK...
Well it was OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious and sitting in a pool of black squid ink no less, something I wouldn't normally touch with a barge pole. They hardly needed to wash our dishes last night ;))
Dessert time. C got 'Cappucino Praline, Glace Granduja'. A home run for sure. Light and delicate.
I ordered the 'Soupe Coco, Mangue, Ananas, Passion', all my favorite tropical flavors.
But when I tasted S's dessert, 'Agrumes confits, Crème citron, Jus Clementine-Citronnelle' I must have looked like I had died and gone to heaven. He insisted we trade plates.
I think this dessert is the BEST THING I HAVE EVER TASTED! Intensely acidic and lemony with grapefruit zings. Words simply can't describe this experience. Do consider trying  Kitchen Galerie Bis (or KGB) when in Paris.
C and S ordered a larger than usual portrait in Paris (12" x 16"). They wanted a whole scene with lots going on so we picked the Christmas marche at Saint-Germain.
For some unknown reason S's portrait kept eluding me.
We even met again so I could do a reshoot. I must of done 25-30 head sketches and still...
Perhaps the portrait could have a French Revolutionary feeling...
With S remaining headless!?
At last I got him. Whew et voila.
They are both mad for their darling rescue cats so I added a few hither and thither including C's favorite Marc Jacobs cat Sweatshirt.
Thank you C and S for your patience and a divine dinner at KGB.
xxx CG

14 comments:

  1. The whole meal was looking quite good to me as I read but when I got to the citrus dessert….I stopped reading to inquire about booking passage on a tramp steamer!

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  2. Oh, my goodness! Possibly the best thing you've ever tasted? It must have been good indeed! Love the portrait of the two.

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    1. Just heaven
      I love the contrast of fruity desserts at the end of a meal.

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  3. You did an great job..what a lovely keepsake for them..charmant!
    I can tell they are nice.I just can.

    As for your dinner..what an experience..Le Fun for sure!

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  4. I would have been happy with any of the portraits! The food looks divine, thanks for giving us a visual feast. No calories involved!

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  5. The portrait looks fabulous; I like the way you show how it came together.
    The food looks good, but such small portions :)

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    1. You tend to eat more slowly with flavors this complex. Very satisfying experience visually as well as mentally.

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  6. C and S4:34 AM

    Very nice post.
    Never dreamed all of this would happen to us on our vacation in Paris.

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  7. Looks delicious. Hope you enjoyed your holidays! Here's to many good things for your blog in 2014! Xx Daniëlle

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  8. Ooh la la, Carol, that restaurant looks very chic, and the items you all ordered look exquisite and ... delicious. What fun to discover all sorts of new combinations of flavors and ingredients.

    It was so interesting to see all the portrait drawings you made as you worked your way to achieving the likeness that pleased both you and the gentleman.

    I heard an NPR show yesterday, Culture Shock, about the year 1913. It covers lots of creative changes that year brought, including a very interesting bit about the Eiffel Tower. You might be able to access it online. Recommended.

    xo

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  9. Lynne C3:02 PM

    How absolutely fabulous....and I am big on rescue too..I had eight cats and a dog, now I have a Pixiana, my white fluff ball of a dog and five cats

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  10. Mmmm...so many good dishes!

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  11. Now I'm starving & I love the portrait.

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  12. Oh I do remember your visit to Ze Kitchen Galerie. This looks just as amazing- especially the marron veloute and the moroccan quail. Added to the wish list- which never gets any smaller not matter how many visits to Paris I have.

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