Kong (Paris)



 

 

We went on a culinary trip to Paris, where the aim was to learn more about French cuisine through cookery classes and sampling lots of lovely restaurants and patisseries. For a fine dining treat we had hoped to go to Le Jules Verne, however the restaurant was closed for refurbishment. Therefore, we decided to dine at Kong; it was a departure for our dining club, as it was certainly more 'trendy & hip' than restaurants we normally dine at. The restaurant was apparently made famous as it featured in a Sex and the City episode. Upon entering the restaurant I certainly released why as it was modern, chic, with kooky décor and ultra cool people. I was glad to be whisked upstairs to the wonderful dining area rather than mingling at the bar.

 

The wonderful ceiling of the restaurant. The glass surrounding ensured that we had wonderful views of the city.

 

Starter:

(Tempura de soft shell crab, salade de papaya et concombre- Soft shell tempura crab with pickled vegetables)

I have always been intrigued by what a soft shell crab would taste like, and I was uncertain about whether I would also like the consistency. I decided to try the dish at Kong, and I was happy I did as it was very tasty. The crab had a lovely, well seasoned crunchy batter, and a soft middle. It was accompanied by a sharp sauce and pickled vegetables which were perfect accompaniments.

Main:

(Cotes d'agneau premiere, sauce au curry jaune, legumes santes- lamb with a green curry sauce and sautéed vegetables.)

The meat was cooked well, and I like the sauce on the side, which was fragrant, slightly sharp and spicy. The meat could certainly take the bold flavours.

Dessert:

Of course the highlight was the dessert, and yes it was as big as it looked. An apple tarte tatin. The apples were soft and caramelised beautifully. I felt there was more apples to pastry, and I would have liked there to be more pastry and for it to be crispier. The cream was slightly sharp, with crème fraiche running through it. Despite the apply-pastry ratio it was still delicious and I finished it all.

 

 Interesting chairs...

 

Quality & Presentation of  the Food

The quality of the food is excellent. Really interesting flavours due to the Asian/French influence. The portion sizes are generous.

The presentation is good, clean and modern like the restaurant. 

Service & Ambience

The service was good and the waiting staff were informative.

I liked the fact that the ambience was different to other restaurants we had dined in. However, I prefer a more traditional décor and ambience, but I would not let it's ultra modern feel put you off eating there as the food is certainly worth a visit.

Value for Money

For 3 courses and a glass of wine the bill came to about 80 Euros each.  I feel the meal was worth it. It's not somewhere I would visit again if I went to Paris, not because the experience was bad, but nothing was extraordinary, and there are some other Parisian dining venues that I have on my list.