Kei is a 3 Michelin star restaurant located in Paris, France. I had a great dinner there yesterday. The dining room feels futuristic with lots of crystal, glass and mirrors everywhere. Upon sitting, I was greeted by this table arrangement.
Then we started the meal with some champagne. You will also have to decide which of the 3 menus you want to have with the differences being the number of courses and quality of the ingredients. We went for the best one.
The meal started off with a palate cleanser which was flavored with shiso and very refreshing.
…and then a series of amuse. The first one below was a parmesan crisp that was loaded with umami.
The next two below were interesting. The cucumber had a hoisin sauce on it and the tart with a little mackerel on it had tons of flavor.
Next we were provided with some bread which was just ok, but the butter was outstanding, and had the restaurant’s name on it.
This was the bottle of champagne I ordered with our dinner.
The next dish was some caviar and shrimp. I felt like the caviar got lost in all the other flavors but it was still a good dish.
Next, we had five spice tuna with some caviar on top and seaweed. The flavors all came together perfectly and just blew me away. Wow!
Next, a dish the chef is known for. “Garden Salad”. The plating was incredibly beautiful and the dish was delicious. The carrots in the dish were incredible.
The attention to detail at Kei was impressive. A total contrast to the lack of detail from the previous night’s dinner at Omar Dhiab. For instance, when we were going to the restroom, the server asked if we could wait until the next dish came out, then he would ask them kitchen to do a break after. Also, I appreciated the carbon fiber knives which I had never seen prior to last night.
The next dish was fish where the skin was so crisp and well seasoned.
…and lobster, the taste of which reminded me of a Chinese preparation I like which is cooked in a spicy garlic and pepper batter.
The final savory dish was an absolute treat to eat. The Wagyu beef. They gave us a little bit of sauce from the drippings on the side and I dipped some bites into the sauce which was mind blowing close your eyes with each bite GOOD! They also gave us some fried fatty bits which were heaven. The lettuce you can kind of see in the pic below reminded me of fresh lettuce on a big mac (and this is a good thing).
After, we got another palate cleanser which was made from limoncello. I could not believe that even this simply small bite was elevated.
Next, a series of desserts. One was a chestnut filled meringue. This is where I feel there is room for improvement. We are in Paris after all, and they are known for pastry perfection.
The meal ended with some petite fours and we ordered some tea.
On the way out, we were given some cannels to take home.
Overall, I feel that this meal was solid without gimmicks. Service was nearly flawless except for the fact that I ordered sparkling but they poured flat. Food was good with many dishes mind blowing. I would return and would definitely recommend this place to someone.