If the story of Alice in Wonderland was really about a young girl who fell down a rabbit hole and came out somewhere in Asia on acid, the new Philippe Starck design restaurant Miss Kō might be an accurate illustration of this.

Aside from the très bobo clientele, who are probably sipping on cocktails while discussing how tired they are from traveling the world for the various fashion weeks that just finished and all the champagne-soaked partying that entails, it’s a mix of young and old professionals, Parisian fashionistas, and the standout tourists more seduced by the chic persona of Paris than the classique.

The service is slow and full of forced smiles, but this isn’t the type of place you go to to get in, get fed and get out. It has a distinct relaxed ambiance up front, reminiscent of Thailand with candlelit tables and comfy armchairs or couches to dine in, while the remainder of the resto has more of a communal feel, and there’s a large table in the back that can accommodate groups.

The wall projection of Asian faces that change and blend into one another is trippy but even less so than the floor-to-ceiling wall mural on the right that resembles a full-body tattoo of someone obsessed with Betty Boop’s doe-eyed blonde counterpart, if she existed.

There’s also the huge, blow-up teapot illuminating a back corner of the restaurant (encore Alice in Wonderland), and an inviting bar that stretches almost the length of the 500-square meter space with nice-looking bartenders and a peek at the open kitchen, where executive chef Fabrice Monot prepares a menu of pure Asian fusion dishes alongside Martin Swift and Linda Rodriguez.

Smaller appetites can nibble on the plentiful selection of street-style foods with French flair, including foie gras-stuffed spring rolls, boeuf bourgignon gyozas and boursin cheese snuck into the Sir Saint Tori sushi roll made with fried chicken, avocado, tomato confit and beetroot sprouts.

Otherwise, you have interesting and enticing menu choices, such as the Bibimbap burger, Asian style ribs, or a bouillabaisse curry that consists of monkfish, salmon, shrimp and mussels smothered in pineapple and tomato chutney.

Of course, if in your mind, eating is cheating (“manger, c’est tricher”), the extensive drink selection more than makes up for this with Taiwanese bubble teas, Kirin beer on draft, Tsing Tao or Singha bottled beers available, sake, wine, and a cocktail list long enough to merit repeat visits on its own.

The original drink collection is made with liquors you might never have heard of mingled with the appropriate ingredients to produce potent potions that warm your stomach and make you feel light on your feet. Go full-on Asian with the Crazy Mo Fo made with coconut milk, bahn lot, bourha and cane sugar or remain tame with a Li Mon Li that mixes a lemon-flavored vodka base, lemon curd liqueur, citronella and a splash of absinthe for that extra kick.

Who knows, by the end of the night, the faceless, nude and tatooed Miss Kō might have whet your appetite enough for a spontaneous trip to Bangkok and given you a tipsy admiration for the fantasies of Philippe Starck’s mind, where this exotic escape in the milieu of Paris was born.

Miss Kō
49/51 Avenue Georges V
Paris 75008
Metro: Georges V (line 1)
Website : www.miss-ko.com

Article : Stephanie Holmes

[googleMap name=”Miss Ko” description=”49/51 Avenue Georges V” width=”600″ height=”200″ mousewheel=”false” directions_to=”false”]51 Avenue Georges V, Paris[/googleMap]

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