At the time when William Ledeuil had a 14/20 in the Gault Millau guide and had no Michelin star yet, we were already glorifying his grandeur with a 8,5/10. Nowadays, apart from winning the Award of the Best Cook of the Year given by the Gault Millau Guide 2010, he opened a second restaurant, the Kitchen Galerie Bis. More popular then Ze kitchen galerie, this eating house, full at lunch time as well as at dinner time, still stands out thanks to the same economic, social and culinary philosophy. Both places offer unbeatable value/originality for money. This is the secret of the chef, the aspect he hit the nail on the head with: popularizing the French creative cuisine impregnated with clear oriental flavours. A neat gastronomy, free of fats, exotic, distinguished, very complex, chromatic, intended to surprise, impressive.
Ideally, one should opt for the discovering menu and try a few of the dishes offered. The menu changes at breakneck speed, with special consideration for the seasons, diversifying the complements while respecting certain main ingredients that the house has converted into the axis of their articulations: king crab, prawns, scallops, red mullet, salmon, tuna, Wagyu beef, lamb, etc. The raw oyster, served with an oyster leaf over some exultant green apple and coriander juice and enhanced with neat and lively counterpoints (white asparagus juice, slices of green asparagus, citrus and horseradish), rimes with lucidity, purity, freshness and exoticism. In the same line of purity and defined personality, the sea bass is proposed marinated with citrus juice, exciting blood orange and magic and dynamic hints of mango, served in the form of balls and sauce, together with lemon grass bunches, roasted sesame and ginger.The famed beet gazpacho is brilliant, served with a variety of accoutrements such as octopus and mango, doubly succeeding in both perfection and imagination. Another stellar moment: the burrata cheese croquette – without béchamel – served with asparagus and lemon grass broth. Paolo Lopriore is the only man who is able to overcome these homemade gnocchi, which are impregnated with pesto and enforced with basil, cheese strips –Manchego and Mimolette– and rosemary flowers; a show of creaminess and taste. Another Mediterranean dish that is open to the world and endowed with strong personality is the fregola pasta served with grilled octopus, grey mullet roe, foamy bouillabaisse and calamansi juice. And what can we say about the modern stew, synonymous with delicacy, substance and tempered succulence: translucent ravioli stuffed with veal accompanied with some vibrant and subtly spiced minestrone, artichokes, green asparagus, shitake mushrooms and wasabi. The grilled red mullet with wild fennel, Thai basil pistou, young potatoes, baby leek, garlic mayonnaise, mizuna salad and an emulsion of the fish’s liver, among an infinity of delightful sensations, is intensely marine and juicy. Another exhibition of nobility, display of elements and hard work: piece of suckling pig and jowl proposed with pig juice perfumed with mustard and tamarind and garnished with black garlic balls and pickled onion slices. The suckled lamb with kumquat, miso and Thai curry is also noble and imaginative. The rosy rib steak served with a tender flank, peas, baby beans, and a hot red pepper and chorizo sauce is another recipe you can not miss (milk-fed lamb version also available). And what can we say about the white chocolate and wasabi ice-cream proposed with pistachio and green tea creams: overwhelming. All the sweet constructions offer an endless number of exciting feelings based on similar structures, like the chocolate with Thai pistou, pecorino cheese, green asparagus and galangal.
William’s cuisine is one of the most talented, sensitive and fresh in France. The only hindrance to its Excellent qualification is the price, because its professional values frankly deserve it.
