I am always eager to try new neighborhood restaurants, especially those that are close to my apartment. For years, there was a mediocre Italian restaurant on rue de Turenne, but it recently closed.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a beautifully designed new restaurant, Kebi, which celebrates and updates the ancient middle east dish kibbeh, replace the rundown Italian place.
As many of you know I am of Syrian descent and by mother and my aunts would make kibbeh for special occasions and for Friday night sabbath dinner. It consists of ground bulgur, which is formed into a round or torpedo shape, then stuffed with ground meat, pine nuts, chopped onions, all spice, cinnamon, and coriander spices, and finally deep fried. Kibbeh is found mostly in Syrian and Lebanese cooking and there are many variations on it, including kibbeh neyeh, which uses raw, ground lamb, much like a French tartare.
I met the owner Marc Naaman, a charming Lebanese man with a winning smile and he explained the concept of the restaurant. He said he wanted to modernize and play with the standard kibbeh dish by offering imaginative new versions with unusual ingredients.
The menu offered eight, enticing variations of kibbeh, and we narrowed it down to five selections.
While we waited for our food, we relaxed in the well-designed dining room with contemporary furnishings. A few minutes later, five beautifully plated dishes arrived on brightly saturated, ceramic plates, which we found out were from the superstar, Israeli chef Yottam Ottolenghi. Each plate has three kibbehs, with the top one cut in half. The foie gras kibbeh with dates, nuts, and sage was a brilliant and winning combination, the sweet potato with butternut squash, caramelized onions, yogurt, and mint, was light and refreshing but still had an intense flavor, and chicken with tarragon and mushrooms, was piquant and delicious. Other kibbeh dishes on the menu include salmon tartare, potato, calamari, and shrimp.
Kebi also offers appetizing sides to go with the kibbeh, including sauteed spinach with sumac and peanuts, roasted eggplant, and a salad of pine nuts, greens, and molasses.
Marc recommended a dessert kibbeh of banana, roasted hazelnuts, and melted chocolate but we were too stuffed and satisfied, all the more reason to return to Kebi.
I also told Marc I had just tasted the Lebanese ice cream a few days before at Baltis,(CLICK HERE to read my blog post) and Marc not only knew about Baltis, he said it was on their dessert menu.
Kebi
3 rue de Turenne, 75004
Metro: Saint Paul
https://kebi-restaurant.eatbu.com/?lang=en
Our new apartment is right above this!
Posted by: Linda Spalla | June 17, 2022 at 12:46 PM