
The Spellbinding Miss Kō Restaurant by Philippe Starck in Paris, France
Words by Ricardo Hernandez
Location
Paris, France
The Spellbinding Miss Kō Restaurant by Philippe Starck in Paris, France
Words by Ricardo Hernandez
Paris, France
Paris, France
Location
Recreating city life takes an immense amount of layers, scripted cacophony as well as an insane amount of diverse objects and textures. Philippe Starck’s latest project located in the epicenter of Paris’ Golden triangle, which is a collaboration with restaurateur Claude Louzon - the force behind many successful concepts, including Le Paradis du Fruit, Moutarde Street, Il Naturale to name a few - is a take on a bustling Asian street. Miss KÅ is as much an object of curiosity as a call to curiosity. It is the imaginary experience of a female heroine, a multi-sensorial stimulation that at times seems like a dream that has swallowed you whole and claims you as its own even after you wake up from it. So, what exactly is behind this ambitious and risky ambience? Let’s look deeper into Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.
Miss Kō is a faceless nude Eurasian heroine, covered in body ink. She exposes herself as an experience of curiosity, risk, adventure and beauty and signifies a fantasy world where all artists are freed from constraints; where technology shows its promise and industry bends into art.
The interior is an amalgamation of the diversity that exists in the fastest growing cities in Asia; fast, layered, textured, chaotic and yet beautiful. Everything in this interior is an adventure; the food, the art and the surfaces all share the same responsibility, which is to create a moment of interaction between user and space. In the dining room, a few key elements are pivotal components to the interior design: the massive screen bar, the spectacular fresco by David Rochline and the huge teapot-cum-lamp. You are constantly surrounded by signs that ooze Asian ambiance, where you see shades of grey collide with colour and the furnishings are a mix of contemporary items and ancient Far East inspiration.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.
Inside, this neo-Asian experience unfolds through different channels. Whether it is body art, the featured dragon, media, rice or lighting; they have all taken a protagonist role in the experiential planning that has led to Miss Kō. At the bar, endless layer of screens displays different Asian channels overlaid by an intricate illustration of a dragon by Label Dalbin.
The food experience at Miss Kō is appropriately placed within multiple vistas to enhance the dining experience. The 200 or so seats scattered across the bar, sushi zone and more intimate tables for two, invite diners to partake in the food which is just as diverse and intense as the interior. Far Eastern influenced salads are juxtaposed against traditional western desserts like cheesecake and chocolate cake. Flavors are blended with new and unique textures; where sushi and spring rolls are reinvented under this umbrella of intense flavors. Suffice it to say that the cocktail menu is unique and memorable; fitting and appropriate to complement the lively surrounding environment.
Miss Kō has raised the bar of expectation for restaurant experiences to come. The scripting of experiences into a full theatrical environment is the end result of a collaborative team with ambitious goals and a passion for culture. This is a restaurant where we no longer have to rely on subtle moments that reflect some kind of culture, but actually dive deep into one that is complex enough for diners to make out of it whatever they want to absorb and digest.

Photo © Miss Kō.
''It is a place of freedom, humour, creativity, art, friendliness, openness. Miss KÅ is a breath of madness, it’s truly insane. A street out of Blade Runner: a cement parking-garage wall with Formica chairs, TV screens that spew out hundreds of images of live news coverage from Asia, a kitchen that smokes and smoulders.'' - Philippe Starck

Photo © Miss Kō.
''Miss KÅ is a fantastic project that gives me license to prepare dishes with diverse tastes that are simultaneously mild, more intense, and more aromatic. It’s truly a flavour clash. It is absolutely essential for me to make the Miss KoÌ„ restaurant the gold standard in culinary renewal.'' -Chef Fabrice Monot

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Photo © Miss Kō.

Philippe Starck, photo © Sophie Delaporte.

Photo © Miss Kō.