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“6 spicy instruments that swirl in your soul”
“English Hereford Ribeye Steak, a very brutal service!”
“I trained for years to cut Hamachi sashimi like that”
Tel Aviv chef Eyal Shani is known for his eccentric, unconventional menus. With over 40 restaurants around the world, of which two opened in London last year, the chef also famously always opts for Comic Sans to convey his equally playful and home-style take on Middle Eastern and Jewish food.
And the menu for his latest opening in London is no different. Lilienblum, which can be found in a new-build next to Old Street roundabout, is a more upscale, full-service and larger space compared to Eyal's cult casual pita chain, Miznon. But no fear, it's just as whacky and delicious.
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The large kitchen at Lilienblum, which in signature Eyal style, is decorated with layers of fresh tomatoes and herbs, comes with counter seats well worth reserving. Lead by head chef Oren King, come here for his Eyal-like theatrics. Oren's background includes theatrical Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (which recently opened a brilliant outdoor restaurant facing Hyde Park), Roka, and Hide, a training ground for exciting young chefs.
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The dishes here are certainly exciting and playful, but they are not straightforward. The menu is divided into food categories rather than courses, each dish less decipherable than the next. You have two options here, either ask the helpful servers to translate or lean into the chaos and go with your gut. For those who want our recommendations, you'd be remiss not to start your meal with the “6 spicy instruments that swirl in your soul”, a selection of dips that are best paired with “Golden Fresh Focaccia wrapped in tomato, sage, spicy and sour cream” as well as the “Hummus just the way we like it” – one of the silkiest and smoothest we've tried in the UK.
It would also be an incomplete visit to an Eyal Shani institution without ordering a tomato dish (Eyal's Instagram is @eyaltomato, after all). The chefs here squeeze ‘tomato ovaries’ over food as you would a lemon or lime, the first time this diner has seen a tomato squeezed in this way. “The Mesabaha of Lima Beans” or the “Plate of tomatoes from far away land” are your best options here.
When it comes to larger dishes, there's the hummus with lamb ragu, a perfectly roasted branzino and the quirky showpiece is the “English Hereford Ribeye Steak fit, very brutal service” which isn't served on a plate but on brown paper that lets the juices ooze instead.
Desserts fall under the “Matok” section of the menu (meaning “sweet” in Hebrew") and is pure heaven. The delightfully rich chocolate mousse comes with whipped cream and a salted butter cookie and the freshly baked pistachio cake is just the right balance of moist and crispy, served with a dollop of cream.
The wine list spans from Israeli Pet Nats to French and Italian classics and the cocktail menu is also a mix of classics and curve balls. The silky smooth and sweet Tahini Espresso Martini was especially memorable, featuring Mr Black espresso liqueur, coffee concentrate, East London Liquor Co. vodka, simple syrup and of course tahini. A fittingly playful way to end the evening.
Website: Lilienblum.co.uk
Address: 80 City Road, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 1AT
Tel: 0208-138 2847
