Lilienblum | Israeli Eats Head to Shoreditch
Eyal Shani is a name you’ll want to remember.
He’s one of Israel’s most respected chefs, and now he’s keen on becoming one of London’s most respected chefs too. And frankly, with places like Lilienblum, he’s well on his way.
This isn’t his first London opening – he launched two branches of his global pita dynasty Mignon here last year (in Soho and Notting Hill) to much critical fanfare and general lavishment. Now, with Lilienblum, he’s opened somewhere a little bit more refined, with cutlery, and wine glasses, and absolutely fantastic food.
You’ll find it in a bit of an odd location, right off Old Street roundabout, making it feel like it’s in a bit of a transitory space. Although it’s in good company; right next door is Richard Corrigan’s excellent Daffodil Mulligan, underneath which you’ll find Gibney’s, a buzzy Irish boozer which is perfect for a cheeky pre-meal Guinness.
Step inside the restaurant itself, and the first thing you’ll likely notice is the gentle smell of sage, thanks to leaves pulled from the huge bouquets of herbs dangling down over the marble countertop of the open kitchen, which are then burned incense-style. And as your eyes drift over the kitchen itself, you’ll notice the array of fruit and vegetables laid out at the front, literally organised by colour into a vivid rainbow. It’s details like these – as well as house plants in Le Creuset pots, scattered candles, and tomatoes on the tables (they’re big fans of tomatoes at Lilienblum, as you’ll see from the menu) – that makes what is actually quite a large restaurant still feel inviting and warm, and considerably more intimate that it really has any right to be.
Now, to the important bit: the food. Shani has enlisted the help of fellow Israeli chef Oren King to preside over the kitchen (his impressive CV includes Dinner By Heston, Hide and Roka). The menu kicks off with ‘Hummus just the way we like it’, which is ridiculously silky and served with warm chickpeas in the middle. And there’s no bread with it either, this hummus you just eat straight-up, scooping in from the outside so that you capture a few chickpeas with each bite. It’s absolutely delicious. After that, another pita-less dish you should definitely go for is the Sabich 2.0, which is a twist o the original dish that is served up on a plate. It comes as a bed of tomato foam & oil, chopped salad, grilled aubergine and egg. It’s all beautifully presented but this is without doubt the star of the show.
The larger dishes span from pan-roasted seafood in ‘tomato ovaries’ (the, er, inside bits); a classic ribeye steak; some Sole meunière pan fried in butter and deboned at your table by the chef with a finishing squeeze of lemon; and some purple sprouting asparagus wrapped in a paper envelope that taste like they’ve been drenched in butter except… there’s no butter involved, amazingly it’s purely the asparagus itself.
Finally, for matok (that’s Hebrew for ‘puddings’) they have a really rich chocolate mousse with whipped cream and a salted butter cookie, as well as a freshly baked pistachio cake served with cream.
And as for the name? Lilienblum is the street in Tel Aviv where you’ll find one of Eyal Shani’s most celebrated restaurants, Hasalon. It’s only open three days a week – but Lillienblum is open for five.
Which, according to our maths, makes it almost twice as good.
NOTE: Lilienblum is open now. You can find out more, and make a booking at their website right here.
Lilienblum | 80 City Rd, London EC1Y 2BJ
Like staying on top of the latest spots? Check out all the London restaurants opening soon