The Subtle Hybrid: Mokonuts 5 Rue Saint-Bernard, 75011The team behind Mokonuts are a delightful couple. In November, Miznon will open a second location along the Canal Saint-Martin the menu will stay similar, but include more petites assiettes and a bar serving Israeli-inflected cocktails with anise-flavored arak. People queue to order flavorful lamb meatballs, tender chicken salad, quick steak and eggs, or saucy ratatouille, all prepared in an open kitchen brimming with fresh herbs and pickled garnishes. The menu is mostly unchanging, a dependable and hearty serving of evergreen options with fresh pita to pick at. It’s no different in the French capital, where the eatery has been open since 2013 and been the insider address to hit within the Parisian Jewish quarter. Israeli chef Eyal Shani has a string of restaurants in Tel Aviv (Port Said, Romano, North Abraxas), which are always perma-packed. The OG: Miznon 22 Rue des Ecouffes, 75004 Miznon’s boisterous vibe contributes to it remaining in perpetually high demand-there’s clamoring from behind the counter and loud music and fast service and a no-frills attitude within a brut decor stacked with fresh produce. they’re ingredients that didn’t have so much success in haute cuisine before,” he remarks. “Lots of raw vegetables and fruits, lots of chickpeas, dry beans, wheat, barley, lentils. “Middle Eastern food is healthy food,” he says. He’s noticed that the growing fervor for this regional cuisine coincides with the healthy-eating obsession. “ ‘Authentic’ Middle Eastern food is a kitchen full of strong flavors, a lot of rich seasoning, and spices,” he says. Tamir Nahmias, an Israeli-born chef who has lived in France for a decade (his résumé includes L’Astrance, Frenchie, Yam’Tcha, plus a six-month pop-up of elegant Middle Eastern food at Fulgurances L’Adresse) is delighted that certain ingredients and flavors are now being reconsidered. The richness of the Levantine palate-and the delightful dipping that goes with it-complement the techniques and traditions of French cuisine strikingly well. But a new wave of restaurants are revamping this storied region’s gastronomical image: Bold Middle Eastern eateries are on the ascent, from a Syrian chef giving her native treats the French patisserie treatment to a Jerusalem-market transplant already successful in London, to a Japanese-Lebanese couple whose international trajectory translates onto the plate. This cuisine has long gotten the short shrift in Paris: It’s fast food, for one, and many tend to let late-night shawarma and stale pita be its defining dishes. Hearty, fresh, vibrant: These are modern dietary values we celebrate, and they’re ones humbly yet irrepressibly found in Middle Eastern offerings.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |