Taking over the space of what was once Passo (on which, see my review here), Lilienblum has landed in the somewhat transitory space of the Old Street roundabout. Another eatery from world renowned celebrity chef Eyal Shani, Lilienblum is the street in Tel Aviv where you’ll find one of his most celebrated restaurants, Hasalon. Like Miznon (on which, see review here), Lilienblum celebrates the flavours of Isreal and the Mediterranean. Though a more upscale, full-service and larger space compared to Eyal’s cult casual pita chain, it’s just as whacky and delicious. Shani similarly disdains many aspects of the conventional dining experience here.
The atmosphere at Lilienblum reflects the laidback cool of a Tel Aviv eatery. Step inside and the first thing you’ll notice is the gentle smell of sage, thanks to leaves pulled from the huge bouquets of herbs dangling over the marble countertop of the open kitchen – home to the best seats (or stools) in the house. Lead by head chef Oren King (whose CV includes Dinner By Heston, Hide and Roka), come here for Eyal-style theatrics. An array of fruit and vegetables adorn the counter organised by colour into a vivid rainbow. It’s details like these – as well as house plants, 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 feel inviting, intimate and warm. The front of house team are also welcoming and keen to guide diners through the curious and poetic menu.
The (childish) Comic Sans menu is typically in your face, with the titles of each of the dishes feeling like they’re shouting at you. To kick-off, we ordered “Hummus just the way we like it” (£12). Silky and adorned with warm chickpeas in the middle, no bread is served with. Instead, this is hummus you just eat straight-up, scooping in from the outside so that you capture a few chickpeas with each bite. Though delicious, pittas a la Miznon would have been welcome to hoover up the hummus as the focaccia, great as it is, isn’t quite as useful a scooping implement…
Like the hummus, “6 spicy instruments that will swirl your soul” (£8) arrive without anything to dip in. And with each dip increasing in spiciness, some kind of instrument is needed. In this way, though the dishes here are cooked with flair and potency, it doesn’t quite all fit together.
Though billed as focaccia, the Golden Fresh Foccacia (£8) wrapped in tomato and sage arrives as a puffy, oven-blistered flatbread. Wonderfully bulbous, oily and light, it was roused by slices of tomatoes and chilli. Query why it was delivered on what appeared to be the slippy, reflective pieces of card used to seal foil takeaway containers rather than a plate?!
Also not to miss is Sabich 2.0 (£15): gilled aubergine sitting above a pool of tomato juice and oil, chopped salad and puddles of tahini. Beautifully presented, this is without doubt the star of the show. The kitchen here does magic with tomatoes.
Eyal Shani is clearly on a roll in London. After opening two Miznons in quick succession (Soho and Notting Hill), he’s following this opening with another in the City very soon. Though it was a little quiet on our visit, the team had catered for a 150 people lunch that afternoon. I can see this building up a strong audience over the upcoming summer months, particularly with the outdoor terrace. Head here for a far from boring night – ideal for a birthday!
Lilienblum, 80 City Road, London EC1
Website: https://www.lilienblum.co.uk/
Rating: ***
Yumtini 