We arrived at our hotel in Tel Aviv at 10.15pm, tired and in need of a beer, but our hotel didn’t have a bar. We wandered around the corner and found a restaurant, “La Shuk”:http://www.la-shuk.co.il/reservations in dizengoff, with indoor and outdoor seating. Despite the late hour, it was a lively Saturday night.
They were happy for us just to have a drink, but having seen the menu, we ordered bread and home-made dips. The three huge, thick wedges of granary bread and mayonnaise style dips with herbs and tomato vinaigrette were delicious. The Israeli beers went down well, and we ordered two more before realising they were around £5 for a half pint.
On another night, we’d had a late lunch and as we just wanted a drink, were shown to seats at the bar. Scarred by the price of the beers, we had a glass of fizz (£6 each), whilst watching everything happen around us as we had a good view of the open kitchen. The two friendly bar men introduced themselves and were happy to chat. It was the perfect way to while away an hour.
As we’d made two visits, but still not really eaten there, it was ideal for our final night. It was Shabbat and at 4pm when I went to book, the only table left was at 9pm on high stools sat outside. Our table was ready and waiting and other customers were being informed of a 30-minute+ wait. Although we were at a high table, it was surprisingly comfy, and we had a heater well above us. We had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and shared a Fatoush salad, with the bread and dips we enjoyed on our first night, and a cheese and spinach risotto. The salad was simple but tasty, with mozzarella, courgette, cherry tomatoes and peppers of various colours, radishes and crunchy croutons all tossed in a delicious sumac dressing. On ordering, we were told the risotto was made with very strong cheese and it was delicious: the sort of comfort food where you eat slowly to make it last longer. We were only sorry it had taken us until the last night to try the food.
The place is currently slightly affected by the renovations taking place on Dizengoff Square on which it’s located. Once the noise and dust have disappeared, it will be even more popular.
