From the outside, Lilienblum looks like your standard swanky east London restaurant. It’s got big glass windows, and has suitably contemporary decor with the odd pop of colour and flash of gold. There are piles of fresh fruit and vegetables adorning the bar, which is nice. But a look at the puzzling menu reveals that it’s far from ordinary. The first full service restaurant from superstar chef Eyal Shani – the guy responsible for the pita chain Miznon – is a bizarre and incongruous concept. Luckily, the food tastes great.
Shani’s manic pixie dream menu, printed in multiple fonts (one of them is, presumably ironically, comic sans), with bizarre items such as ‘Dinosaur Bone’, ‘spicy instruments that will swirl your soul’, and focaccia that is ‘a very bad idea’, was hard to decipher. It was kind of funny, and kind of just annoying, like having dinner with a stand up comedian that nobody invited. Fortunately, the knowledgeable waiting staff were well equipped to talk us through every cryptic item. You wonder how they manage to muster the energy night upon night to translate the zany list when Shani could have just made it comprehensible instead. Nevertheless, their enthusiasm never waned.
Shani’s manic pixie dream menu features bizarre items such as ‘Dinosaur Bone’, ‘spicy instruments that will swirl your soul’, and focaccia that is ‘a very bad idea’
The restaurant itself is modern, bright and a little bit flashy, the kind of place you’d expect the cast of Made in Chelsea to hang out if they decided brunch was dead and we should all be eating hummus and challah instead. It’s a mixed crowd; there are tables with big families, but it also sort of wants to be a party spot. When I dined on a Friday evening at the end of the meal we were plied with a free shot of arrack as they turned up the generic house music. Found next to the eternal roadworks at Old Street roundabout in one of those soulless gentrified piazzas, its location isn’t particularly appealing either.
And yet, I caveat all of this with the fact that almost every bite I put in my mouth was completely delicious.
To start, we grabbed a Mojito and a Peargroni – both refreshing and perfectly balanced. Then to the grub; the menu isn’t arranged into starters, mains and desserts, instead it is grouped categorically – bread, meat, fish, veg, sweet. Food comes as and when it’s ready. What we ended up with was a strange amalgamation of dishes: smoky clams on a bed of slightly sweet, earthy farro (mouthwateringly good); fatty skirt steak on a bed of tahini with a smattering of bitter green pepper salsa; an uber fresh and zesty grouper ceviche; a massively creamy baked potato with sour cream (indulgent and moreish).
The food receptacles are eclectic, too. Crispy fried calamari came in a paper bag, while the nutty, gooey hummus, drenched in olive oil (more addictive than crack), came dolloped on a floral and gilded plate. Other items were plonked on the table still in oven-worn dishes.
For ‘matok’ (sweet), we indulged in an exceptionally creamy tiramisu that arrived in a perfect little cocoa dusted square, and an interesting rose water malabi with a delightful dayglo green pistachio crumb.
Looking back, everything was a little hodge-podge, but so is the nature of sharing plates. I can also say that it was fun, scrumptious and certainly not boring. Next time, I’m ordering the dinosaur bone.
The vibe A swanky, modern eatery with an odd menu.
The food An eclectic jumble of small and large plates inspired by Israeli cuisine.
The drink Well made classic and inventive cocktails plus a robustly stocked wine fridge of French, Italian and Israeli wines.
Time Out tip Don’t skimp on the hummus. It’s good enough to eat with a spoon, but we recommend ordering it with the focaccia.