An affordable splurge
Review: Mashya, the new flagship restaurant of acclaimed chef Yossi Shitrit, has introduced a business lunch menu.
Mashya may be the newest Yossi Shitrit restaurant in the trio of elite restaurants operated by the Sucre Group, but the owners already consider it the "pride and joy" of the three, while the older Kitchen Market has earned the title "the mother" (Onza, the hip Yafo eatery, has been nicknamed the "crazy sister").
A recent innovation has now made the culinary genius of Chef Shitrit a bit more affordable: A business lunch has been instituted at Mashya, in the framework of which the house bread and a starter are served free of charge for the price of the main course alone. The business meal is available weekdays (Mondays through Thursdays), between 12:30 and 16:30.
The Mashya experience starts as soon as you settle into the good-looking restaurant, which dominates the lobby of Tel Aviv’s Mendeli Street Hotel, with its expansive bar, semi-open kitchen and impressive wall covered in green ivy. Our waitress greeted us with wet naps proffered from packages that had already been torn open—a welcome gesture on a muggy summer afternoon.
Two one-page English menus also appear swiftly at the table: one describing the restaurant’s specialty cocktails, and a food menu enumerating six starters, seven main courses, and eight wines available by the glass. The menu’s promise "business lunch accompanied by bread" is also quickly fulfilled: soft whole grain Moroccan frena, sandwiched between thin top and bottom crusts, served with a mild salsa of finely chopped tomato and pepper, and a dip of labaneh, olive oil and za'atar.
The specialty cocktails included a seasonal creation that proved irresistible: rum, watermelon juice and triple sec, served neat in a martini glass and garnished with a wedge of the red fruit. It looks light and frothy, but actually packs quite a punch.
The Curcuma was even more intriguing: gin, curcumin, orange and tonic, served on the rocks in a goblet. This drink was not only refreshing; it had the added bonus of ingredients that make you feel virtuous.
Our first starter was the duck stew with red wine and cinnamon, mangold leaf and potato foam. The slight astringency of the giant leaf cut the richness of the slow-cooked duck, whose heavenly wine and cinnamon sauce suffused the shredded meat and enriched the spumescent white potatoes as well. This was a dish that was gone all too soon: we would have been pleased to order it as a main course.
The second starter was a special of the day: house-cured pastrami on a bed of greens with blanched, slivered almonds and morsels of fresh plum. The combination of piquant beef carpaccio with crisp greens, crunchy nuts and sweet fruit added up to a magnificent Interplay of flavors and textures.
Prime veal filet is a rare enough sight on an Israeli menu that its presence as a main course at Mashya was too good an opportunity to pass up. The thick medallion bathed in smoked beef broth had the look of premium filet mignon, but the tenderness and flavor was quintessential veal. The accompanying purple vitelotte potato—topped with edible flowers—was the ideal distinctive pairing for the succulent cut of veal.
After three meat dishes, ricotta Parmesan dumplings with mushrooms and pumpkin in a sour cream sauce beckoned as a best bet for a vegetarian main course. The fluffy, cheesy dumplings practically melted in the mouth, while the meaty mushrooms and fiber-rich pumpkin were a fine counterpoint. The cream sauce was anything but bland, with a surprise ingredient—lemon—adding a bit of zest.
Three desserts from the five offered with the dinner menu can be ordered for lunch as well. The two we selected were every bit as inventive as the courses that preceded them.
First was caramelized nectarine with ricotta cake, yogurt cream, dried raspberry, and raspberry and brown butter sorbet. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, moist cake, cool cream and a scoop of frozen confection make for a sweet last course with all the right components.
But the pumpkin in rosewater, with ricotta cream malabi, pistachio financier and pistachio, caramel and cilantro seeds ice cream was the dessert that stole the show, from its unique presentation to its use of exotic spices in most unusual ways. A must-try dish that defies description.
Mashya @ The Mendeli St. Hotel
Not kosher
Mendeli St. 5, Tel Aviv
Tel. (03) 750-0999
