More hype than flair at North Miznon
The new Israeli eatery is more about the buzz it generates than the food itself.
NEW RESTAURANT
North Miznon 110 Amoy Street #01-01 Singapore 069930 Tel: 8028 5204 Open for dinner only Wed to Sun: 6pm to 12am. Closed on Mon and Tues.
WHEN the original Miznon opened, it had us at 'pita'. We overlooked the lack of service and its disregard for customer comfort, and fully embraced the warm pillows stuffed with sunshine-y goodness, thereby cementing our diplomatic ties with Israeli food - or what we were told it was, anyway.
Now, it's won over enough people with its brand of edgy, unapologetic Tel Aviv street attitude to open a new and bigger version of itself. Except that instead of the lower entry barrier of novelty street food, North Miznon must prove itself as a serious restaurant in its own right.
On that count, the jury is still out. It's easier to give pita the benefit of a doubt, and not question its authenticity nor feel sad if the staff doesn't want to be our friends. But here, rather than discovering Israeli food, expect to be fed a concept dreamed up by its Israeli chef founder Eyal Shani, that seems to revolve around his love for vegetables and some pretty corny attempts at prose.
Think a menu filled with adolescent stream of consciousness and no concept of grammar, such as 'dishes that boil our blood with passion' or 'octopus and potatoes mixed with gentle hands of a lady cook'. The last we looked, that lady chef sure had hairy arms.
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Nonetheless, the menu leans more towards the Mediterranean, with some hyped-up vegetables that don't excite as much as their descriptions.
An ode to cauliflower (S$19) doesn't quite match the fuss, with the whole baby vegetable roasted just short of melting soft, with a hint of char and savouriness on its surface that doesn't go all the way into its still-firm core.
Neither does the 'burning yellow potato' (S$21) which must have taken a Vaccinated Travel Lane from Germany and a PCR test to justify its price tag. A common baked spud by any other name, covered in creme fraiche and chopped salad, the only thing it has going for it is its size.
Ironically, the best thing on this menu is free, and that's the home-baked focaccia that is both crunchy and fluffy, doused in olive oil, topped with tomatoes and paired with creme fraiche and a herb pesto.
But, we have to say that the chef - hairy arms or not - is good with fire, doling out a commendable long spear of kebab (S$45) made from juicy rib-eye that retains its moisture despite being flattened or minced and wrapped around the dangerous metal blade. Served on a bed of creamy tahini and green chilli herb sauce mix with the olive oil and meat juices, it's a satisfying protein boost.
He does similar magic with squid (S$33) - bouncy and tender, and a simple drizzle of olive oil and herbs. There's also a decent mackerel fillet (S$34) cooked on the plancha, on a bed of tomato puree and tahini.
Before long, you'll notice a pattern of sorts - tahini, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs appear in every permutation, which makes you wonder if North Miznon identifies as Greek with the occasional temptation to be Italian.
That might account for the sole tomato pasta (S$29) on the menu - a basic blend of tomatoes tossed with plain pasta that tastes weirdly of an era before we even heard of Italian restaurants. You know, when we still watched sitcoms on TV and ate spaghetti from tins.
For dessert, there's a tempting array of bakes laid out on a table for all and sundry to pass by and ogle - visually enticing until you remember the times we live in and mentally ask: 'Do you not have food covers?' If you're still game, a dessert platter (S$19) gets you 3 choices and they're all decent - tangy plum crumble, moist semolina cake and sweet-tart lemon meringue pie. Not quite Israeli, but then we've pretty much established that neither is North Miznon.
If you're heading for a trendy night out, North Miznon ticks all the right boxes. If you're looking to be enlightened about Israeli cuisine, stick to Miznon's pitas and wait for the next available flight to Tel Aviv.
Rating: 6
WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN
10: The ultimate dining experience 9-9.5: Sublime 8-8.5: Excellent 7-7.5: Good to very good 6-6.5: Promising 5-5.5: Average
Our review policy: The Business Times pays for all meals at restaurants reviewed on this page. Unless specified, the writer does not accept hosted meals prior to the review's publication.
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