The market place

La Shuk is a contemporary Tel Aviv restaurant which offers fresh and trendy cuisine that reminds locals of years gone by.

By JONATHAN GILAD
La Shuk 370 (photo credit: Courtesy)
La Shuk 370
(photo credit: Courtesy)
We had such a good time at La Shuk, that as we were leaving we felt jealous of the people who had just come in.
It was not just the food – which was delicious, fresh and at times even surprising – or the retro décor and Little Tel Aviv atmosphere or the location of Dizengoff Square that for many years has been abandoned by locals. It was all of the above and then some.
We walked to the restaurant straight from the sidewalk of the lower part of the square, trying to remind ourselves how things were before the elevation of the center that robbed us of the piazza. Are we witnessing the return of the mythological square we wondered, and sat down.
The restaurant has a few dining areas – small intimate tables downstairs or a large one for parties upstairs.
The food is local, light and fun, much like the place. Not too informal or creative but very tasty, made from local ingredients and easy to enjoy.
Few places in Tel Aviv provide the atmosphere that combines food and alcohol. These folks managed to find something unique. The combination of the Greek music and the open kitchen is just what you need to develop an appetite while drinking a glass of ouzo or arak.
The menu seems to echo that of many of the new contemporary places, but here it really is good.
We decided to start with an artichoke salad (NIS 46) and the local version of beef carpaccio, called market carpaccio (NIS 42).
Both were fresh and full of flavor.
The carpaccio, served with fresh parsley leaves, excellent olive oil and slivers of Parmesan, was one of the best we had eaten recently.
The artichoke salad was not enough for my companion, so she chose to continue with artichokes in the main dish as well. She ordered the shrimp and artichoke in white wine, which she thought was very good and kept her smiling.
I went for the more meaty butchers’ cut, which is another trend of the new places. This cut, which once was reserved only for the chefs and kitchen staff, seems to be the new must-have dish, and thank goodness for that.
There were many other dishes that we were considering but decided we didn’t want to overdo it. But the fish with eggplant, hot tomato, labaneh and olive tapenade is a dish I most certainly will order the next time I am there.
For dessert we took one malabi (NIS 28), an Arab dairy dessert that also made its way from the markets into the more trendy places recently.
It is a trendy place, but one we bet will stay the course.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
La Shuk Not kosher 92 Dizengoff, on Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv 0579-345-549 Open Sunday – Saturday from noon