Miznon, London W1: 'Nothing is really serious' - restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
It would have been easy to miss the opening of Miznon in Soho, even for a restaurant lover, as it is an international chain run by celebrity Israeli chef Eyal Shani who serves stuffed pitas and sides such as cauliflower stew and roasted whole lima beans. Even if Miznon had caught your eye, then you might think twice, because the menu - in green and red ink and fontless comics - is deeply confusing and, worse, dares to joke. Temerity! There's no place on a modern British menu for anything resembling humor or personality. Oh no, sir. Here at Blighty, we'd expect a haughtily presented list of options, with at most a short owner history, and without giving away the 24/7 emotional carnage bear pit with bread baskets which is "hospitality".
Then Miznon moved to Broadwick Street after a successful run in Tel Aviv, Paris, Vienna, Singapore, Melbourne and New York. It's loud, made up of what seems like a cast of thousands, set in a lovely, simple venue, and offers high-quality Tel Aviv-influenced street food. The menu looks like sleep deprivation, with jokes and a Benny Hill monologue fed into free translation software and shifted several times from Hebrew to French to English.
Let's savor Miznon about the pita: "Each of our pitas has its birthmark, and it's different from the other (this is recreation, not assembly), each of them creates a specific address, and it's always you. Only the divine pleasure that comes out of it is the same. And what will I get in this flatbread? A thick and juicy lamb skewer? Crystal prawns with sour cream and “tomato ovaries”? How about a falafel with Guinness "black blood", the "internal parts" of a roasted cauliflower or the record moment of "cottage pie".
The trick here is to keep your nerves down, put aside all British fears of madness and let the chaos envelop you, because the food is extraordinarily good. He's a regular customer, "how do they do that?"-level good. The "Deep Satisfaction" Cough Pita is stuffed with a rich, long-cooked beef brisket, shredded and tossed with melted cheddar and served with a crispy pickled pickle and pickled green chili. This pita does exactly what it promises, rather salacious, on the menu. Don't order this to share, though. It's a meaty, nerdy, slobbery beast that will burst into your shirt. It's food to grab on its own.
It would have been easy to miss the opening of Miznon in Soho, even for a restaurant lover, as it is an international chain run by celebrity Israeli chef Eyal Shani who serves stuffed pitas and sides such as cauliflower stew and roasted whole lima beans. Even if Miznon had caught your eye, then you might think twice, because the menu - in green and red ink and fontless comics - is deeply confusing and, worse, dares to joke. Temerity! There's no place on a modern British menu for anything resembling humor or personality. Oh no, sir. Here at Blighty, we'd expect a haughtily presented list of options, with at most a short owner history, and without giving away the 24/7 emotional carnage bear pit with bread baskets which is "hospitality".
Then Miznon moved to Broadwick Street after a successful run in Tel Aviv, Paris, Vienna, Singapore, Melbourne and New York. It's loud, made up of what seems like a cast of thousands, set in a lovely, simple venue, and offers high-quality Tel Aviv-influenced street food. The menu looks like sleep deprivation, with jokes and a Benny Hill monologue fed into free translation software and shifted several times from Hebrew to French to English.
Let's savor Miznon about the pita: "Each of our pitas has its birthmark, and it's different from the other (this is recreation, not assembly), each of them creates a specific address, and it's always you. Only the divine pleasure that comes out of it is the same. And what will I get in this flatbread? A thick and juicy lamb skewer? Crystal prawns with sour cream and “tomato ovaries”? How about a falafel with Guinness "black blood", the "internal parts" of a roasted cauliflower or the record moment of "cottage pie".
The trick here is to keep your nerves down, put aside all British fears of madness and let the chaos envelop you, because the food is extraordinarily good. He's a regular customer, "how do they do that?"-level good. The "Deep Satisfaction" Cough Pita is stuffed with a rich, long-cooked beef brisket, shredded and tossed with melted cheddar and served with a crispy pickled pickle and pickled green chili. This pita does exactly what it promises, rather salacious, on the menu. Don't order this to share, though. It's a meaty, nerdy, slobbery beast that will burst into your shirt. It's food to grab on its own.
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