Returning To Mezcal, Sushi Samba and La Shuk

On March 15, 2013 · Add Comment 100-150 NIS, 150-200 NIS, 200-250 NIS, 50-100 NIS, Asian, Bar-Restaurant, Eating, Featured, Fusion, Israel, Israeli, Japanese, Location, Mexican, Price, Tel-Aviv, Type

It’s always best to come back to loved places and see what’s going on there, if they hold their title, if they keep the good job, if anything changed for the better or for the worse. The returning visits.

Mezcal

2 Vital st. Tel-Aviv

03-5187925

I loved Mezcal the first time I went there. We soon came back to celebrate with friends and so we had the chance to order all the dishes we didn’t try yet. We skipped the spicy beer this time and went for the Chilian white wine (the only wine in the list) Sendero De Chile Concha Y Toro Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (28 NIS a glass) which was better than expected, fruity and light. Omer went for a Bloody Maria: Tequila, tomato juice, tabasco and a branch of celery (40 NIS). It was on the spicy side. To eat we took the meat Taco: Carne Deshebrada: Slow cooked beef in a tomato and chili ancho sauce, onion and cilantro (28 NIS) and with a good lemon squeeze on top it was a nice comforting bite. Next we had to get our favorite dish from last time: Enchiladas Rojas: chicken, hot red salsa (chipotle & cream), Queso fresco, sour cream, onion & cilantro (46 NIS). Still the best of Mezcal and best enchiladas in town for sure. Then a big fall trying the Quesadillas with Fresh jalapeño strips (28 NIS) which was uneatable and donated to a brave friend. Last we tried the Chicken Mole Taco: Tender chicken in our rich mole sauce, onion on top (28 NIS). I wasn’t crazy about this dish, the sauce was weird even for a Mole. For dessert we had the Flan on the house. It was tasty, but I wouldn’t take it again, given it’s only few steps from Anita Ice-Cream. Of course we ended up there once again. Even after a second visit I still think Mezcal is a great and fun Mexican bar-restaurant. Don’t miss the Enchilada!

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Sushi Samba

27 Habarzel St, Tel Aviv

057-9440734

Sushi Samba became one of these places you wouldn’t come without a 50% off coupon which is available practically all the time. We went there with this coupon and I had a feeling that sadly the quality of this place is decreasing. Their sushi dishes are nice but expensive as I recently wrote about the delivery from there. This time I ordered the Assortment of four Ceviche and Tiradito (98 NIS): 1. Salmon, Avocado vinaigrette, ponzu, coriander, jalapeno. 2. Tuna, Coconut sauce, herbs, chili tapioca. 3. Shrimp, Cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, aji Amarillo. 4. Yellowtail, Tom yam, organic cherry tomatoes, organic coriander. The seasoning was good and it was tasty but so many ingredients in the description were not noticeable. That same dish I ordered few years ago and thought it was fantastic. This time it was just okay. The sushi roll was crumbly and not exciting. The Samba Gyoza: Sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chicken, duck, garlic soy vinaigrette (46 NIS) felt like it was prepared somewhere else. The main dish of meat, Churassco: Entrecote, chorizo, linguica, sirloin, chicken. Served with white rice, black beans, Swiss chard, red and green chimichurri sauce (230 NIS) was overpriced even if you consider the 50% off. It was mostly chicken and sausages, and the meat was cut too thin to enjoy. The best thing was the Swiss chard. Don’t think I will come back for a while and stick with the sushi Take Outs.

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La Shuk

92 Dizengoff st. Tel Aviv

057-9345549

Returning to La Shuk with my mother was due to the fact that it’s the only real restaurant around the area. For some reason it’s more of a street-food kind of area. I was mostly impress in this visit by how I still find it a very nice place to sit with a good atmosphere and extremely good service. We were indecisive about which wine to take: the Chardonnay or the Sauvignon Blanc. The waiter brought us both to try and we ended up having a glass of each. We started with “Mosahen”- chicken confit on a lafa with cherry tomatoes, fava beans, red onions and yogurt (58 NIS). The chicken was succulent and well seasoned, it was a good dish, the bread underneath, was home made we were told but it wasn’t that fresh as expected. Mom mentioned she wanted more yogurt with it but it’s always the case with her and yogurt so who knows. Next we had the Masri fish patties, spicy with fennel seeds, pickled lemon, chickpeas and green peas (56 NIS) which we were disappointed of because it had nothing to elevate it above just ordinary dish you eat because you’re hungry. We said that to the waiter when he asked and he cancelled this dish, even though there was nothing wrong with it and we did not deliberately sent it back. Very nice. Last was the Shrimps with Artichoke, basil, cherry tomato, onion, butter and white wine (72 NIS) which was a success, not because the quality of the shrimp (probably the type we buy frozen mom mentioned) but the sauce really made this dish exceptional and mom had left the plate clean. For dessert we had Kadaif A La Jaffa, almonds, raisins, vanilla, thyme and delicious cream (37 NIS) an ending which had a charm because of the unusual use of thyme in a dessert. It was a bit too sweet for me but it’s always the case with me and desserts so who knows. We were very happy to come back here and we’ll be happy to return again.

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