Sunday roast – Israeli style

In the week when a Tel Aviv restaurant was been named sixth best in the Middle East & Africa, and Israel itself is finally going to be in the Michelin guide, I went to what is, in my opinion, London’s best Israeli offering, Coal Office in Granary Square. When it first opened, Assaf Granit’s collaboration with Tom Dixon rightly won a plethora of accolades for design and food.

Now it has launched a Sunday roast, but this isn’t just any Sunday roast, this is a Jerusalem Sunday Roast, and that means more than just a hint of Middle Eastern style and flavour. Sat up at the kitchen counter (best seats in the house if there are just two of you) we had an open view of the (mostly Israeli) chefs and preppers doing their thing. It struck me how young they were, how calm they were and how happy they seemed, smartly dressed in chef’s whites with navy apron.

We dipped soft kubalah (a cross between challah and brioche) into creamy tahini and rich labneh, both laced with Middle Eastern spices. We also had two delicious salads. Then up came Turkish coffee-braised brisket with harissa carrots and pink fir potatoes with smoked butter and chives. The meat was uber tender with tons of flavour and a thick gravy with great depth of flavour.

Dessert was the very interesting Ma Ha Louz, a hazelnut and chocolate crunch concoction that was the perfect, not-too-sweet way to end this incredible meal. There are special Sunday cocktails too – mine was a citrus mimosa. £30 for two courses, £5 for dessert.

coaloffice.com