We were looking for a place to have an indulgent lunch on a lazy Friday when a picture from Shulchan (“Table” in Hebrew) popped up in my Facebook feed. After a brief debate (atypical for us, since it usually involves at least a couple of hours) and quick phone call to make sure there’s an available table, we were on our way to Rothschild St.

Shulchan is one of the two restaurants owned by popular celebrity chef Omer Miller. The reviews for this restaurant were not unanimous, and it is ranked #83 in The Table. I guess this is the reason it took us a while to decide if we wanted to dine here, which turned out to be the right call. They offer a weekend menu that includes bread, starter and main course – all in the price of the main course.

The restaurant was very pleasant to sit at, on a rainy Friday. With proper music to set the mood and an open roomy layout. Water pitcher was served straight away. Even though the pitcher is essentially an ad to a food conglomerate, it was nice to drink decent water and not the usual untasty Tel Aviv tap water. They also made sure to replace it whenever it was close to being empty.

 

The service was great from start to finish by the same lovely waitress. After taking our order she asked if we plan on sharing the dishes and immediately went to get us two plates and a spoon. She was nice, cheerful and attentive. For example, when something got spilled on my shirt she noticed it and went to get a wet towel. In addition, she replaced the silverware and plates for the main dishes. These are exactly the small details which differentiate a good service from a great service, and this was echoed by the entire professional service staff.

 

And now for the truly interesting stuff – the food. Not long after taking our order, a basket with two pieces of long bagel landed on our table, along with Shulchan’s famous eggplant cream. The bread, as well as the cream, were a great opening. We finished it pretty quickly and were offered some more, but turned down the offer to leave place to the food that was about to come.

 

For entree we chose their signature dish, which may be the most identified with the restaurant – Egg Schnitzel Garam Masala, Crispy Shallots and Cilantro. We had to add 12₪ ($3) for the pleasure, but as long as we’re there we might as well taste their signature dish. It deferentially stands up to its great reviews. It’s a cool, unique dish that manages to surprise using simple ingredients with a twist in the form of Indian spice.

The second starter we chose was Cold Calamari Salad Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans and Cilantro, which was both fresh as well as refreshing.

The first main course we chose, without much thought was another signature dish – Pumpkin and Ricotta “candy” with Sweet potatoes and Black truffles (88₪\$22.5). We had a harder time choosing the second main course, since no other item on the menu grabbed our attention. We went with the waitress recommendation and chose one of the specials – Spaghettini Meagre with White Yam Cream, Tassos Olives and Jerusalem Artichoke (128₪\$32.5), which was among the more expensive dishes they offer. The main courses came out before we finished with our starters but we’ll forgive this small stumble since everything else was meticulous. Their home-made spaghettini, which was a bit on the rawer side, was rich with flavor with the white yam cream, making every bite a delight. The fish, a perfect companion to the pasta, was soft and literally melted in our months. The Pumpkin and Ricotta Candy was a great eye candy (ba dum tsss), and is also a great choice for those who like some sweetness in their food. Both dishes were wonderful but I liked the Candy dish more.

For dessert we had to go with yet another signature dish. The dish is called ‘Shulchan Dessert‘ (45₪\$11.5), same as the name of restaurant. It’s a chocolaty dessert that assembled on the diners table by the waitress. On top of a brownie base chocolate mousse is piped. Then topped with some whipped cream dollops and chocolate tuile as well as sesame and poppy seed tuile. This chocolate intense dessert is strictly for those who don’t shy away from lots and lots of chocolate. It can easily satisfy four people. While not an amazing dessert, it definitely satisfies the spot of “something sweet to go with the post-lunch coffee”.

Along with the meal we ordered the Beat the Bellini cocktail as recommenced by our waitress. It included Grand Marnier, Pinot Gris, passion fruit and beet. For quite a low price for a cocktail – 28₪\$7 we got a full glass of a yummy cocktail.

Overall the bill came up to 327₪\$83, but then again we chose one of the more expensive dishes. If you stick to average priced dishes in the deal (which there are plenty of) you can have a great meal for much less. We would definitely visit here again.

 

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