Go For the Waffles, Hold the Shakshuka

There is an old saying about restaurants, that you shouldn't go to a steakhouse and order fish. Apparently that's also true about ordering shakshuka at a waffle bar.  In last week's venture, indeed my extended family visited the Waffle Bar, pictured below is my niece.  The presentation was consistent with Waffle Bar's over the top taste, mega sized dishes and lots of side offerings to compliment the meal.

The bread was homemade and amazing, with a nice seasoning that gave it both taste on its own as well as an incentive to dip into the dish. However the dish itself was just bland.  You can see that it was served in a white dish which indicates that it may have been made in a larger pan and transferred. I believe that inherent for a good shahkshuka dish is the dish!  It must be made and served in a cast iron skillet.  The food itself was too liquidy and not congealed enough to satisfy as a dish by itself.  Stick with the waffles.

Old Katamon

It just looked different, which I liked at first.  One must always appreciate the art of the dish, that food isn't a cut and paste fastfood-like operation.  This shakshuka was served with a healthy amount of fresh bread but - BAM - the egg was just hovering on the top of the pan making it the dominate color scheme and attention graber.  Personally, I am not an order by color kind of person nor do I complain about color diversity or lack thereof on my plate.

Old Katamon

As you can see for yourself, the dish is very egg strong.  The tomato consistency was fine, nothing too exciting but avoided soupy or watery levels that really can ruin a dish. Garlic was not featured in this dish which is a subtle addition I find pleasing. Overall not an awesome serving but not the worst.

Miznon - First Station Jerusalem

Recommended.  The restaurant is trendy and is trying hard, not my usual venue for brunch but came highly recommend and I too recommend the Jaffa Shakshuka.  It was served NOT piping hot, which draws into question the service staff.  But the taste was great.

Ingredients were clearly fresh as were the tomatoes; one is always turned off by the hint of tomato paste.  The fresh cooked garlic was also yummy.  The egg was a slightly cooked - I have unfortunately suffered many a raw egg lurking beneath the surface - but it was only a tad overdone.  Once mixed up with the tomatoes and veggies it was less noticeable.

An interesting twist at Miznon was the bread.  It was actually challah; I felt a bit weird on a Friday eating challah a mere 7 hours before Shabbat.  It dipped well and complimented the tastes.  Not overly strong like the foccicia of other restaurants; it was fresh and just enough to wipe the plate clean.

4/5 stars - Solid and strong, fresh tastes.