Almost three years after receiving a Michelin star for his Shabour restaurant and just before reopening his former Balagan restaurant (same space, different name), Israeli chef Assaf Granit and his associates will open their new Bubale restaurant in Paris on Thursday.
Read more:
The restaurant is located in the lobby of a reconstructed hotel in the Marais district, the city's former Jewish Quarter and the location of several kosher and Jewish restaurants, which hosts a vibrant nightlife scene, galleries and boutique stores. The hotel includes three 15th-century buildings that were refurbished and joined together.
"When we were offered this project, we were told we're up against a few strong groups and I didn't think we could compete against them. I didn't understand why the Marais district at first. Immediately after refusing the offer, I thought what would be a nice addition to the area - Jewish, European, Ashkenazi cuisine," said Granit.
How did it start?
"The owner of the hotel is a half-Tunisian and half-Polish Jew. When we pitched our cuisine, he made a face at first, but then Dan Yosha (Shabour chef and one of Granit's partners) and I made menu samples for him and his family. We held the tasting at Shabour restaurant during the COVID lockdown, so they were wearing masks and we fed them chopped liver and klops. The next day they called us to say its ours," according to Granit.
Gefilte fish in France? Even in Israel, not many eat it
"Just like we took the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine and made it gourmet food, we will be able to do the same with Eastern European food. By the way, we were inspired by chef Raphi Cohen, who did it before us with Middle Eastern food. Here in Bubale we will serve Ashkenazi food with plenty of humor and professionalism."
Where's the humor? The fact a Michelin star chef is serving klops?
"Not just that. For example, we took the filling of the Kurdish kubbeh, which is braised ribs in their own fat, and put it in the kreplach dumpling. An Eastern European Ashkenazi cuisine may sound limited but it can create many culinary opportunities. We have in our menu dishes from Austria, Viennese pastries and Russian foods such as pickled herring. You know how klops is always dry and uneatable? We took intestinal meats, chopped them up and balled them, but hid a soft-boiled egg inside. All of this is wrapped in a net of fat. The dish comes out crispy, the egg spills and it looks like klops, but the taste is different," said Granit.
Isn't this repeating the story of Berta in Berlin that serves 'grandmother's food'
"The food in Berta is similar to the food in MachneYuda, Yudale and Balagan. It's a new Israeli cuisine with German touches, an entirely different thing. In Bubale's menu there's a distinct language which is different from any culinary thing we've done so far in any of our restaurants."
Prices: chopped liver, 17 euros; lakerda, 21 euros; latkes, 24 euros; seafood kneidlach, 38 euros; klops, 24 euros; goulash, 31 euros. For dessert there is compote for 10 euros and apple strudel for 14 euros.
No lunch for now
Bubale restaurant will open for breakfast just for the hotel guests and for dinner for the public. Later it will open for all during breakfast and lunch. The restaurant has an inner patio and an option to eat adjacent to the street.
The head chef of the restaurant will be Itamar Gregy, MachneYuda cook who has worked in the MachneYuda Group for the past seven years. Don't bother making a reservation for the next two months, they are fully booked until mid-November.
"Everybody knows the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and North African Israeli food, but nobody thinks of Poland, Bulgaria or Romania when speaking about Israeli cuisine. We wanted to build the concept around Jewish Ashkenazi food that inspired the interior's design," said Tomer Lantzman, one of Granit's partners.
How do you translate what klops is into English?
"In my meeting with the designers, it was difficult to explain to them about Eastern Europe. Finally the idea was to take the design of a cottage in Eastern Europe with a typical and interesting architecture. We used that idea and added details, and the restaurant is full of details," Granit said.
"After our pilot week, we see that people who enter don't feel like they are in Paris, but somewhere else. We made the silverware and glasses in the style of the Czech Republic and the tables resemble an Ashkenazi holiday table. There is a stereotype that the Ashkenazi culture is alienated and unhappy with stale food, but that is not true. This culture is happy and celebrates, just differently without the ululations. We placed this in the center and the Ashkenazi food gets a place at center stage."