Take a culinary journey through Tel Aviv at newly-opened North Miznon, a modern Israeli restaurant at 110 Amoy Street, founded by Chef Eyal Shani – a leading figure in the Israeli culinary scene and most famously known as a judge on MasterChef Israel — and managed by local hospitality platform, Foragers.

Currently, with two outlets in Vienna and New York, Singapore is the first Asia outpost for North Miznon. Just like its sister branches, this dining space sports the same rustic-meets-industrial interiors with an artful blend of elements such as metal light fixtures, green wall panels styled after old-fashioned grooved tin roofs, beautiful tiled flooring — all brought together with plenty of wood and deep emerald green upholstery.

A vibrant enclave perfect for a boisterous night out with friends, the heart of North Miznon is its open kitchen with bar-top counter seats where guests can watch Executive Chef Or Hakmimi and his stellar team in action. The rest of the spacious restaurant is littered with a mix of high tables and regular dining tables, all well-spaced apart. A word of caution: The service team may sometimes ring a large bell to announce birthdays or free shots so the atmosphere can get a little manic, but that’s exactly how the Israelis like it!

The food — mostly served for sharing — is creative, scrumptious and down-to-earth with a strong Mediterranean influence on clean and clear taste profiles where fresh vegetables dominate. Regarded as “the voice of modern Israeli cuisine”, Chef Eyal Shani’s food philosophy is founded on a few key principles – sourcing the freshest, best, and where possible, local ingredients, tried-and-tested cooking methods that tease out and retain the innate goodness of the produce, and lastly, simple yet innovative presentation that wows.

Chef’s Eyal’s obsession with tomatoes is clearly documented in the daily-changing menu from the Naked Heirloom Tomatoes ($19) to his personal favourite Tomato Pasta ($29) made with Maggie tomatoes from Israel; a variety that is five times sweeter. Even the freshly-baked focaccia is filled with tomatoes, onions and green chillies, and served on the house to mop up any leftover sauces on your plate. If you love grilled onions, do try the Fennel Bulb ($17), a whole roasted fennel served in its own ‘jus’ lightly dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt. This makes a great accompaniment to protein dishes like Giant Octopus Carpaccio On The Rock ($47) or Sirloin Roast Beef Carpaccio On The Rock ($47) — both thinly sliced and draped over a giant rock.

For seafood, there is plenty from a Potful of Crabs ($41) to the Seafood Platter ($68) or a simple Palamida Fillet Roasted on Plancha ($34) featuring lightly charred Atlantic bonito on a moat of fresh tomato sauce and creamy tahini. There are at least half a dozen desserts (at $20 each) to choose from such as Malabi, an Israeli milk pudding drizzled with a syrupy strawberry sauce, and Sticky Banana Banoffee. Our favourite has to be the Ants Nest Cake, a honeycomb cake with toasty caramel notes and a touch of ginger.

North Miznon carries a curated collection of organic, biodynamic or sustainable wines including three varietals from Israel, and also serves delicious cocktails like a Tel Aviv Sour ($21) to perfectly round out your exotic meal. North Miznon is currently only open for dinners from Tues–Sun, 5.30pm till late. For reservations, contact 8028 5204.

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Book fun for kids
Marks & Spencer

Passionate about responsibly-sourced foods and sustainable farming, Marks & Spencer has published its first-ever children’s book aimed at helping little ones understand the importance of food, our environment and ethical eating. Farm to Foodhall, The Magic Ingredient ($15.90 at M&S Food) is a 64-page storybook suitable for children aged 4–9 years old with 10 different activities for families to do including recipes. The book, co-created and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, with words by Linda Chapman and illustrations by Sarah Jennings tells a wonderful story of the character Amalia who endeavours to create the perfect birthday feast for her grandad by journeying around the M&S Farms. During her journey, she discovers fun facts, recipes and activities, including building a bug hotel for the garden and creating a herb garden. To complement the book, and recreate the published recipes such as the cherry pie, chicken korma, salmon parcels and more, M&S has created a limited edition set of Farm to Foodhall merchandise, complete with mixing bowls, cookie cutters and utensils between $10.90 and $12.90. The Farm to Foodhall collection is available at Marks & Spencer Wheelock Place, Vivo City and Parkway Parade

PHOTO: Just Run Lah

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Run for charity
Make-A-Wish Singapore

The Santa Run for Wishes 2021 returns this year in virtual format from Dec 1-19 calling for avid runners to sign up for this fundraiser to help the young beneficiaries of Make-A-Wish Singapore. Similar to last year, Make-A-Wish Singapore renews the call for participants to join the race and bring Santa from the North Pole. Runners will be able to contribute to the 21,517km journey — the distance it takes to reach the North Pole from Singapore — by submitting their distance through the 42Race application (available on App Store and Google Play). This year, participants in the virtual run can clock in as much distance as they want and unlock e-badges along the way at the 3km, 5km, 10km, 20km or 50km (accumulative) milestone. There will also be lucky draws and other prizes given out to the Best Dressed Runner, Longest Distance Runner, Best On-The-Run Art Runner, and so on. This event is free. To sign-up, visit https://bit.ly/santarun2