Only a couple of pictures of this restaurant in Amoy Street I have, but they're good enough for me.
See, unlike many places that thrive on a single factor, the charm of this place doesn't lie exclusively in their ambience, their service, their decor, or even their food.
Yes, they do play a part, but what they've got is a harmonious, excellent combination of all, which you'll discover almost immediately as soon as you step into their shop house space on Amoy Street.
I'm not sure whether it's the arrangement of the tables, the glow of the warm lights, or the cozy enclosed space of the restaurant, but something will catch your eye even as you follow the maitre to your table, and once settled, more likely or not, you'll find yourself looking about and around.
Perhaps this doesn't happen for everybody, but it's happened to me- both times.
I like the table I got this time more than I did the last, though.
Not that the cute little table tucked away at a corner wasn't good- it was great for conversation- but this one, a bar counter type in front of the open kitchen under the shop house skylight- was better.
There was enough light.
And I had great fun watching the staff at work preparing the food.
The huge pot of hummus right in front of me was very tempting.
I wanted it all.
Today too it might have been that we happened to be there at an earlier hour so the light that fell onto all our food looked cheerier, but then again, I might be mistaken.
Here at North Miznon all of their dishes speak of sincerity, and really, it makes no difference whether you sit here or there.
I was wondering if we'd order the same dishes that we had had the last time we came, but my friend was determined to have that one dish which we didn't have before.
So we ordered the Sirloin Roast Beef Carpaccio on the Rock.
It takes a while for this Rock to be brought to your table, but it is a visual delight, and an absolute blessing it will be to you.
For fun, peace and laughter I decided to take a picture of the whole dish- as it were- which, unfortunately, didn't turn out looking as appetizing as I hoped it would, but oy, there it is in its full glory, and worth the dollar it is too.
It holds greater meaning if you're someone who appreciates the (quiet) significance of this dish, the cultural perspective of it, and if you like your steak served in a different sort of way.
One thing I appreciate about this roast beef carpaccio is its thinness.
Gone are the days where I had the patience to chew through a chunk of beef that I had to saw through it myself, so this thinness is perfect, and wonderful.
The taste too, appeals to me, where, instead of the usual steak sauces or butter, one gets a combination of mustard seeds and tomato seeds scattered all over the pink, perfectly roasted, extremely tender meat.
I only wish we hadn't eaten it as fast as we did.
But for some reason we were a tad hungry.
Good food whets the appetite, and it don't matter whether you've had a plate of boiled/steamed/very very soft spinach swimming in olive oil, or three servings of crispy, pillowy, warm, olive oil-drenched focaccia bread (on the house, mind!) laid over with tomatoes, olives (?), onions, eaten along with a dip of zhug, and sour cream.
I want to leave room for dessert the next time I come.
When it will be, I don't know, but I hope they continue to have that cardboard sampler of desserts they had the first time I was there.
Because even though desserts like apple crumble cake and milk pudding might not sound as Israeli as we imagine they would be- as North Miznon's Chef Eyal Shani- Judge of Masterchef Israel is- but one gets a cozy sense of warmth simply thinking about apple crumble.
And, like the fail-safe chocolate desserts, that's something I wanna try.