Feels like a minute since I did a good ol’ restaurant review!  Its been something you guys have been asking for more of so I will try to do a better job at writing and posting full reviews of the meals and restaurants I experience.

Last week I got to check out the newly opened Shook Kitchen brought to you by the team at IconInk known for other amazing restaurants in the city like Patria, Byblos, KOST, La Societe and Sofia.

Shook is serving up delicious and authentic Israeli dishes and everything on the menu is vegetarian.  Don’t let this dissuade you because the food is INCREDIBLE.  I literally wanted to lick every plate clean.  I would recommend going with a few people, you’ll get to taste more dishes and I mean, who doesn’t want more food.

Not only is Shook a restaurant but they have also created a small little market at the front of the restaurant where you can purchase various spices, preserves, ingredients and even swag to recreate dishes at home.  They also have a full coffeehouse set up to make delicious coffee beverages inspired from Israel and surrounding countries.  We opted to choose from one of their non-alcoholic beverages which use some really unique ingredients.  Pictured below is The Carmel made with lychee, rosewater, pomegranate and lemon.  So refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.

Now for the eats.  Like I said, the portions are quite large so if you’re with a group of people the food will go a long way.  We decided to order mostly traditional items and since we were only two people, it was recommended we order about 4 dishes.
On the menu:

Manouri Stuffed Squash Blossoms – matzo crust, harissa honey, preserved lemon
Labneh – dried mint, honey, sumac, olive oil
Shook Hummus – crispy chickpeas, pikcled chili, sumac, red onions, sabzi, urfa
Green Shakshouka – green tomato, green chili, green zhug, toum, poached eggs, sabzi herbs, pita

If these pictures don’t speak for themselves I’m not sure what else I can say to convince you.  The Labneh and Hummus were unbelievably delicious and not only because they were crafted with such care and with some really unique and authentic ingredients but their house made pita that comes with each dip just stole the show.  They are baked in the in-house stone oven and topped with olive oil, an herbed spice blend and sesame seeds.  We absolutely ordered extra.

 

The winner of the entire meal for me was the Green Shakshouka.  I am a big fan of shakshouka and if I see it on a menu I am more than likely ordering it.  Traditionally, shakshouka is made with red tomatoes, grilled peppers and harissa which is on the menu should you want it.  But when we saw the option for a green version, we had to try it.  This is maybe the best shakshouka I’ve ever had.  It’s made primarily of green tomatoes, green chili and green zhug, which is a Yemini hot sauce.   It’s got that extra little kick that the traditional one doesn’t have.   The dish is then blended and topped with toum (garlic sauce) and sabzi herbs (herb blend) all atop poached eggs and served with pita.  Mouth watering yet?

Shook Kitchen opened up only a few weeks ago so they are still working through some kinks but the staff was so friendly and helpful with advising us on choosing dishes. Their website is not fully up and running but you can make reservations and check out the menu on Opentable.   I am absolutely going to be back for more of what we ordered and to try out some other dishes.  Let me know what you think if you decided to check it out!

Shook Kitchen
77 Portland Street (King and Portland)
Web: https://shookkitchen.com/
Instagram:  @shookitchen