Mea Shearim

Review

Koschi Susher

Photo: Heribert Corn Last week a restaurant named after Tel Aviv's liveliest neighborhood, this week one named after an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. And one that serves sushi, maki rolls and bulgogi, strictly kosher of course. Is that possible? Of course it's possible, although it's not easy. Which fish is kosher and which is not is subject to strict rules, which essentially state that a fish must have fins and scales, and that the scales must be recognizable, except in the case of young fish, where they only grow later. Definitely not kosher are shrimp, eel, squid, mussel and abalone, which unfortunately makes ebi, unagi, ika and the entire range of mussel sushi unthinkable in a kosher version. With tuna, some types are kosher, others are not, salmon is kosher even if no scales are visible, the color is enough ... It is essentially a question of trust, explains Izhak Faiziev, who opened Mea Shearim together with his wife Janet a month and a half ago in the middle of Vienna's kosher quarter around Karmeliterplatz. And in the Orthodox scene, trust is only created by the kosher supervisor, but only if this kosher supervisor enjoys fundamental trust in the community, "it can't be just any Punch and Judy". It's not that easy, although the Orthodox are far less complicated guests than those who weren't Orthodox in the past and then became so, "because they have the comparison ...". It has to be said that you don't notice all this at Mea Shearim. The restaurant looks like any other All-Asia restaurant, and you only notice that there is a small shelf with kippot if you look closely. The menu includes things that can be made kosher and others that can't, so what? Whether the Chinese chicken soup has to be so clear because of the kashrut is unimportant, it is, a few shiitake mushrooms, peas, chicken and noodles, not exceptional, but okay (€ 5.90). The specialty here - as in all Asian restaurants at the moment - are the rolls, which also look spectacular and are reliably made. Mea shearim roll filled with salmon, sweet potato and spring onion, topped with flamed salmon sashimi, crispy breadcrumbs, mayo and teriyaki sauce as decoration - not like at Mochi, but not very far off either (€ 13). The Szechuan-style zander - in batter, with paprika and onion vegetables from the wok and in a rather sweet sauce - is perhaps not the best Szechuan fish dish in town, but with a glass of Israeli Chardonnay it works quite well, and at least it's kosher (€ 16.90). And that's ultimately the point, because even orthodox Jews don't always want to eat the same thing. Summary: A new Pan-Asia restaurant that might not stand out among the many Pan-Asia restaurants - but is the only kosher Pan-Asia restaurant. Mea Shearim 2nd, Schmelzg. 3 Tel. 01/399 95 95 Mon-Thu 12-23, Sun 11.30-23.30

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