Born and raised in a Jewish Moroccan family in Israel, Yuval Belhans has been busy since arriving in Berlin in 2015, running kitchens and even creating the menu for Kitten Deli. Here’s one more of his projects: Kiddush, a supper club inspired by traditional Jewish Friday night dinners. Serving up challah and unforgettable sabich sandwiches, events are being held at cantine collective La Vie en toast in Neukolln every Friday for the rest of summer. For our visit, we were seated outside on a long white cloth table directly under a linden tree, an open grill glowing behind us. No doubt: this is how alfresco dining should be. Accompanying the homemade challah bread – still warm from the oven – was tahini, harissa and s’chug (Middle Eastern hot sauce with peppers, garlic and coriander) and a selection of Yuval’s hearty salads. The challah stuffed with ground beef was one of the most flavorful bites I’ve had in a while, topped with S’chug to cut the richness. Utterly perfect.
The arrival of the main dishes – Moroccan chicken, fresh-line seabass, charred cabbage and stuffed vine leaves – caused guests to erupt into chatter as they figured out who would get the first bite. Diners sitting at our shared table went from polite conversation at the beginning to swapping dishes with strangers by the end of the night. It felt like a real family dinner, with simple, flavorful dishes. A new Friday-night tradition? We think so.
Text: Kate Foran / Photos: Kiddush & Café Bravo
Kiddush at La Vie en toast, Harzer Str.39, 12059 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Next dinner 12.08.2022 – tickets can be booked here
