Makom

Review

The Tel Aviv principle

No, the discussion of the new Makom has nothing to do with the violent conflicts currently taking place in Israel. Because world events-oriented Beisl criticism is just what we need. The Makom is being presented here because it is brand new, because it has been serving neo-Israeli food quite successfully in recent weeks and because - if all goes well - it opens today. For me as a boomer, Israel was an exotic, young country in my youth, about which I knew nothing except what the Israeli satirist Ephraim Kishon described in his books. And when Kishon talked about food in Tel Aviv, it was always about steaks and watermelons. There was never any mention of shakshuka or hamshuka, and not really sabich either, although it can be assumed that the hip, colourful Tel Aviv street food party cuisine only developed in this form after the 70s and early 80s, when Kishon's books were published. But back to Vienna today: Makom is run by the people who already attracted attention with a bagel store in Währingerstraße, and although they themselves are not from Israel, one of the business partners and some of the kitchen team are. The Makom - Hebrew for "one place" - is located in the former Chillax in Schottenfeldgasse, the elegant, shabby loft design has remained largely unchanged, at least that was the case during the take-away operation last week.
When it came to the selection of dishes, the restaurant played it safe and chose the intersection of the already successful Tel Aviv eateries, so to speak, i.e. the tomato-paprika-onion sauce shakshuka, falafel, hummus, roasted chicken and, of course, oven-roasted cauliflower, avocado, nuts and pomegranate.
A salad called "Itzhak and his broccoli", consisting of beetroot, broccoli florets, leaf lettuce, almonds, pine nuts and pomegranate, not only looked good, but was tasty even for those who don't like broccoli, although the marinade could perhaps be improved (€ 8.90). "The Color of Hope", a creation of spinach leaves, peas, avocado and green olives, was nothing but green (€ 10.50). "Onkel Cohens Shakshuka", shakshuka with minced beef, wasn't bad, I just wonder why shakshuka always promises poached egg, but then only ever comes with fried egg (€ 11.50) - there's quite a difference. You can only wish the Makom makers that the attraction is enough to lure the hipsters the crucial metres from the Mahü to Schottenfeldgasse. To sum up: the next attempt to bring Tel Aviv's culinary joie de vivre down to earth in Vienna. Not the worst.

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