Meir Adoni is a name almost any foodie will recognise – especially those who have a penchant for Middle Eastern food. The Israeli chef has quite the curriculum vitae, with successful restaurants in Israel and New York. His latest venture landed him in Berlin in late 2018. Barely half a year after its opening, Layla has taken up sizable and permanent-looking space in the city’s ever-fickle food scene. Another Berlin institution for the bon vivant that we could all be thankful for, if you ask me.
It was a Friday night and Layla was packed. Berliners of every shape, size, and race gathered to enjoy the food. The crowd was also peppered with tourists looking for a meal that can be one of the highlights of their trip. My friend Lesley and I ended up sitting beside a man from Israel who went to Layla for dinner after his hotel’s receptionist raved about it.
He was in Berlin to visit his son who decided to live here and pursue his DJing career. (Of course, he’s a DJ. This is Berlin.) He abandoned his father for the night as he was playing a show. But the father got the better part of the bargain. He found Meir Adoni himself was in town and was making his meal that night. This city never fails to surprise its guests.
Adoni is not in town all the time. He has several restaurants to tend to, after all. But when he’s around, he’s in the kitchen to bond and make food with his team who all trained under him. This doesn’t stop him from connecting with the people who come to try the food. He would smile and chat with practically everyone who would pass by the open kitchen.
The New Middle East
Is Layla Israeli? Arabic? It’s a little bit of both and even more. Adoni describes the food in his Berlin restaurant as Modern Middle Eastern – the kind of cuisine he offers in each of his spots in Israel, Germany, and the US. He also uses inspiration and ingredients from cuisines outside their region. “Israel is fairly new. We exist only for about 71 years. As a very young country, we’re still in the process of developing a culinary language that we can call Israeli completely,” he said.
“After the Holocaust, we came from around the world to build a country. We brought all these cultures to our tiny state. From this mix, we try to create our own language and we try to incorporate the region.”
Having a Moroccan mother and a Jewish father, he does not shy away from the Arabic influence. Instead, he revels and thrives in the blending of both cultures.
“I get criticism for choosing Arabic names for my restaurants,” he admitted. “But I cook Middle Eastern food and 90% of the Middle East is Arabic. This is why I want to give my restaurant an Arabic name. It’s only giving respect to the culture that I am taking influence from.”
“My mother is from Morocco. That does not take away from me being Jewish or Israeli. I’m a proud, Israeli, Jewish man and ‘Layla’ also means night in Hebrew,” he added.
Aperitif, anyone?
Layla has an elegant, rounded bar. Perfect for eyeing someone beautiful on the other end as well as that flawless photo for your Instagram. It also doesn’t hurt that the drinks are exquisite. As my friend Ute Schirmack, food journalist extraordinaire, says: “I’ve been to Layla a good number of times and the drinks are always done well. The man behind the bar is Italian – they do make wonderful drinks and don’t scrimp on the alcohol.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Emanuele Brocatelli is the Italian mixologist who heads the bar. A quick look at the menu gives you a list of unique drinks that incorporate Mediterranean herbs and spices. No doubt they were made to complement Adoni’s dishes.
Space
What I love about the restaurant is how bright and spacious it is. Even on a packed Friday night, it felt there was ample room to move, talk, even release a hearty guffaw if anyone needed to. Tastefully decorated, it’s got an eclectic Berlin feel to it without losing elegance.
“Layla is different from Nur, my restaurant in New York, in the atmosphere,” Adoni shared. He said each restaurant is actually a tribute to the city where it’s located.
“Berlin is lighter, younger and New York is like a machine where people have to move and run throughout the day to succeed. In Berlin, it’s more peaceful, relaxed. You cook your food in a peaceful, more relaxing environment.”
“It’s as relaxing as service can be,” quipped Lilach Sapir, Adoni’s business partner.
Both agree that what they envisioned is a restaurant that people will never be intimidated to enter – and it’s exactly what they have.
Nur is a cosier space at 50 seats. With Adoni’s popularity, it’s become quite hard to grab a seat in his NYC location. While evenings at Layla fill up quickly too, there’s a better chance to get inside as it has over double the seating capacity.
Further within the restaurant, you’ll also find InFarm units where the restaurant gets its herbs. They’re an integral component of Middle Eastern cooking and Adoni admits to using between 20 to 30 different kinds per dish. You don’t get those complex flavours with just salt and pepper after all.
Nosh!
We began the meal with Smoked Trout Donuts from the appetiser section. When they told us there were going to be interesting flavours that evening, they weren’t lying. Medjoul dates, hot spices, almonds, mandarin vinaigrette – what’s not to love? It was a refreshing starter that opened up the palate.
Much ado about bread
The Yemenite Kubbana Brioche is made in house and deserves all the love and praise it enjoys from the restaurant’s regulars. Springy, creamy, and utterly delectable on its own, its flavours are enhanced by three different kinds of dip it comes with. I’m a fan of dipping culture and enjoy having a different version of the bread depending on which dip it was dunked in.
Paprika with aioli, doah with olive oil, and crushed tomato with garlic. Each dip is an entirely different flavour profile and texture from the next but they all go together seamlessly. Choosing a favourite among the three is like being asked to pick a favourite child (or in my case, dog). Almost impossible to pick.
I hate eggplants but…
Layla’s Smoked Eggplant Carpaccio is the only way you can get me to put anything with eggplant in it inside my mouth – willingly and with no prodding needed.
Dipping the kubbana in there was an absolute dream. Swirling it in – trying to get the dish’s different components on to that soft brioche – did not take much work.
The warmth of the carpaccio helped in letting most of it melt on to the bread. The smokiness of the eggplant, raw tahini, the light dusting of feta cheese, and even dried rose petals – it was magical.
If you’re planning on ordering other things, go easy on the bread as it’s exceptionally filling. It’s also hard to stop yourself because it can be rather addicting. Believe me, I know. I had to remind myself a couple of times to stop.
Love sashimi?
If you do, then you’ll love Adoni’s answer to the Japanese staple. This one’s got habanero, quinoa, and citrus flavours. Something health buffs will also appreciate.
From raw fish to veal
The Layla Tartar looks more like a work of art than a dish. Colourful and inviting, one is encouraged to get a bit of everything on the plate in every bite.
It takes a couple of tries to master that but it’s worth it. Make sure you get some of the sumac which just elevates the whole experience. Its light tanginess masking any indication that you’re eating raw, red meat.
The black paste on the dish is made from the skin of the smoked eggplants used for the carpaccio served earlier.
Not only does it minimise food waste, but it also adds a distinct smokiness to the tartar.
From under the sea
As someone who would order octopus every time it’s on the menu, I can attest that Adoni’s Grilled Octopus in Moroccan Spices is not your regular, everyday pulpo. The meat is buttery soft with the dinner knife sliding through it effortlessly. It’s tender in the mouth and the flavours are just amazing.
The yoghurt on the plate adds a creamy layer, followed by a light crunch from the herbs and baby carrots, and topped by a light, citrus tang in the end through some yuzu.
Jewish ‘pork’
Pork is not popular in the Middle East due to religious restrictions but Adoni has a substitute that might even be better than the original. It also has less fat and cholesterol compared to pork and beef, but never short on flavour.
Especially with how it’s prepared in Layla.
Brined for two days and later glazed with Asian spices, dates, honey, and cumin, these milk veal ribs are to die for. The flavours were unforgettable. It was sweet, salty, a tad spicy, and smokey – all in one go. The meat was soft and broke off easily, not messy to eat at all so don’t fret if you’re there for a first date or a business dinner with that new, intimidating boss. This might just be the dish that helps you get on his or her good side.
Served with cream of sweet potato mixed with some yoghurt and tahini, it’s a filling dish but worth the calories.
Pro tip: Get your brioche and dip it in the sweet potato concoction. You’re now in heaven. You’re welcome.
A sweet ending
After all that food, Lesley and I were stuffed but refusing dessert is blasphemy and someone needs to do this job.
We had the Chocolate Cremeux which is perfect for people who love salted caramel.
The date brioche it comes with is already great on its own but dipping it in the salted caramel foam makes it even sweeter and a great complement to some dark coffee.
Also quite filling.
For a lighter option, there’s New Middle East which looks too pretty to eat. It comes with solet cream, yoghurt, and olive crumble.
A sumac meringue cracked open to reveal a wild berry compote, some blood orange and a bit of arak sorbet.
All these, swimming in a shallow pool of olive oil vinaigrette. It’s sweet, tarty, and refreshing. Great for the summer season!
What’s next?
There’s no stopping Adoni and his success. He is currently in the process of opening another restaurant. This time, in Kiyev.
“It will be similar to Layla,” he said. “Food that’s my way but fit for the local taste.”
He’s also opening a chef’s restaurant in Jerusalem to go with the two he already has in Tel Aviv and street food joints scattered around the country.
It seems quick how Adoni, along with the help of Sapir and their team do it. They say they do take their time in between. However, they work so hard, thinking that there are actually 28 hours in a day. There’s no business like gastronomy.
Come meet Layla
The casual fine dining trend is what’s popular in Berlin at the moment. Great food without the intimidation and the judgy clientele. Layla has gotten the concept right down to a tee without losing sophistication and warmth. The staff are international, coming from different backgrounds but they move and interact as a family (everyone looked like they were having fun in that open kitchen), giving the impression of being invited over to someone’s house for dinner.
It’s a great spot to dine with your favourite people. Sharing the food is highly encouraged as servings are huge. It’s also a place where you can let loose when it comes to dining. Use your hands, dip something from the appetiser in one of the main dishes’ sauces. There are no rules.
Prices are also affordable for the kind of food you’re getting. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why Adoni opened in Berlin. He wanted to be accessible. “I don’t want to be too expensive. After opening a restaurant in New York, everything else seemed less frightening but opening in London or Paris will mean I would have to charge more. Berlin gives me that freedom to make food the way I want to at competitive prices.”
Well, Berlin is definitely one lucky city.
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Layla Restaurant by Meir Adoni
Hallesche Str. 10, 10963 Berlin
Open daily from 18:00-01:00
Call for reservations: 01512 2563654
Visit their website and follow them on Instagram
More later.
**I was a guest at Layla but that does not – in any way – affect my review and opinions expressed in this article.
