Dining Out / Your much-needed, neighborhood bistro

By Daniel Rogov

It is far easier to describe the ambience of Tel Aviv's Julien than it is to explain the culinary style of this new restaurant. Set in the shadow of the Shalom tower, the restaurant has a wood floor, several walls of raw brick, a mix of square wood tables and light-colored round tables, framed mirrors, chandeliers, and a small-but-attractive bar that looks out on the kitchen. All this combines to create a comfortable, thought-out atmosphere of a French bistro. Regarding the relatively short menu, which ranges from Italian to Moroccan and French Provencal, one might conclude it lacks focus.

As an appetizer, my companion opted for the seviche of gray mullet, a traditional Mediterranean offering. The perfectly fresh fish had been tossed with finely chopped green onions, touches of black pepper and lemon, and, adding further charm, bits of ripe mango. Rich and refreshing, this was one of the most tempting seviche dishes I have sampled in quite a while.

For my appetizer, I ordered a North-African-style dish - pickled sardines on a bed of chickpeas. This dish was special due to its sauce of black pepper, paprika and cumin, which gave the fish and beans a tempting, sharp edge. I enjoyed it enough to finish off the sauce with bits of the simple baguette-style bread that is served here.

We also ordered a small portion of a refreshing salad of roquette, mango bits and small chunks of Roquefort cheese in a gentle vinaigrette sauce.

For my main course, I ordered the distinctly Moroccan but thoroughly modern chicken pastilla. Instead of the usual multiple layers of filled filo dough, in this version, the filling was covered by several sheets of crisp and flavorful filo. The filling - soft shredded chicken seasoned with sugar, cinnamon, sauteed almonds and raisins - was delicious, and the crust, which was crisp and full of flavor, literally melted in the mouth. All in all, the dish was splendid. The other main course we tried, a grilled salmon fillet, was done as requested, with the skin crisp but the flesh inside juicy and pink. A saffron cream sauce added a French touch, and the simple, well-made side of risotto added an Italian touch. That dish was accompanied by a small plate of green beans in an appropriately lemony sauce.

We went on to two desserts. The first was a whipped omelet, which was sprinkled with sugar and flaming brandy at our table. Some say that serving flambe dishes is passe, but I think that when done without exaggerated ceremony, it can add a touch of romance to any meal. In any case, the desert was rich and good. The second dessert we tried was not nearly as successful: This was the chef's interpretation of a Napoleon or millefeuille. It came with its filling in a small ceramic dish, topped with several baked strips of puff pastry in order to make it easier to eat. This dessert was completely acceptable; the problem was that the creme patisserie, made of egg yolk, milk, flour and vanilla, was far too thick, almost hard and a bit tasteless.

Chef Charlie Levy has delighted us in the past, first at his French-Mediterranean fusion restaurant in Herzliya, and then during his brief stay at Tel Aviv's Doda, where his Moroccan cuisine was a joy. Here too one feels Levy's talents, but cannot help but think that more focus on the menu would give the restaurant a more comfortable sense of direction. One also wishes that there were drapes on the window to hide the view of the unappealing, graffiti-covered construction site directly across the street.

The wine list is good, with quite a few excellent wines and some good values. That the service was somewhat naive on the evening of my visit was forgivable, given that the restaurant is relatively new. Our food bill for two came to NIS 295, to which a bottle of the very pleasant Muscadet de Sevre et Maine of Marc Bredif added a reasonable NIS 92. The dishes are reasonably priced, as they should be in a neighborhood bistro. In Tel Aviv, such bistros that offer unpretentious, simple but well-made fare are lacking.

Julien, Achuzat Bayit 1, Tel Aviv. Tel.: (03) 510-0264. Open daily 7 P.M.-midnight.