Nissi, hallah sandwiches with traditional Levantine flavours

In thelively So-Pi district, a new street-food stall has just opened its doors, and the aromas wafting from it are already tickling our nostrils. Named Nissi after its founder Nina Simone Métoudi, this new restaurant draws its inspiration from street food, traditional kiosks and Sephardic and Levantine institutions.

Made up of antique objects, the decor combines tables and chairs from another era, mismatched crockery and Jerusalem stone walls with vintage posters. The owner's desire to pay homage to the cooking she learned as a child from her mother and grandmother.

The result is a short, simple and gourmet menu of comforting sandwiches, prepared in hallah bread, the famous soft bread that takes center stage every Friday, in this case from Mamiche. There are just 4 recipes to choose from, among the most essential of Levantine cuisine:

• The Sabich we've already told you about here and there. Fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, Israeli salad (tomato-cucumber-red onion), tahini and fermented mango Amba sauce are the basics of this colorful, flavorful sandwich. It's topped with a homemade zhug, green harissa - green chili, coriander, parsley, olive oil, cloves and cumin.

• The Schnitzel, a breaded chicken cutlet, crispy and juicy, topped with makbubah (a compote of fresh tomatoes simmered for a long time with garlic, chili and paprika). It's escorted by fried eggplant, tahini, homemade coleslaw and strips of large Russian-style pickles.

• Beef Stew, a slightly sweet and salty recipe. Beef with onions is confit for 20 hours at low temperature, and is inspired by Nina's mom's tagine with a touch of honey, cinnamon, cumin and coriander. In the hallah bread, Nina adds tahini, lemon fennel salad, red onion pickles and fresh parsley.

• Fish Balls, a tribute to Nina's Moroccan and Tunisian origins. She interprets Moroccan-style fish (fish with tomato sauce) through Tunisian-style fried dumplings. They are then browned in a glazed sauce, simmered for a long time with tomato, cumin, paprika and garlic. A final turn in the oven and they slide into hallah bread with their sauce, tahini, fennel salad with lemon, parsley and a little mint.

• To be read
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Each recipe is available in a plate version - on a bed of creamy hummus - and can be accompanied by sweet potato fries dipped in an amba-tinged aioli sauce; hummus with Israeli salad; or the essential trio of tahini, makbubah and zhug dips.

Finally, for those with a sweet tooth, Nissi offers a malabi (an oriental flan with orange blossom, topped with rose syrup) and a chocolate mousse with olive oil and fleur de sel; and on the drink side, a homemade lemonade with mint infused in honey syrup!