Nissi, soft hallah sandwiches with Levantine flavours, very (very) tasty

In thelively So-Pi district, a street-food stall has opened its doors, and the aromas wafting from it tickle our nostrils. Named Nissi after its founder Nina Simone Métoudi, this new restaurant draws its inspiration from street tables, 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 (€10.50), which we've already told you about here and here. 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 (13.50€), 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. A real dish cooked between two generous slices of bread.

• Beef Stew (€12.50), a slightly sweet-and-savory 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. With its tahini, lemon fennel salad, red onion pickles and fresh parsley, it's a 10/10 for us.

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 effective trio of tahini, makbubah, zhug dips.

• To be read
• Israeli restaurants in Paris, our top addresses for Jewish cuisine
• La Sabicherie, home of the 'other' Israeli sandwich
• Brooch, Israeli stall, shawarma and falafel in the Passage des Panoramas

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