Shmil’s bistro is located in an old warehouse which was part of the old Jerusalem train station. The chef and owner, Shmil Holland, was until recently, the owner and operator of one of the country’s best-known catering services.
Shmil started out as a student of history, and was working on his doctoral thesis when he took a job as a group guide for the “Yad Ben Zvi” Institute. As a guide, he had the opportunity to wander the old streets of Jerusalem and discovered small hidden culinary treasures. The rest is history. His love for cooking and the revelation that every dish has its own history helped Shmil to resolve the conflict between matter and spirit, theory and practice. He closed the catering service and launched the restaurant.
Shmil at the Lab offers a Mediterranean menu, with a dash of Eastern European cuisine. All the dishes are prepared from fresh ingredients which arrive in the kitchen on a daily basis. The menu changes according to the time of day and offers breakfast, lunch, and a more elaborate dinner, based on the concept of dishes of various sizes.
Shmil’s love of food and of historical research find expression in many of the dishes. The matjas herring is based on his mothers recipe, the wild rice salad is a personal interpretation on the kasha dishes of Eastern Europe, the root soup is a delicate version of borscht, the cheese dumplings were actually gombotz before they landed in Shmil’s hands, and even the fettuccini and pasta are an upgraded recipe for LOKSHEN (Shmil uses dorum flour).
Shmil at the Lab was decorated in casual style by Alain Ben-Shimol, who was responsible for the decoration of the mythological restaurants Keren and the Golden Apple. The décor, in fact, paid homage to the original and historical building and added a modern touch by the use of light-colored wood, a fancy fireplace and retro 70’s elements. The bistro has around 80 seats in the dining hall and more in the bar and the porch which has a great view over the old train station
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