Fringe: Good Mediterranean food at the Jerusalem Theatre - restaurant review

“The concept is ‘The fringe of the Levant,’” Darya Giladi, the 23-year-old manager, told me. “Most of the dishes are Mediterranean but inspired by a twist.” Chef Nir Levy is the chef for Fringe and Talbiye.

The service at night was very good, though a little slow. If I had gone to Fringe for a quick bite before a show at the theater, I might have been frustrated. However, since I wasn’t in a hurry, it wasn’t an issue.

I went with my husband, Cliff, and my daughter Rafaella. We started our meal with cocktails. Cocktails always make a meal feel special. Here, they are numbered 1 to 7.

I like a little sweetness in my cocktails, so I ordered number 3 (NIS 57),  which was ouzo, lychee extract, berry coulis, egg white, and star anise. It was excellent. Cliff prefers sour cocktails and ordered number 4 (NIS 54), which was comprised of gin, sour, Cointreau, and za’atar. Quite unique, although I preferred mine.

There is a taboon behind the bar, which is always a good sign. Giladi suggested several appetizers, which included a focaccia from the taboon (NIS 24), served with a tomato salsa with tehina, honey, and olive oil. My favorite appetizer was the fish cigar (NIS 56), served with chopped pistachios, herbs, tehina, and yogurt. Highly recommended.

Also excellent were the leek patties with crème fraîche (NIS 46). However, I did not enjoy the crispy eggplant with nigella leaves, hot tomato salsa, and yogurt (NIS 48), as the eggplant was a little soggy.

When it came to the main courses, I took Giladi’s recommendation of the kousa mahshi (NIS 78), which is Arabic for stuffed zucchini. It was stuffed with sea fish, preserved lemons, pine nuts, and dried mint on hot yogurt, and had a nice sour taste. It was a unique dish. My only complaint was that the portion was quite small – only two small stuffed zucchinis.

The amount was fine for me, as I’m not such a big eater since I started my “weight loss journey” two years ago, but it seemed more like an appetizer portion than a main dish.

Cliff was very happy with his choice of the fried sea bream in a doa spice mix. It was a large portion that came with mashed potatoes and mint aioli (NIS 102).

Rafaella tried the Jerusalem artichoke ravioli with sea bass in vermouth butter, with mushrooms and chestnuts (NIS 112). The ravioli and the sauce were good, but the fish fillet was a little bland. Not a bad dish, just nothing special.

We had several desserts from the bakery upstairs, which were excellent. This included the cheesecake that derailed my “weight loss journey” – but was worth every bite.