Update – this restaurant has since closed.

There are some places I go to that I like so much, that I feel they deserve their own post, well Lara is one of those.  If you have already read my December post about Canela you will know that until recently it was my favorite restaurant in Jerusalem and last year Chef Lior Heftzadi moved around the corner to open Lara on Midrohov Ben Shetach. I would describe Lara as more of a bistro than a restaurant.  The decor is very rustic and it has a more informal and friendly ambience to it than neighbouring Chef-restaurants Gabriel and Angelica.  The fully open kitchen increases the informal atmosphere and allows diners to see the masters at work and I especially enjoy eating outside on the popular Midrohov Ben Shetach.

So far I have not had a bad meal there and the main courses I have tried have been very satisfying but they cannot compare to the taste explosions I have experienced with the starters.  Every time I have been, I have had the Beef sashimi in the forest.  Similar to a beef carpaccio – the beef sashmi is thicker pieces of raw beef filet served with seared mushrooms, caramelized pecans & almonds, craisins and cucumber peel – the combination is wonderful (48 ₪).  On a recent visit with an Argentinean friend, we shared the sashimi and the Mollejas in the country – veal sweetbreads with lupini beans, za’atar, chard, and harissa (48 ₪) which melted in our mouths and then we shared the Asado for the main course which was a special that night.

The chef signature dish appropriately named Sheftzadi’s dish is a skewer of butcher’s cut skewer with marrow and demi natural sauce (86 ₪), very delicious but very rich and I was glad I was sharing 2 mains when I tried it.

So Lara does not get my unconditional love just yet but I 100% recommend, especially the starters.