Israeli and Levantine cuisine are everywhere in Paris these days, from top-notch street food to Michelin-starred experiences. And those flavors have also taken touristy Montmartre by storm, thanks in part to Adraba’s bold approach.
The buzzy dining room is governed by a clubby playlist and low lighting, all the better to see the backlit bar and open kitchen, not to mention to take in the see-and-be-seen crowd. The menu, meanwhile, is divided into four racy categories – fingers, mouth, heart, and g-spot. (I remain on the fence about rewriting menu protocol when it adds more confusion than anything else, but this proved at least understandable.) And no matter what you choose, expect the flavors to be big.
We started with a few nibbles from the fingers section, including the herb-encrusted Pain Esh (7).
The flatbread is served with two dips. The chile-topped tahini is some of the best I’ve had (and I say that as a tahini connoisseuse), but the egg-and-onion combo was even more exciting – simple yet delicious, with a lovely, balanced richness. And the bread itself was a necessary foil for many of the other saucy dishes to follow.
We loved the Ikra Noire (9), a whipped play on tarama with Roscoff onion. It offered a perfect blend of briny, pungent, and slightly sweet flavors, whether enjoyed on its own or as a dip. It was also one of a handful of dishes that offered a slightly more muted approach, which would prove welcome on a table where even the bread was intense, with its charred, bitter notes.
The Harif (5) was a must for this chile head, featuring an array of house pickles, including two relishes and two fairly spicy chiles. But the cloves of confit garlic proved particularly phenomenal – and our group of four happily fought over every last one.
The Horta (13) was perhaps my favorite small bite, with four croquettes of greens – chard, kale, spinach, dill, and parsley – settled atop a rich yogurt sauce with a dollop of herby Yemenite schug. The brightness of the accompaniments perfectly balanced the richness of the crispy fritters.
We also opted to try one of the dishes of the day from the “mouth” category – a lamb carpaccio (19) topped with confit mussels, grated Israeli cheese, and pomegranate molasses. I found this dish perhaps more fascinating than delicious: The lamb-and-mussel combo definitely piqued my interest, though the sauce proved a bit cloying. The mussels themselves were phenomenal, and I enjoyed them both on their own and with the shower of mild cheese. And that toasted slice of bread was quite welcome, given the array of saucy plates that had begun to litter the table.
From the Coeur section, we split the Mazal Talé (30), a quartet of ultra-tender lamb kefte studded with pine nuts. While the kefte were truly phenomenal, the unexpected star of the dish were some of the tastiest, slightly spicy beans I’ve ever tried. And the chicken demi-glace lent a lovely richness to the dish.
We also tried the Calamarket (29), featuring squid seasoned with date molasses and amba. This one ultimately proved a bit sweet, even for me, and the acidity of both amba and pomegranate molasses needed a bit more balance than was offered by the barely-there whisper of harissa and the eggplant cream.
We adored the Manti (26) – a dish of dumplings filled with char-roasted eggplant and served in a sage-infused sheep’s milk yogurt sauce. While on its own, it may have needed a touch of acidity or herbaceousness to cut through the richness, given the intense sweet-and-sour flavors that the prevalence of pomegranate molasses lent to the rest of the offerings, it offered a wonderful counterpoint.
We had ordered a few other starters from the bouche section, but a miscommunication meant we missed out on most of them. Once the mishap was noticed, we quickly received our Agvanya (17) a late summery concoction of tomato, Syrian olive tapenade, Turkish sheep ‘s milk cheese, and toasted seeds. Not only was the dish delicious – one of our favorites of the night – but it was actually comped, just one way in which the service here reminds me a bit more of American service than what you’ll find in most French establishments.
Indeed, at Adraba, the floor staff is almost imposingly friendly – their quads must be in impeccable shape, given all the squatting they do by the table. I was quite pleased to see how quickly the waters were refilled, though unfortunately, the exorbitant prices on the wine list also skew American, and while we were excited to see so many bottles from the Levant, ultimately neither was that mind-blowing, and we frankly found the entire list just plain overpriced.
Dessert-wise, we opted for two. The Tarte Limonitt (13) with Persian lemon, cardamom crème anglaise, and meringue was a bit of a disappointment, with overly-thick pastry and too much cardamom. It was also served way too cold.
The Wonka (15) lacked the aroma of the promised harissa, but the combo of chocolate mousse, chocolate biscuit studded with raisins, and chocolate craquant with a touch of flaky salt was nevertheless delicious.
Ultimately, this buzzy spot can offer a delicious smorgasboard, with special props to tables large enough to hold the array of small shared plates plus an individual plate for each diner. Careful ordering is essential to avoid palate fatigue, and wine fans may leave disappointed, but if you want surprising flavors, it’s well worth a visit.
Adraba – 40, rue Véron, 75018