HAMSA hummus
& happiness israeli restobar caught my attention during a few
food festivals this summer because their stall was always besieged
with customers. Intrigued by this popularity, I decided to go to
Kraków's Jewish district, Kazimierz, and find out myself about the
phenomenon of this modern Israeli restaurant.
It was a
rainy Sunday afternoon in November but to our surprise the restaurant
was filled with both locals and foreign tourists. The bright interior
is dominated by white and blue colours with green plants
in the window niches and photos of modern Tel Aviv hanging on the
walls. The air was filled with energetic Israeli music, which sounded
like a mix of folk and rock, and with slightly musty smells of
food and spices.
If you've
never eaten Levantine food before, the menu can seem enigmatic but
the friendly staff patiently clarifies all the exotic words. For
starters, we ordered a set of 3 mezze (i.e. appetizers and dips)
served in a so-called “hand” (PLN 34.80). Each “hand” is
served with three types of bread: manakish, lafah, and pita. I
especially liked manakish, which was covered in spices, but the other
two breads were also quite good. It was nice that we could choose the
3 mezze on our own but there were so many tempting possibilities that
we couldn't make our minds.
Finally,
we've decided to try the restaurant's flagship dish – hummus, plus
baba ghanoush and marinated labneh cheese with za'atar (a mix of
thyme, oregano and other spices). Hummus is a dip made from chickpeas
and tahini (paste made from ground sesame seeds) blended with some
garlic and lemon juice. It can be served with many different
garnishes - we opted for pomegranate and pine nuts, which accentuated
the taste of the hummus without overpowering it. The tahini paste –
mixed with baked aubergine (eggplant) – is also the base for baba
ghanoush, which was much more delicate than hummus. Both dips were so
good that I've decided to include them in my everyday menu,
especially as they aren't difficult to prepare. The labneh cheese,
made from natural yoghurt, turned out to be a bit too sour for my
liking but my Husband claims it was the best of the 3 mezze.
For the main dish we had Moroccan lamb with couscous (PLN 39.60), which wasn't very photogenic but was very tasty. The meat was tender and delicate, while the oriental sauce was very pungent, maybe even a tad too pungent... Even though the couscous with raisins, apricots and fresh cucumber toned down the spicy taste, I managed to eat only a few bites, but my Husband, who likes hot dishes, ate the rest with a great pleasure.
Because the lamb was very meaty, we decided to balance it out with something more veggie – a tagine, or a dish cooked and served in a beautifully decorated pot with a cone-shaped cover. Our vegetarian version of tagine (PLN 28) was filled with delicious cauliflower, tomato sauce, olives, and lemon. It was also served with couscous and stuffed vegetables, which unfortunately turned out to be the weakest link. The courgette (zucchini) was bitter and the filling was just unpalatable. After that we didn't dare to try the stuffed onions.
Of course, we couldn't deny ourselves a dessert. Even though baklava (PLN 5.50), i.e. filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and honey, is considered by many people to be too sweet, for me it was just perfect. On the other hand, basbousa cake with almonds and orange flower water (PLN 4.90), praised by many, seemed to me a bit too bland (but, unsurprisingly, my Husband loved it ;)). We washed down the dessert with delicious Arabic coffee brewed in a special pot called cezve (PLN 8.90).
Even though my Husband and I often disagreed about particular dishes, we were unanimous in one thing - food in HAMSA hummus & happiness is very diverse, totally different from what we're used to, and absolutely delicious. We left the restaurant full, warmed up and very satisfied. I think it's a perfect place for a meeting with friends or a spicy dinner on a wintry evening. There are many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes but meat eaters will also find something to munch away at. As its name suggests, HAMSA serves not only hummus, but also happiness, which takes the form of delicious dishes from the Middle East.
PS. I could write this in-depth review thanks to a culinary action Blogerzy Smakują (Bloggers' Tasting) organized by urodaizdrowie.pl and thanks to the owners of HAMSA hummus & happiness, who allowed us to try their cuisine for free. Because I had already been in Hamsa incognito, I know that their dishes are equally tasty and the staff equally friendly, even if you aren't a culinary blogger on assignment. ;)
More photos can be found here.
Address: ul. Szeroka 2, Kraków (Kazimierz)
