In December, West Palm Beach welcomed the taste of authentic Israeli cuisine with Malka, celebrity chef Eyal Shani’s fourth installment of the eatery. Since then it has been one of the hottest tickets in town. Featuring elevated cuisine in a spirited atmosphere, it offers a new twist on kosher dining. “I wanted to change how people view kosher cuisine,” said the chef from his home in Tel Aviv. “The belief is that there are so many limitations and that is simply not the case.” An open-fire, wood burning grill opens up the menu, allowing him to experiment and shape it in a new way.
Malka, named after his partner Shahar Segal’s grandmother, features a delicious and diverse menu that focuses on Shani’s love of pure ingredients. Here, he discusses the new venture and what’s next.
Eyal Shani at the grill at Malka West Palm Beach. Photo by Alissa Dragun.
What inspired your love of food?
My grandfather gave me a point of view with food. He was a fundamentalist vegan 80 years ago. He taught me about natural and whole foods. I ate raw food until I was 5 and really learned the taste of each ingredient, which enabled me to see ingredients as a whole thing in itself. In each of my dishes, one ingredient is always the focus. And because I use no seasoning, you can really taste the food. It’s almost holy.
You studied film. How did that influence your work?
I wanted to be a filmmaker — largely influenced by Vilmos Zsigmond, Vittorio Storaro and Gordon Willis — but there was no work. It turned out to be a good education for life as it teaches you about composition, light, colors, textures, balance, and drama. A plate is also a frame, a story, a feeling, so it’s all connected.
The roasted branzino.
What are some of your favorite ingredients?
Like I said, I don’t use seasonings and I don’t use butter — just olive oil and Atlantic sea salt. But I have been interested in black peppercorn recently. It creates a mysterious atmosphere. More importantly, what is interesting to me now is giving vegetables the space and time to seduce me. Take an eggplant for example: it takes time to understand an eggplant, it is its own world. Farro is also something I am enjoying as it is a grain close to the earth and soil and has a taste that is influenced by the sun.
You have 40 restaurants worldwide, in what way are they similar?
They are like a kaleidoscope in that there is the same belief and point of view for all of them, the same vision, which is the purity and power of the ingredients. That vision is simply adjusted to fit the different mood and atmosphere of each place.
Chicken schnitzel.
What’s next?
We are almost ready with Shmoné Wine Bar [located next to his Michelin-starred Shmoné restaurant in New York City]. It will be another place to touch people’s senses and make them happy. I like to take risks and not plan so much, to allow things to develop organically. There will be great wines and small bites. I always want to deliver something that is honest and authentic. I have learned that once I connect with a place, the rest comes naturally.