When entering lululeesh, the new restaurant by Hmodi Okala near Palmer Gate in Haifa, you feel as if you have just walked into an event. The vibe is festive but also party–like. Silver trays with enticing skewers and colorful vegetables pass among the guests, the music moves your body without you even noticing, and every now and then someone is called out over the microphone, and then the music resumes.
Behind the bar, Chef Hmodi Okala plates dishes while simultaneously turning skewers over the charcoal grill. Around him is a bustling team of cooks, and the sensation is one of party–like hustle and bustle, full of joy and activity. What is commonly referred to as: Atmosphere.
"The concept here is built on the celebration held before the wedding in the villages. On the day before the wedding, they hold a kind of ceremony like that somewhere under the house, on the pillar floor," Okala shares about the place. "All the friends arrive wearing shirts with the names of the groom and bride, dancing, eating, and showing support. They come to lift up the groom and bride and make things joyous."
Reasonable prices and delicious value for money
The joy is an integral part of the establishment, the food, and the atmosphere, including the name of the place: Lululeesh – the Arabic word for ululations, that same "kululu" sound heard at celebrations. Just like at a pre–wedding party, there are no waiters here and ordering is done at the counter or kiosk, and when the food is ready, the customer's name is called over the microphone and they go to pick up the cargo.
The menu continues the pre–wedding line with plenty of meat – from skewers to premium cuts, which can be eaten in a pita or on a tray alongside charred vegetables and hummus, and the prices are absolutely reasonable: The prices of the pitas (some of the highest quality and softest you will find) are NIS 45–79, depending on the type of meat, and more unique cuts such as minute steak, prime rib, steak on the bone, and lamb chops are priced by weight, around NIS 50 per 100 grams.
To enjoy the experience just as Okala intended, it is best to go for "Lulu on a plate", a combination of any meat you choose – from a skewer to a steak, with all kinds of accompaniments that turn the plate into a complete meal. For NIS 79 for 2 skewers or NIS 119 for a steak, you will also receive hummus, a tahini–amba spread, tomato salad, sumac–onion, green hot pepper, a few more charred vegetables, and a pita on the side. And if you go for a steak on a plate, you will also receive on the plate a crispy potato and a slightly spicy, addictive chimichurri to moisten the cut.
Future predictions: Soon you will come for the kebab
The meat is indeed the main attraction, but there are also appetite–opening side dishes – a bag of green beans seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and lemon zest; a smashed potato; sweet potato or cauliflower charred in the Josper with Har Bracha tahini, as well as open–fire eggplant and truly delicious hummus (NIS 28–45).
Surprisingly, the sausage, which somehow got pushed to the bottom of the menu, is highly worth tasting. It is dense and good, wonderfully seasoned with a subtle spiciness, and served inside an airy brioche bun with pickled onion, sauerkraut on the side, mustard, and chimichurri (NIS 49).
The signature dish of the place is the kebab, which, like all the meat in the establishment, comes from local beef and ovine. Some of the cuts are aged on–site, and to achieve the desired texture and flavor, Okala grinds fresh meat twice a day, adds fat tail fat and Urfa peppers that he grinds himself, and shapes the kebabs onto a skewer that sits in all its handsomeness in the display case.
"I barely use spices because in this food, freshness dictates the flavor, the quality of the fat tail (sheep or lamb fat) and, of course, the grill. The moment you place the meat on the charcoal grill, it gets that extra flavor. I ensure good raw ingredients and let the fire and freshness create the flavors."
Coming soon: Lululeesh after dark
The tribute to the celebrations of the day before the wedding continues into the design as well. The walls of the venue are exposed and bare, mimicking the pillar floor where the bride, groom, and friends celebrate. Another cute reference to the concept is the staff shirts, which bear the names of a groom and bride and an invitation to celebrate with them on their joyful day.
"Just like on the day before the wedding when all the friends come with shirts bearing the names of the groom and bride, here too I continued the tradition and it caught on beautifully. It became a bit of an attraction, and every few days we print shirts with different names. Sometimes people call us, say they are coming with their partner, and request shirts with their names, and we go with the flow."
Down the line, Okala intends to apply the concept to the evening hours as well, shifting the atmosphere toward a more bar–oriented style, with dishes more suited for the evening hours. "In the evening, we will also add drinks in champagne buckets to the menu, sharing dishes that go well with alcohol, and also high–quality aged cuts like filet," he says. "The music will change accordingly, and these days we are studying the crowd, consulting, and building the concept of lululeesh during the dark hours."
Even though the high music volume is not for everyone, despite definitely encouraging shoulder–shaking to the infectious rhythm, Okala targets a diverse audience – families with children, couples on a date, and also guys who come to eat and will find the meat–laden "Lulu" tray satisfying and delightful.
After having been there, sampled, and delighted in the excellent kebabs and the buttery steak dipped repeatedly into the hummus – we are already looking forward to the next time, because lululeesh is different, distinct, and manages to innovate in terms of food, concept, and atmosphere alike.
lululeesh – 41 Hanamal, Haifa