But working in fine dining proved to be a financial struggle. “I decided to move away from the Michelin starred restaurants where I was earning such silly [low] money that I could not survive without help from my parents”.
He started working for more mainstream restaurants, including a stint with Yotam Ottolenghi at his Upper Street restaurant, before helping create Hampstead’s kosher restaurant, Delicatessen and then spending time as a sous chef at Mayfair’s Novikov.
But then Covid-19 hit and Abrahams decided to return home to Israel where he eventually opened Duda restaurant in his hometown, Haifa. Post-pandemic he bounced back to London. “I felt I had more chance to grow and shine here.”
After a stint consulting with hotel chain Selina on their (now defunct) Camden hotel with vegan restaurant and Berlin hotel menus he returned to Mayfair to work for Australian Israeli chef Roy Ner at his upscale Mid/Med (Middle Eastern/Mediterranean) restaurant, Jeru.
Global wanderer Abrahams was packing his bags for another continental hop (he’d planned a project in Canada) when he was invited to open a kosher restaurant in northwest London.
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The site on Fairfax Road had become vacant when Zev Ibgi moved Habiba’s deli north to Temple Fortune where the young entrepreneur from a foodie family has converted Habiba’s to a restaurant, doing a roaring trade in smoked meats and caveman-appropriate grills.
Back at the lower slopes of Swiss Cottage, Abrahams has reformulated the kosher deli as KLBD-supervised fine dining restaurant Moss and Maple.
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He’d invited me to taste his food. On the night I visited, the menu at the meaty-licensed restaurant focussed on fish with a catalogue of poetically named dishes, including Midnight; Trout under moonlight and Morning Billingsgate. “The menu will change every month — last month it was all about meat but this month it’s fish and vegetables” he explained when I visited.
His artistic leanings are apparent in the presentation of several plates — Sea Canvas was a picture frame filled with thin slivers of stone bass carpaccio, avocado, tarragon oil and black truffle shitake powder. Tuna bresaola arrived on crisp slices of toasted bread flavoured with zingy yuzu, minty-flavoured aromatic shiso leaves on a tray of dried chickpeas — decorative not edible.
My stand-out favourite was a nutty, umami-packed smoky aubergine topped by a smooth eggplant cream and crunchy toasted nuts.
My husband’s pick of the night was the moonlit trout, although the freshwater fish had been indisposed that night — Abrahams visits the market daily and chooses the best fish he can find — and subbed for tuna. It was no worse for it with melt-in-the-mouth cauliflower puree deliciously contrasted by the crisp pickled cabbage and zingy citrus slivers.
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Low level Miles Davies got a thumbs up from my music snob husband and the charming waiting staff got my vote for friendly, efficient service.
Abrahams is on a mission to claim London’s first kosher Michelin star with his powders, foams and colourful combinations but admitted to me that kashrut does make this more of a challenge.
“It’s been a big challenge — I’m lucky because I go every day at four in the morning to the fish market to buy the most beautiful fish and that’s easier because when you’re trying to buy great kosher meat there aren’t as many options but for the fish you have plenty.”
He has been trading since the middle of February but wants to increase the number of bookings he is taking gradually. “I want to get to know the area, my customers slowly slowly — and our Shabbat market is very busy.”
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Market trader: Friday's platters are laden with take home options Photo: Moss and maple[Missing Credit]
The food market takes place every Friday morning when his staff shift the dining tables in the restaurant to one side and cover them with a range of main courses, sides and salads available to be packed into takeaway boxes and served for Shabbat. He tells me it’s doing a roaring trade with hungry locals. The menu changed weekly, but has included beef tataki, whole roasted chickens and smoked roast beef; saffron tomato rice, kale salad and mango tomato salad as well as chopped liver, smoked aubergine cream and herbed aioli.
During the rest of the week, he is gradually increasing opening times and currently offers three set menus — two of five courses: earth (vegetarian – £85); classic (fish or meat which will vary from month to month – £95)) and a longer seven course version – the seasonal menu, which is priced at £130.
Abrahams advises allowing two and a half hours for the shorter menu and three hours for the marathon seven course option. Guests are asked to sit at 6pm for the set menus but there is also an a la carte option available from 5pm – 10pm.
It’s worth calling the restaurant before booking in to check what option works best for you.
Whether or not Abrahams brings his star home, he’s filling the kosher gap in an area that he’s hoping is hungry for more.
Moss and Maple
