June 6, an eLuna restaurant from 2005
Sheyan is an authentic Chinese Restaurant, located in the historic Windmill on Ramban street in Rechavia. I am guessing that nowhere in the world but Sheyan, can you find mehadrin Chinese cuisine, prepared exclusively by Chinese chefs.
Sheyan's owner inherited this restaurant after the untimely passing of his father Uzi, a restaurateur and entrepreneur. The young son, fresh out of the army, set about learning the business, and learn he did. He not only learned the restaurant business, but he learned Chinese. He studied the language privately for 6 years, mastering the ability to converse in Chinese and manage his Chinese staff. He has traveled to China on multiple occasions, learning the cuisine. He brought back all this know-how to Sheyan, which has now exceeded his father's vision.
Every last piece of furniture,
dish, utensil, art work, not to mention the cooks themselves, come directly
from the Chinese mainland. And what a collection! Notice the handsome red lacquered
breakfront as you enter. You'll notice the minimalist place settings, all Chinese imports.
Sheyan has one spacious dining space, a great outdoor terrace, and some smaller intimate
corners. The private party room, with a round table is a perfect venue
for a small family gathering or business meeting.
 eLuna Revisited Sheyan Restaurant June 2021:
Lunch is our favorite time of day for a full meal. Especially because we do not live in Jerusalem, and having dinner in the city takes us up in the middle of heavy traffic and brings us home very late, so when we want to dine in restaurants out of our home city, we make it a lunch.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Sheyan mid-week. The restaurant is open from 12 noon to 3pm and it is a great time to appreciate the restaurant in the daylight. The full dinner menu is available at lunch. There is a separate dinner time shift from 6pm.
Two of the most popular dishes at Sheyan are the Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms and beer (NIS 89) and the Sea Bass fried in Tempura with almonds and sweet chili sauce.(NIS 95). We decided to go with the wisdom of the crowd, so these were our choices.
For lunch, the restaurant offers either a starter with your main course or a 10% discount on the full meal with your eLuna coupon. The starter includes 4 meat filled dim sum served in a wicker steamer cucumber salad with peanuts and a sweet mix of grated radish and carrots with sesame seeds
and rice.
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While not specializing in fish, the restaurant menu offers several choices of fish including sea bream, mullet and bass. These are prepared either steamed but also with tempura served with various sauces. There is a complete sushi menu and only the freshest fish are used - salmon, yellowtail and red tuna. There is also a good selection of noodle dishes.
It was not easy to choose between the sushi and the tempura coated fish fillet, but when I chose the fillet I think I made the right choice. The fish was fresh and delicious. The fillet was thick and meaty, but soft and well cooked. The coating was crispy and delicious.
"Dip it in the sauce" they said, though the fish needed no help. The sauce was a yummy sweet chili sauce, with the emphasis on the sweet. A great balance to the fish.
My companion was brought a generous portion of beef with shiitake mushrooms. The beef was sliced thin, not fatty or tough. It was mixed with a nice combination of mushrooms, onions, scallions and almonds for a bit of crunch. When he asked for soy sauce to put on the meat, the waiter pointed out the small carafe of sauce on the table, but then offered him a mix of soy sauce with garlic from the kitchen. We had never encountered this before, and it really enhanced the flavor of the meat. He balanced this with a bowl of fried rice from the starter.
Desserts are made by the restaurant's conditory chef, and are not Chinese style. With desserts like these, who cares?
A bit of history...
What is an Asian restaurant doing in a Dutch windmill made of Jerusalem
stone?
The windmill on Ramban Street was built in the 1870's
by the Greek Orthodox Church and was used till steam-driven technology
took hold and drove the windmill out of business. In 1935 the German-Jewish
architect Eric Mendelsohn moved into the building, using the upper part
of the windmill (under the dome) as his study. It was there that he
designed a number of important Jerusalem buildings, including Bank Leumi
on Jaffa Road. In the '50's and '60's, the structure became the home
of the Dutch Consulate and the Consul's residence. After the Dutch relocated
the building was empty, and in 1987 it reopened as a small upscale shopping
center
Bottom Line: Sheyan is a big, lively, busy restaurant with lots of positive energy. It has become a neighborhood favorite for Rechavia and Shaarei Hesed residents. Reservations are a must. Portions are generous and prices are reasonable. The restaurant is one flight up from ground level, with a stair lift for wheelchairs.
From the Menu: Soups NIS 29, Noodle dishes NIS 65 - 67. Chicken dishes NIS 73 - 89. Beef dishes approx NIS 89. Fish dishes from NIS 95 - 97. Business lunch 10% discount on regular menu.
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