Eating Cooking Fooding

Messa, Sitting Better In My Belly This Time

Mashav — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:14:27 +0000

Last time we’ve been to Messa wasn’t long before this, and I felt a miss. This time fixed this feeling for me, it was a better visit altogether. First of all, we sat on a table and not on the bar in the middle, also, I felt like the crew was better this time.

We started out with some cocktails and this time I tried the Raspberry mojito: white rum, raspberry vodka, lemon juice, cranberry juice, soda water, fresh black raspberry and mint (44 ILS). I liked the combination so much that I used this idea in my own events. Next we had an amuse bouche dish – a small shot of tomatoes soup with eggplant cream. Light and refreshing. The focaccia was replaced with a lafa this meal and although it was very tasty, I think 26 ILS is too much for this. Slowly we begun receiving the first courses, and that’s another plus to the meal – the rhythm was much better than last time and we didn’t get all the dishes at once.
Veal sweetbreads served with sweet potato tortellini, cauliflower and lemon cream and pearl onions (52 ILS) was a wonderful sweetbreads dish that immediately after getting it we regretted not taking the large size dish of this (72 ILS). I love sweetbreads but only when made well and this dish was well executed. Purple calamari with lemon cream, relish and foie gras (42 ILS) was another great first course. Although it was sitting on a bed of thin slices of beet root, same as too many dishes that day, the calamari was delicious and so was the relish. Why did we take the small portion again? Veal “baklava” with delicate coconut cream, tahini and cinnamon (46 ILS) was my least favorite starter dish, although it was a good dish, here I felt the overly sweetened heavy courses that bugged me the last time here. I’m not against some sweet starts but if it’s not subtle it makes me nausea.

For the main courses we had Fish kebab, eggplant cream, yogurt, pickled lemon and pine nuts (126 ILS). Pretty dish, beautiful condiments but after all it’s not an explosion of flavors in the mouth. A bit disappointment. The other one was Caramelized salmon served with coconut foam, gnocchi, wild mushrooms and zucchini (136 ILS). This was a really fun dish and I was positively surprised about it. It came, again, on a bed of thin slices of beetroot (why??), with big chunks of fragrant mushrooms and the gnocchi that Messa never fail to throw in so many dishes. The salmon itself was well seasoned. The last main course was Beef fillet in a chestnut & balsamic stock \ peppercorns stock (148 ILS). This dish was good but I wish I wouldn’t have chosen it because it was too straightforward for my liking. Although it was all well made and tasty, I was board with it halfway through.

For desserts we ordered the Coconut cappuccino with baked cheese, lemon cream and pineapple sorbet (48 ILS). Except that I think it’s an overpriced dessert, It was very tasty and refreshing. Everything melted nicely together but wasn’t too mixed. Then we had again the Chocolate delight (45 ILS), this time I enjoyed it a lot more. I think the reason is that last meal here, all the dishes were so heavy on the cream sauce (porcini foam heart burn) that in the end I couldn’t enjoy another heavy dish. This time the dishes were better balanced and so this dessert could fit better to the end. We also received a complimentary Trio of sorbet, casis, mango and coconut. It was a refreshing ending that wasn’t too overpowering.

All in all I think my opinion of Messa changed a bit. I now believe it’s a place that one can either love or be disappointed of according to the staff currently working (as the chef isn’t constantly in the kitchen), and how one chooses his dishes. This is something the waiter, in my opinion, should be able to give advice as to whether the dishes don’t work well together or it’s too heavy. Either way it’s far from perfect. For example, it bother me when using the same elements so many times throughout the menu which I wouldn’t expect from a high level restaurant Messa wishes to be. Value for money: I think it’s good if you look at the first courses, especially the bigger portion options, and not so good if you look at the desserts and some of the main courses, like the fish kebabs.


	
			Raspberry mojito: white rum, raspberry vodka, lemon juice, cranberry juice, soda water, fresh black raspberry and mint (44 ILS). I liked the combination so much.
			
			A small shot of tomatoes soup with eggplant cream. Light and refreshing.
			
			The focaccia was replaced with a lafa this meal and although it was very tasty, I think 26 ILS is too much.
			
			Veal sweetbreads served with sweet potato tortellini, cauliflower and lemon cream and pearl onions (52 ILS). Well executed.
			
			Purple calamari with lemon cream, relish and foie gras (42 ILS) Delicious. Why did we take the small portion again?
			
			Veal "baklava" with delicate coconut cream, tahini and cinnamon (46 ILS). Overly sweetened.
			
			Fish kebab, eggplant cream, yogurt, pickled lemon and pine nuts (126 ILS). Beautiful dish but a bit of a disappointment.
			
			Caramelized salmon served with coconut foam, gnocchi, wild mushrooms and zucchini (136 ILS). Positively surprising dish.
			
			Beef fillet in a chestnut & balsamic stock \ peppercorns stock (148 ILS). Although well made and tasty, I was board with it.
			
			Coconut cappuccino with baked cheese, lemon cream and pineapple sorbet (48 ILS). Everything melted nicely together.
			
			Complimentary Trio of sorbet, casis, mango and coconut. Refreshing ending
			
			Complimentary Trio of sorbet, casis, mango and coconut. Refreshing ending

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Sushime – What Are You Trying To Be?

Mashav — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:54:12 +0000

We went out to try a new Sushi place in Bugrashov called Sushime with some friends. We bought a coupon for a couple’s meal for 135 ILS. It included a lot: two miso soups, two glasses of wine, a starter, two rubata grill dishes, two rolls of sushi, tea and dessert. That was a lot for the price, in this case, I’m not sure it was worth it. It wasn’t fun making reservations there. I called before buying the coupon but they didn’t want to reserve us a table. After few more calls and talking to the manager they let us reserve a place. The atmosphere of the place isn’t bad, basically because it’s on Bugrashov street and it’s always a fun street to sit there. The inside decor is confusing to whether this is a quick bite joint or a upscale bar. Something in the middle. The plates for the dishes as well: some plastic (the miso soup bowls) and some stone platters same as we saw in Messa. There’s no problem with either kind but it’s obvious that Sushime still is’t sure what it’s trying to be exactly.

The food had even more of the same confusing note of unequal level. We started the meal with a glass of cheap white wine and a miso soup which was average and ordinary. Then Chen and Yoel got their first course which was again confusing: Salmon tartare and baked eggplant served on a bed of almond tehini, garnished with radish, hot pepper. The eggplant was cooked nicely and crispy but I didn’t like the almond tehini which felt to me like hummus from the supermarket mixed with some chopped almonds. We didn’t get our first course still when the grill rubata came to the table. This is what Sushime has pride for, in the menu it says something about old fashioned Japanese style grilling on a skewered. We took the veal short rib and the shrimp. They were both not bad but nothing to write home about.We continued with the two sushi rolls and were disappointed to hear the coupon isn’t valid for the exclusive rolls that we longed for. We tasted three rolls: California: Soft shell crab tempura, cucumber, avocado, tobiko; Smoked Tilapia, teriyaki, avocado, Japanese radish, tempura bits; White fish, avocado. I like white fish sushi but this one was quite simple. I liked the tobiko inside the roll but couldn’t feel the crab, and the last one with the smoked fish was odd. Only then we got the first course which was Tataki salad of seared sirloin, baby leaves, radish, red onion and ponzo citrus sauce. Too salty and this was pretty much all we felt about it. Omer then decided to order an exclusive roll out of the set menu so we tried Bling bling uramaki: chopped spicy tuna, soft shell crab tempura, avocado, sauce onagi (32 ILS). It turned out to be highly unaesthetic roll that looked pretty bad. The sweet sauce took over the crab and tuna flavors. But even after all this, nothing prepared us for dessert: worst dessert I got in a restaurant ever. It was supposed to be a Banana Split. What we got were hot slices of hot banana with tuns of Nutella on top and a cheap vanilla ice-cream ball. We felt like our inelegance is being questioned with this ending.

The feeling I got from this place is that it’s an example of these people who thinks it’s a piece of cake opening a sushi place (or any other restaurant for that matter). Everything about this place felt like their following some kind of a “pattern to success” but in the end it’s lacking personality, singularity and professionalism. This kind of meritocracy could have worked in the suburbs but in the middle of Bugrashov, I think their days are numbered here.


	
			A glass of cheap white wine and a miso soup which was average and ordinary
			
			Veal short rib and a shrimp rubata grill dish. Nothing to write home about
			
			Salmon tartare and baked eggplant served on a bed of almond tehini, garnished with radish, hot pepper. Felt to me like hummus from the supermarket.
			
			Tataki salad of seared sirloin, baby leaves, radish, red onion and ponzo citrus sauce. Too salty
			
			California: Soft shell crab tempura, cucumber, avocado, tobiko
			
			Smoked Tilapia, teriyaki, avocado, Japanese radish, tempura bits. Was odd.
			
			White fish, avocado. Quite simple
			
			Bling bling uramaki: chopped spicy tuna, soft shell crab tempura, avocado, sauce onagi (32 ILS). Highly unaesthetic
			
			Banana Split: slices of hot banana with tuns of Nutella on top and a cheap vanilla ice-cream ball

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Sweet Sweet Tel Aviv

Mashav — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:51:27 +0000

Got a sweet craving in Tel-Aviv? It’s not hard to stuff your mouth with sweet goodness around here. Mostly ice-cream places I must say, but other options available too. see my Rating System page for a full explanation if you need it, but basically this time I rated them all: Go if you’re around. The reason is that they’re all good enough to enjoy when in place, but I wouldn’t recommend going to one of them specially. Just find what’s closer to you and that would be the best choice!

Cinabonne

62 Ibn Gabirol st. Tel-Aviv

03-7266694

Go if you’re around!

A VERY sweet treat. I like it but it makes me sick at the same time (13/17 ILS). And if you’re about to stuff your face in one of these sins, go all the way and order the pecan-caramel Pecanbonne (15/19 ILS). A must try.

If you’re about to stuff your face in one of these sins, go all the way and order the Pecanbonne (15/19 ILS). A must try. Cinabonne.

The Belge

3 Ibn Gabirol St. Tel-Aviv

03-6005530

Go if you’re around!

Nice to see a trend in Tel-Aviv’s Belgian Waffle scene switching to the real gofre made from yeast dough (Liège style) and not the same old pancake batter (Brusselse style). The Belge does exactly this with topping brought specially from Belgium. The thing is: They also bring the dough already prepared from Belgium This is silly, importing the dough, and un-economic, resulting in an expensive dessert. The result isn’t bad but if you feel like enjoying your waffle with toppings and ice-cream you’re gonna pay around 30 ILS for one dish. We tried the basic waffle with one topping (21 ILS). One apple dough with Mango coulis and one almond dough with half lotus spread and half chocolate stick which is inserted into the waffle in what seem to be a medical operation. We both preferred the lotus spread.

Real Gofre made from yeast dough (Liège style). The Belge.

Apple dough Gofre with Mango coulis (21 ILS)

An almond dough gofre with half lotus spread and half chocolate stick (21 ILS)

A chocolate stick inserted into the waffle in what seem to be a medical operation.

Red Velvet

9 Ibn Gabirol st. Tel-Aviv

076-5402022

Go if you’re around!

Cupcakes and cookies little store. I’m not a cupcake fan but I think their cookies are swell. Try the chocolate chip big cookie or better yet, the oatmeal cookie. They’re big and still soft inside, very comforting and reasonably priced (9-12 ILS).

I’m not a cupcake fan but should I eat one – a cupcake filled with chocolate isn’t bad (16 ILS). Red Velvet.

Try the chocolate chip big cookie or better yet, the oatmeal cookie. (9-12 ILS)

Yogo

32 Ha’Barzel st. Tel-Aviv (with many branches)

6494607 03

Go if you’re around!

When you find yourself in a yogurt place, just go for the yogurt. This time we tried and were not disappointed by the little chocolate souffle served with hot chocolate sauce, yogurt ice-cream and toppings (21 ILS). It can get better or worse according to the guy serving at the moment.

Yogo used to have some nice place to sit, now it’s a candy store.

Chocolate souffle with yogurt ice-cream, chocolate sauce and toppings (21 ILS)

Good value dessert!

Capitulina Ice-cream

9 Oley Tzion, Jaffa

03-6036275

Go if you’re around!

If you’re out in Jaffa enjoying the magical night life, flea market or whatever, don’t miss this ice-cream (unless you’re planning on a Knafe or a Malabi and that’s nice too!). It’s a cute store in the corner, branded with these funny looking colorful creatures. The ice-cream and the service is top notch.

Capitulina ice-cream in Jaffa – definitely go if you’re around

Really fun store!

Small cup with two flavors

The Sicilian Ice-Cream

63, Ibn Gavigol st. Tel-Aviv (with another branch in Tel-Aviv and one in Hertzelia)

03-6962458

Go if you’re around!

One of the older high quality ice-cream in the city, but still one of the best, for a reason. Good ingredients, good flavors, great atmosphere. We always go back for the (relatively) big selection of fat-free-sugar-free-milk-free options for the problem makers (my Mom)

The Sicilian Ice-Cream – always a good choice, big selection and fat-free-sugar-free-milk-free options for the problem makers

Pears in red wine ice-cream is great. I also loved the fig mascarpone and the guava

Vanillia

98 Ibn Gavirol St. Tel-Aviv (and many more branches)

03-5241177

Go if you’re around!

Vanillia is turning into the mainstream ice-cream and quickly. They have taken over numerous of spots and keep opening more branches. A new branch just opened in our neighborhood. I welcome this change because they make a quality ice-cream with the best ingredients and interesting flavors. If you choose a flavor and being asked to taste it before – it’s a sign you have chosen well. Also, they just launched a series of sugar-free personal cups of ice-cream. A move which we have been waiting for for a long time. Last request – bring back the sugar free cinnamon ice-cream please!!

If they make you taste it before – you have chosen right. Vanillia.

Green tea ice-cream is my personal favorite. Ironically, I was less impressed with the vanilla flavor.

Iceberg

24 Ibn Gavirol st. Tel Aviv (and many more branches)

03-6092735

Go if you’re around!

Iceberg has a good balance between keeping the classics and inventing new flavors. The only thing is that since a long time there wasn’t any noticeable big change in flavors. They always have their usual and some seasonal flavors according to the holidays etc. A tip: if you like a flavor that’s not there – ask about it, they might have it in the back.

Most economic, and if you trust your friends, take the 0.5l or 1l container and fill it with up to 6-8 flavors. Enjoy it on the spot and take all that’s left with you home.

Iceberg – a Tel Avivian establishment.

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End-Of-May Secret Kitchen Dinner

Mashav — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:29:34 +0000

Last weekend Secret Kitchen event was a great success. I’m very pleased with the progress I make from one event to the next yet there’s always many ways to improve. This time the weather was on our side and we set the table outside in the beautiful balcony. With the sun disappearing slowly, the dusk breeze strokes, candle light and colorful lights of the balcony starting to sparkle, there was a wonderful atmosphere. As the guests started to arrive, we welcomed them to our house with a Refreshing cocktail of red fruits, vodka, orange juice and mint. I liked this combination in a cocktail, that will probably be the last red fruits cocktail of the season. Summer fruits are coming soon. My guests this time were a mix of friends, family, co-workers and people I met for the first time.

Enjoying the sunset on the balconey before dinner

This time was also the first time for me to whip up a meal all specially made by me. Especially, the big change was baking the bread myself (three types) and making all the ice-creams (four different kinds!). It was a challenge but I’m so happy with the outcome. Although my recently (second hand) bought Gaggia gelateria ice-cream maker proved right once again, the (second hand) bread maker blew a fuse three times before I gave up on it sadly. Finally I took out the dough and baked it in the oven, which turned out to be great tasting as well as good looking bread. So there were Little French bread rolls that I baked like little muffins (Yael’s idea). I also made Dark brown whole wheat bread with some cornmeal crispy crust. The third bread was Olive oil Focaccia that believe it or not, was my first ever experience of making focaccia. Thank god I had Rafi to lend a hand with this. I found a great looking recipe for it: fermenting a starter a night before baking. It came out so liquid but the end result was fabulous with just some olive oil, few springs of thyme and coarse salt. Next night’s focaccia came out even better. I thought of baking it on the hot stone Anat brought to me but it didn’t fit the mold and the dough was too wet to pour it over the stone directly inside the oven, so I’ll do it next time when I’m more prepared. The bread was served with Yellow and green butter, olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar and an Apple and raisins chutney.

The menu

The Amuse Bouche dish was another trail of doing ravioli after the cocktail party two weeks ago when I made 120 units and they started sticking to one another and a whole big mess. I gave it another try this time. As now I know, storing these with a limited refrigerated space was the big real obstacle. I had Hagar, Rafi and Dad’s help with this dish that finally came out pretty satisfactory: Ravioli with shrimp and red basil leaf, lemon-basil sauce, chives. Also for the first time I had a chance to ask my guests if they have any dietary restrictions, and I got this information right after they signed up. Four of them don’t eat any seafood so I made a non seafood version with goat cheese for them.

Next dish was the Carrot Dish. I love an all-one-vegetable first course dish and so I took the carrot for the challenge. Carrots are wonderful because they can be so diverse: raw, cooked, sweet, salty, cold, hot, soft, crispy… I used this diversion in the dish that had many of these elements in it. First the hot soup of caramelized carrot which is the flag recipe from the Modernist Cuisine At Home book. They have a really fun trick to give it a caramelized fragrance without adding sugar and it came out fantastic. The cold part was the ice-cream: raw carrot juice with some orange juice and a dash of cream ice-cream. I could eat a liter of this without noticing. The third part was the tepid temperature with crispy savory carrot chip and foamy carrot cream. First night I tried using the micro-oven chipser pad but I wasn’t that happy about it in the end. The second night we deep fried it and it came out better. People said they liked to experiment with the dish, mixing cold with hot and they loved the concept. I’m happy overall but it’s a dish that needs some work to make it more amazing.

Triple Carrot: hot – cold – tepid. Hot – caramelized carrot soup, cold: raw carrot ice-cream with a hint of orange, tepid: carrot salted chip with carrot foam

Then came the steak tartar. I love steak tartar. It’s one of my favorite French dishes. What stands out about this dish to me is that I love it when it comes to the table with the yolk on top. I love the excitement of mixing it inside the raw beef and I love how I feel afterwards – not too heavy. My take on this classic dish was Classic – Modern: Steak Tartare coarsely cut with a knife, capers, pickled onions, yolks and mustard ice cream, pickled mustard seeds, cornichon, parmesan and paprika. Served with crispy toast. It’s not overly modernized but I think it’s still with a twist. I love these pickled mustard seeds and the ice-cream I made could be used as a sauce to practically anything!

Classic – modern: Steak Tartare coarsely cut with a knife, capers, pickled onions, yolks and mustard ice cream, pickled mustard seeds, cornichon, parmesan and paprika. Served with crispy toast.

The dish that followed was the one which wasn’t received as well as the others. Sous-Vide Strikes Back: Chicken breast cooked at low temperature, tarragon cream, crunchy chicken on a stick, champignon salad with walnuts, crispy chicken skin, Cappucin. The only problem with this dish was that it was chicken breast, simply as is and not heavily spiced or crispy or anything, but the contrary – delicately cooked at low temperature with sous-vide technique. There was nothing wrong with it except it didn’t fit to the Israeli mouth. Oh well, I liked it…

The next dish shot directly to the Israeli mouth with bold flavors and Spanish influences - Comforting and good: lamb lion, Chèvre, Chestnut-pumpkin and sweet potato safaron risotto, black olives tapenade, chimichurri and dried tomatoes. The lamb came out perfectly pink and succulent from the sous-vide bath and then seared in a pan with herbs and garlic. The goat cheese blended wonderfully with the lamb surprised as a novelty combination for some. The risotto with all the condiments was excellent. Everyone was pleased. I will definitely do this dish again soon.

Comforting and good: lamb lion, Chèvre, Chestnut-pumpkin and sweet potato safaron risotto, black olives tapenade, chimichurri, dried tomatoes

Then we rested a little bit before dessert. The first one we served was a fruity dessert with a far east influences: Dessert for the advanced: tapioca in coconut and ginger, white chocolate ganache – wasabi, lychee – chili sorbet with chili oil, radish sprouts. I wasn’t sure how will it all blend together and how well people will connect to it. It ended up rising above expectations – they loved it! It had some sweet and some spicy, and some more sweet and then some more spicy, but it all worked in harmony together. I’m very happy because not only it was a total risk putting this dessert together made for the first time ever, I also invented it myself and everyone were both surprised and satisfied with it.

Dessert For advanced: tapioca in coconut and ginger, white chocolate ganache – wasabi, lychee – chili sorbet with chili oil, radish sprouts

The last dish I called unofficially “The bitter end” because it had some bitter flavors of beer mixed with the usual sweet dessert pie to balance the dish. The corner pub dessert: oatmeal pie, whipped cream, beer ice cream, caramelized popcorn. The oatmeal pie with the unsweetedned whipped cream was the same one from the cocktail party and it’s one amazing pie that I love but despise at the same time (for all the butter and sugar in it). The addition of not too sweet beer ice-cream breaks the expected sweetness and heaviness of this pie and also lighten it up. The popcorn, just a cute crunchy bits that pops it all together and makes everyone happy. Everything together really reminds me of the bittersweet essence of sitting in a pub and drinking beer.

After all this we suggested some hot beverages and the famous Fudge, this time with Brandy mixed in just to give it a small kick.

It was a hell of a dinner, I believe. I’m glad these nights are going so well.

Thanks everyone that helped: My dad for carving cardboard boxes for the raviolis and took all the beautiful pictures, for my mom who knows how to style the house and responsible for the beautiful balcony and my crew this time: Hagar, Yael, Rafi, Alice, Itay, Amir and Tal.

Of course, a big thanks for my Guests. If you’re one of them, PLEASE write down a note in the testimonials page or leave a comment in this page and I’ll make sure it gets there.

Future guests, I would love for you to join next time which is planned to be at the beginning of July. The registration isn’t open yet but in order to get the update first, join my mailing list (sits are sold out pretty quickly!).

Now please enjoy the pictures!

The table is set

The table

The menu

Welcoming the guests

Refreshing cocktail of red fruits, vodka, orange juice and mint

Recanati Yasmin white Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Teperberg Silver Cabarnet Sauvignon 2011

Enjoying the sunset on the balconey before dinner

Relaxing moments before the meal

Cheers!

Home made Focaccia with thyme, olive oil and balsamic reduction

French bread rolls, apple and raisins chutney

Last moments of light in the balconey

French bread rolls

Brown bread

Focaccia with thyme

Carving the focaccia

Sitting down for the meal

Apple and raisins chutney

Yellow butter, gray salt

Hungry already?

Green butter with herbs

Friday night dinner table

Saturday night dinner table

Creating the ravioli (the day before)

With Rafi's help

Amuse bouche: ravioli with shrimp and red basil leaf, lemon-basil sauce, chives (and the non seafood version with goat cheese)

The palets have been amused and ready for what's next

Triple Carrot: hot - cold - tepid. Hot - caramelized carrot soup, cold: raw carrot ice-cream with a hint of orange, tepid: carrot salted chip with carrot foam

The first course

Plating of the steak tartare

Sirloine steak tartare

Classic - modern: Steak Tartare coarsely cut with a knife, capers, pickled onions, yolks and mustard ice cream, pickled mustard seeds, cornichon, parmesan and paprika. Served with crispy toast.

Plating the chicken dish

Sous-Vide Strikes Back: Chicken breast cooked at low temperature, tarragon cream, crunchy chicken on a stick, champignon salad with walnuts, crispy chicken skin, Cappucin

The three cooks in the kitchen

Plating the lamb dish

Comforting and good: lamb lion, Chèvre, Chestnut-pumpkin and sweet potato safaron risotto, black olives tapenade, chimichurri, dried tomatoes

Digging in

Plating the lychee dessert dish

Dessert For advanced: tapioca in coconut and ginger, white chocolate ganache - wasabi, lychee - chili sorbet with chili oil, radish sprouts

Making room for desserts

Dessert For advanced: tapioca in coconut and ginger, white chocolate ganache - wasabi, lychee - chili sorbet with chili oil, radish sprouts

Facing the challenge

Plating the second dessert

The corner pub dessert: oatmeal pie, whipped cream, beer ice cream, caramelized popcorn

Some fireworks for a birthday

Relaxing after the meal is closing to an end

Brandy Fudge

Espresso

More albums in my Facebook page:

May Secret Kitchen The Dinner

May Secret Kitchen Guests

May Secret Kitchen Behind The Scenes

Don’t forget to LIKE EatingCookingFooding page!!

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ConteXtream FOA Cocktail Party

Mashav — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:25:07 +0000

This Saturday my father’s company had their office event party and invited me to do the catering. First time I made something like this on my own. There were 60 guests invited but I ended up making way too much food. Learning about the quantities is something that takes time I suppose. The night went smoothly, no surprises and disasters and the food came out just like I imagined. It took a lot of effort for not only myself but everyone who help (days of work like my dad, or even just a small favor from other people).

I love these kind of challenges, I had a hell of a time and I’m very pleased with the results.

If you’re one of the guests that took part in this party, I will really appreciate it if you click here, and write a personal testimonial of how you found the experience, I will mean a lot to me!

The menu

Bread and butter

Homemade dried cherry tomatoes, garlic confit

Eggplant, zucchini, sheep cheese, chimichurri

Fresh rice spring rolls, vegetables, peanuts, radish

Apples and raisins chutney

Quinoa salad, cilantro, citrus, cucumber, raisins, almonds

Green gazpacho: cucumber, basil, yogurt, garlic, red onion, olive oil

Lychee Piña Colada

Berries Cosmopolitan

The wine

Pouring of the wine

Homemade salmon fennel gravlax mini sandwich, dill whipped cream, lettuce and rocket, red onion

Sea fish ceviche, Granny Smith apples, red onions, radish pickles, lemon, mint

Pasta shell, béchamel-spinach and blue cheese filling, light raw tomato sauce

Egg frittata, roasted red and yellow pepper, cream cheese, garlic-chives

Butter-mustard salted cookies, tapenade, herbs whipped cream

Blackened tofu, celeriac cream, chive

Sheep ricotta, dried cherry tomato ravioli, butter-lemon-basil sauce

White cheese blinis, salmon roe, tobico, sour cream, chives, pickled onion

Semi-baked dark chocolate cream, mulberry, caramel ice-cream

Oats cookie "Crack Pie", unsweetened whipped cream

Butter-almond cookie, crème citron, burnt meringue

Pear / banana crumble, cinnamon-brown butter ice-cream, pear-caramel syrup

Espresso

The cooking crew!

You’re probably asking what happened to all the leftovers. Well, not to worry, the following Sunday I put together a friends “Hafla” to take care of it. We’re still handling the rest

Special thanks to: Alon Tertman for taking all these beautiful pictures; Nachman, my dad, who was not only the client but also a sous-chef for four days in a row!; My mom for all the help; Sharon for making the bread for the salmon sandwiches and my wonderful crew for this event: Yael, Hanna, Hagar, Alice and Roni.

Additional albums in EatingCookingFooding Facebook page (make sure to LIKE my page if you haven’t already!):

Behind the scenes

Guests

Food

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May “Secret Kitchen” Registration Is Open ~ Hurry Up! ~

Mashav — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:45:11 +0000

Notice there’s an “events” tab on the navigation bar and on the right sidebar as well. There you can always see which events are planned and all the details, and buy the tickets on line!

See you there!

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Taizu – A (Dubious) Journey

Mashav — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:30:24 +0000

In the short while that Taizu was open we heard about it plenty, meaning – big on PR. Hard to tell about these places: is the food really good or is it a placebo effect. We went there ourselves to find out.

We were sat by the long bar and I swear I felt like I’m in Zepra (see for yourself!). The interior is designed really similar. The loud music, high ceilings, overly designed space give it a trendy bar feeling. The bartender/our waiter welcomed us. He had this arrogant style of giving service that bothered me a bit.

The menu looked interesting, divided into five nameless categories with a paragraph explanation about the culinary journey we are about to be a part of. Okay, thank you but I rather decided if it’s a culinary journey myself after tasting the dishes. The prices ranges from 34 – 108 ILS for small-medium sharing dishes, that’s a very reasonable prices but the place is relatively very new and I expect prices to rise at least 10% a month for the first few month.

Before even looking at the menu we got a small plate of kohlrabi pickles with chili and black sesame. The slices were thin, crunchy and fun in the mouth. After a long read and decision making with the menu we ordered. The bar is more of a cocktail bar with a variety of interesting cocktails, but I’m more of a wine person and so we ordered two glass of Sancerre Les Jeunes Vignes 2010 Henri Bourgeois (39 ILS) which is a dry white and very French wine. We enjoyed it with our meal and were impressed with the very nice wine glasses. The first dish that came to our table was the Fish tartar, crispy rice cone, whipped soy, black sesame and tobico ( 34 ILS). It was fun because of the ice-cream shape and popping green tobico. Then, before we could even take a picture of this dish, three other dishes arrived at our table at once. If this was a culinary journey, it started off as a marathon. One was the Chinese vegetables, snow peas, oyster mushrooms, Pak Choi, shitake and lemon grass espume (45 ILS). I was more excited about this dish which I thought was a highlight. Cooked well, nice creamy sauce, loved the combination. The second was Shanghai dumplings, veal cheek, beef broth, peanuts pomegranate broth (62 ILS) that came with directions to take a bite, sip the broth and then eat the rest in one bite. I was underwhelmed of the dumplings, maybe because we just ate the world famous Din Tai Fung dumplings with broth in Bangkok and maybe because it was drier than I expected and I only now realize there was something to do with pomegranate which I couldn’t taste. With the last three dishes we got the Steamed Buns with Tomato chutney (9 ILS) as the bread of the meal. It was a really nice change and was so light and fluffy that what we thought was gonna be soaking the sauces of our next dishes, ended up being consumed very fast. The tomato sauce came in a generous amount with crème fraiche and was light and sweet to fit well with the steamed buns. What is rather silly, in my opinion, is to put such an emphasis of the order of which the menu is set and the diner suppose to be eating, from light and mild to heavy and aggressive in flavor and then when it comes to the meal itself, forget about this order and just serve whatever came out faster.

The next part of the meal we had four of the more aggressive dishes of the menu. We wanted to try the duck sandwich but they were out. We wanted to have the steamed sea bream and they were out too. The more expensive option of grouper was still possible to get but I didn’t feel like adding 30 ILS for it. So we took three other dishes. Again, they all arrived about the same time. With only two of us and the food was cooling down before we could try it, not to mention the crowdiness of plates at the bar. We had the Alu Gobi, seared scallops, cumin, lemon butter and turmeric (69 ILS). A nice authentic Indian flavors with what seems to never seen with Indian food – scallops. We love scallops and they were very nicely made, the sauce was great but the presentation – kinda messy. Then the beautiful dish of Smoked Octopus, roasted peanuts, red basil and white pepper vinaigrette (68 ILS) with thin rice sheets and tomatoes. It was right after we had Cafe 48′s octopus dish and I had a hard time comparing the two dishes which were both very successful yet different. The flesh itself was younger and more tender, but more of a salad light version. The next and heaviest dish of the night was the Butter chicken, tomatoes, brown butter, peanuts, curry leaves (66 ILS). The chicken pieces were very big and we couldn’t eat it with the chopsticks. We asked for a knife and a fork to cut it. The chicken itself was tender and swimming in a rich creamy sauce which was wonderful but we had nothing to soak it in, we ordered a second steamed bread. To get a full belly blockage we ordered a dish of Rock Shrimps, tamarind yogurt, potatoes, turmeric, peas, caramelized cashews (52 ILS). I could only try a small bite because I was so full but it reminds me too much of the shrimps popcorn at Zepra. Too much frying takes away the flavor of the shrimp, especially in this size of pieces. The sauce was interesting though.

We finished with the Indian Gulab Jamun dessert (~45 ILS). Gulab Jamun is my favorite Indian dessert for… ever since I first had it more than a decade ago. Taizu’s version came with cardamom ice-cream, a collection of nuts and dried fruits and a crispy tuile. The sweet balls weren’t bad but all the rest was just attached as a decoration. Nice but not mind blowing. I guess the Gulab Jamun can be served alone in Indian restaurant and I would like to have some more sophisticated dessert in a high level fusion restaurant.

Leaving Taizu I felt like wanting to come back for an improvement round: next time at a table and not on the bar, with friends and not on a date and on a different state of mind. I think Taizu is giving us something that sadly we don’t have at all in Israel – a taste of the far east Asian flavors in a more subtle scenario. I very much appreciate it for doing it very well. I love Asian cuisine but me, I have been travelling to Asian countries with my family since I was very young, having tasted so much of the authentic Asian cuisine already, Taizu novelty kitchen isn’t as new to me as to most people. Nonetheless I thought the food was fantastic, I was less impressed with the uptight-presumptuous atmosphere and service. Go, you won’t be disappointed.

We were sat by the long bar and I swear I felt like I'm in Zepra. The loud music, high ceilings, overly designed space all give it a trendy bar feeling.

The menu looked interesting, divided into five nameless categories but with a paragraph of explanation about the culinary journey we are about to be a part of.

A small plate of kohlrabi pickles with chili and black sesame. Thin, crunchy and fun in the mouth.

Sancerre Les Jeunes Vignes 2010 Henri Bourgeois (39 ILS), very French wine.

Fish tartar, crispy rice cone, whipped soy, black sesame and tobico ( 34 ILS). Ice-cream shape and popping green tobico

Chinese vegetables, snow peas, oyster mushrooms, Pak Choi, shitake and lemon grass espume (45 ILS). A highlight. Cooked well, nice creamy sauce, loved the combination.

Shanghai dumplings, veal cheek, beef broth, peanuts pomegranate broth (62 ILS). Take a bite, sip the broth and then eat the rest. I was underwhelmed.

Steamed Buns with Tomato chutney (9 ILS), consumed very fast.

Before we could even take a picture of the first dish, three other dishes arrived at our table at once. If this was a culinary journey, it started off as a marathon.

Alu Gobi, seared scallops, cumin, lemon butter and turmeric (69 ILS).

Scallops - what seems to never seen with Indian food.

Smoked Octopus, roasted peanuts, red basil and white pepper vinaigrette (68 ILS). The flesh itself was young and tender, but more of a salad light version.

Butter chicken, tomatoes, brown butter, peanuts, curry leaves (66 ILS)

Tender and swimming in a rich creamy sauce which was wonderful but we had nothing to soak it in

Rock Shrimps, tamarind yogurt, potatoes, turmeric, peas, caramelized cashews (52 ILS). Reminds me too much of the shrimps popcorn at Zepra.

Indian Gulab Jamun dessert (~45 ILS). Cardamom ice-cream, a collection of nuts and dried fruits and a crispy tuile.

The sweet balls weren't bad but all the rest were just attached as a decoration. Nice but not mind blowing.

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Cafe 48 – Not One Miss

Mashav — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:29:07 +0000

Intrigued about what is an “urban kitchen” we reserved a table for Cafe 48. I’m still not sure what it means exactly but I must admit, I liked it. The place, located just in front of “Mizlala” in Nachalat Binyamin St, is small, crowded and fun little place. It’s no-fuss kinda place, not too much but not too little. The outside backyard that we sat in is very casual and simple. The only thing that bothered us was the smoking around our table, not letting us know that the table chosen for us is in the smoking zone.

The menu isn’t long – a good sign. And so we shared five dishes and a bottle of white wine. Israeli or French was the dilemma. We gave the Israeli a try – Shvo Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc Upper Galilee 2011 (132 ILS). Next time it’s gonna be easier – the Chablis is better. Nontheless Shvo had a light swirly touch and was nice to accompany the light atmosphere meal.

At the beginning a plate of bread was served free of charge. Oh I can’t understand why it is not the standard in Tel-Aviv. Bread is essential! So Cafe 48′s bread hit the spot with a nice spread that we thought was mushrooms with yogurt but ended up being eggplant (“Why does everyone thinks this spread is mushroom spread??” asked the waitress but we couldn’t tell.). First came the Sweet-Spicy Pork Salad with roasted pork, fresh leaves and Thai vinaigrette (45 ILS) that took us all by surprise. It was very well seasoned and the pork meat tender and flavorful. It could have had even more fresh leaves Barak thought and we agreed. Next the Whiskey Cured Beef Carpaccio, Dijon mustard, horseradish, cornichons (46 ILS) was simple, yet well made, with chubby slices of meaty beef almost completely rare with two types of pickles. I liked the big homely pickles better. Could have more horseradish on top. Continue with the Short Rib Sandwich, Home-made Ketchup, cucumber, purple onion in two small halla rolls (56 ILS). The rolls were divine and the meat was tasty, soft and melting. Once again, it’s nothing too complicated but it works. Oxtail Tagliatelle, Red Wine reduction, Parmigiano-Reggiano (75 ILS) was another successful dish, the boys thought it was the peak of the meal. At this point we noticed that we had a motive of pulled meat in our meal. But everything was tasty. Not one disappointed so far. We finished with one dish from the seafood category: North-Atlantic Octopus, roasted peppers, potatoes, paprika oil (65 ILS). That last dish was a blast, I loved it. The octopus was cooked in big pieces but still kept good texture without being chewy.

Couldn’t leave without a taste of their famous dessert – best pie in town, so they say, The Crack Pie (30 ILS). I’m not sure what’s in there, served with unsweetened whipped cream and fully deserves the reputation. The second dessert we had was a Banana Pie (30 ILS). Again we were surprised by how simple yet genius a pie can get. True flavor of banana, creamy and smooth, with a rich crunchy crust.

No fuss, no complications, not taking themselves too seriously, but still professional quality. You should give it a try.

At the beginning a plate of bread was served free of charge. "Why does everyone thinks this spread is mushroom spread??" asked the waitress but we couldn't tell.

The menu isn't long - a good sign. There were also some specials. Pricing is 30 ILS - 100 ILS for a dish.

The wine list. Israeli or French was the dilemma.

Shvo Vinyards Sauvignon Blanc Upper Galilee 2011 (132 ILS). Had a light swirly touch.

Sweet-Spicy Pork Salad with roasted pork, fresh leaves and Thai vinaigrette (45 ILS). Took us all by surprise.

Whiskey Cured Beef Carpaccio, Dijon mustard, horseradish, cornichons (46 ILS). Chubby slices of meaty beef almost completely rare.

Short Rib Sandwich, Home-made Ketchup, cucumber, purple onion in two small halla rolls (56 ILS). The rolls were divine and the meat... soft and melting.

Oxtail Tagliatelle, Red Wine reduction, Parmigiano-Reggiano (75 ILS). The boys thought it was the peak of the meal.

North-Atlantic Octopus, roasted peppers, potatoes, paprika oil (65 ILS). Was a blast, I loved it.

Everything's tasty. Not one disappointed.

Banana Pie (30 ILS), surprising how simple yet genius a pie can get.

Best pie in town, so they say, the Crack Pie (30 ILS). Fully deserves the reputation.

Cafe 48

48 Nachalat Binyamin st. Tel-Aviv

03-5101001

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Paris Spring Excursion

Mashav — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:15:48 +0000

Close your eyes and imagine. Imagine Paris in the spring: cool sunny morning , speaking French everywhere you turn, the beautiful buildings, the smell of butter in the air, the busy metro, the accordion player, the little poodles, the corner cafés, the boulevards and the alleys. Now imagine being there already with a detailed plan to guide you to the best local culinary experience that you can possibly have for this vacation.

Imagine waking up in the morning, walking to one of the selected patisseries to get the perfect chocolate-pistachio escargot pastry, then walking the 11th district streets until a definite scent of onion soup reaches your nose. “It must be around this corner”. Sitting down to have this soup together with a glass of white chilled wine that smell like passion-fruit and mango but then taste light and flowery. After the pulse of the city sets, you feel like a part of it. You only need few hours to feel that you can stay here forever. Then going to dinner in a Japanese little place, a place you would never have seen or noticed otherwise. Tasting three types of Saké together with the perfect bite of Tataki beef followed by seven additional dishes. Not a bad start, you giggle following your partner to a midnight walk in the Latin quarter and finally, exhausted, going to sleep.

Waking up the next day for a second day of breathing and living food. Starting with an exquisite world renown restaurant, with only 8 tables, reservations must be done at least a month ahead! You have a table here. The menu says “surprise” and nothing more. There’s a tender miso marinated Mackerel with buckwheat crust with fresh leaves that taste like oysters and thirteen other surprises one after another. After almost four hours of lunch you’re on your way, going to have an extra pastry and a sensational Pâte de fruits and getting ready for dinner. The place is so chic and crowded but you manage to get a sit by the bar, watching all the action. A scoop of a smooth yellowish butter from a huge butter-barrel with warm slices of bread, crunchy crust and perfectly soft flesh that smells of sourdough. Without understanding what’s going on, having a six course meal while watching the chef preparing it all in front of you. The first course has Asparagus ice-cream in it, the dessert has avocado foam with strawberry. A bit drunk but so happy ending another amazing day in Paris.

The next day is starting with the ripe little goat cheese you selected from the fromagerie yesterday. Then, after a roll of the most surprising white chocolate bread, going to have lunch in a real Indian restaurant. Stepping outside the metro the streets smell from curry. You’re having some South Indian specialties, watching an Indian family of six just besides you eating the same thing with their hands. Then, pretty bloated, going for some chocolates, caramels and macarons shopping. After shopping, it’s happy-hour, taking an hour to relax and have a Sangria near Odéon. The late dinner is Asian-French fusion this time, with the seasonal combination of white and green asparagus and morel mushrooms served with pink sous-vide chicken with the perfect crusty skin. Drunk and full again, this night you sleep tight.

Next day, late in the morning, you already appear at one of the most beautiful of Paris’ passages going to lunch (yes, if it’s noon it’s already lunch). A glass of chilled champagne as a start of a beautiful meal. One of the dishes is Parmesan egg mimosa served on a stone-like warmed plate with some huge white asparagus. At that point your piss smells of asparagus. Finishing the thirteen little dishes of the tasting menu you’re headed to a 5 point patisserie-chocolaterie route in the 6th district. You only make it to three but get to taste the house specialty in each of them. This has certainly opened up your appetite again. You go to a most unique dinner in a culinary school restaurant where all the cooks and waiters are learning to be professionals. You eat a Sea-bream tartar with coconut ice-cream, citrus-mango salsa and vanilla oil together with seven other dishes and a bottle of nice Bordeaux.

Next day is shopping day, but before that you have to get some lunch. You get to the best Michelin star lunch deal for only 39 euro for a four course menu. Everything is astonishingly fantastic, especially the Squid dish with artichokes, artichokes cream, olives and tomato coulis. After few hours of exhausting shopping (don’t forget to buy at least ten types of cheese to take home!), you get ready for dinner in one of the most chic wine bars in town. While snacking on a Young bok-choy leaves with shiitake mushrooms and a bottle of wine, you see the place filling up to 150% capacity, letting down anyone who comes in asking for a table. You finish the night by having some Pizza and Beer at a cool pizza place and getting to bed wondering how will turn out the last day in the city.

Next morning, going to the daily market to get some fresh oysters, lemon, white wine, bread and butter. This is the best meal, if you haven’t tried it before. Cracking open these oysters yourself, sipping on the wine and enjoying a shot of the ocean until it’s too much to handle. Now it’s time to get going back home, but on the way, at the airport, not forgetting a quick stop for a case of the famous Ladurée macarons. “What makes them so special?” you ask but shortly find out with the first bite. Big pleasure.

Goodbye Paris, à la prochiane!


	
			Imagine Paris in the spring: the beautiful buildings, the smell of butter in the air, the busy metro...
			
			The perfect chocolate-pistachio escargot pastry
			
			Walking the 11th district streets until a definite scent of onion soup reaches your nose. 
			
			Tasting three types of Saké together with the perfect bite of Tataki beef followed by seven additional dishes. 
			
			A tender miso marinated Mackerel with buckwheat crust with fresh leaves that taste like oysters and thirteen other surprises one after another. 
			
			The first course has Asparagus ice-cream in it, the dessert has avocado foam with strawberry.
			
			Ripe little goat cheese 
			
			A roll of the most surprising white chocolate bread
			
			Having some south Indian specialties, watching an Indian family of six just besides you eating the same thing with their hands.
			
			A combination of white and green asparagus and morel mushrooms served with pink sous-vide chicken with the perfect crusty skin.
			
			Parmesan egg mimosa served on a stone-like warmed plate with some huge white asparagus. At that point your piss smells of asparagus. 
			
			This has certainly opened up your appetite again.
			
			Chocolate truffle in the 6th district
			
			Sea-bream tartar with coconut ice-cream, citrus-mango salsa and vanilla oil
			
			A bottle of nice Bordeaux
			
			Squid dish with artichokes, artichokes cream, olives and tomato coulis.
			
			Don't forget to buy at least ten types of cheese to take home!
			
			Young bok-choy leaves with shiitake mushrooms
			
			Pizza and Beer
			
			Cracking open these oysters yourself, sipping on the wine and enjoying a shot of the ocean until it's too much to handle.
			
			"What makes them so special?" you ask but shortly find out with the first bite. Ladurée macarons.

The post Paris Spring Excursion appeared first on Eating Cooking Fooding.

Little Snacks In Tel-Aviv

Mashav — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:48:14 +0000

My job of hunting down the best snacks and little bites in Tel-Aviv is never over. Read my last post about grabbing a bite in Tel-Aviv here.

Notice the burger signs which are part of my new Rating System. 3 burgers is the best score for a snack and zero means – Avoid.

For me, the best place to buy fresh products in Tel-Aviv is Ha’Carmel Market. After hours of groceries shopping, anyone has to stop for a bite. There are many options to be considered. These are three of them:

Shmulik’s Kebab

21 Ha’Carmel St. (As a stand), Tel-Aviv

Go if you’re around!

For a sandwich filled with salad, parsley and freshly made beef and lamb kebabs with lemon squeezed on top – stop at Shmulik’s tall stools in the middle of the market (around 20 ILS for a sandwich).

Freshly made beef and lamb kebabs with lemon squeezed on top – Shmulik’s Kebab.

Fish&Chips Ha’Carmel 21

21 Ha’Carmel St. (As a store), Tel-Aviv

077-7060085

Go if you’re around

New to the neighborhood, using fish from the market and making their own “real” potato French Fries. For 25 ILS you can get the full dish with seasoned French Fries, 6 pieces of your selected fish (cod, salmon, surmullet, sole or a mix) in a nice crusty batter and two kinds of dip sauces: lemon/garlic and tartar sauce and of course the usual ketchup/mustard. I was welcomed with a shot of limoncello and ordered the mix of cod and surmullet. I thought the cod was a better fit than the small surmullets. The fries were kinda soft and thin which isn’t my choice of fries and I thought the whole thing was a bit too greasy, but fresh fish is always a good idea!

Seasoned French Fries, 6 pieces of your selected fish in a nice crusty batter (25 ILS) in Fish&Chips Ha’Carmel 21

Original Turkish Burekas

39 Ha’Carmel St. Tel-Aviv

Go anyway!

This dish of Turkish Burekas is fantastic. I love the Turkish Burek and this one never disappoints. You have to push around to get served if you come on Friday noon but the fight is well worth it. I always take the cheese/spinach/mix and it’s always piping hot out of the oven. Ask for the “complete dish” (25 ILS) served with thick slices of ripe delicious tomatoes, great home-made pickles and a boiled egg. Not too oily and has a big satisfying effect. We tried the Malabi for dessert – it was so soft and delicate that what we thought was a full belly turned out to be an exploded belly and soon there was nothing left. A treat!

The “Complete Burekas Dish” (25 ILS) served with thick slices of ripe delicious tomatoes, great home-made pickles and a boiled egg – Original Turkish Burekas

Malabi for dessert – so soft and delicate!

Fleishman Deli

12 Hertzel St. Tel-Aviv

053-8096155

Go anyway!

Although this place is Kosher, I recommend trying it out. Sitting in their little bar is fun. Decorated with watered spring onions in a vase (adds a nice fresh crunch to the sandwich), refill sodas (there’s even diet soda there!) and a welcoming crew. They’re nice but a bit out of focus, we had to repeat our order three times. The sandwich itself is pretty good with a Moroccan bread (you can choose tasty or healthy bun) and few meat options which are then sliced very fine and put in a big pile inside the bread with a lot of sauce. The dish costs 38 ILS and comes with some pickled cabbage and chips. It’s not a big dish but a nice one. We tried the pulled beef which is like pulled pork but kosher. It was said to be cooked for hours and indeed it was moist and tasty.

Spring onions in a vase and refill sodas in Fleishman Deli

The dish costs 38 ILS and comes with some pickled cabbage and chips.

Pulled beef sandwich which is like pulled pork sandwich but kosher.

If you work in Nachalat Yitzchak area like me, and want to go out for lunch, there aren’t many options (this is why we keep ordering deliveries. Read my deliveries special post). I collected three of the options to eat a lunch out in a walking distance:

Raniz

5 Nachalat Yitzchak, Tel-Aviv

03-6910991

Go If you’re drunk/starving

One of the more acceptable places to eat is Raniz. A sandwich bar with salads, burgers and meat sandwiches. He’s alright because he puts a decent amount of meat in the sandwich (28 ILS). The pickle that come with the meal is the big cornichon type and you can also get the potato wedges (the best part of the meal) and a soft drink for extra 10 ILS in the business lunch. (I think that for the same price, Fleishman takes the win without breaking a sweat.)

A sandwich bar with salads, burgers and meat sandwiches, Raniz.

He puts a decent amount of meat in the sandwich (28 ILS / 38 ILS for a meal).

Rocket

22 Moses Yehuda And Noah, Tel-Aviv

03-6958080

Avoid anyway!

For 35 ILS you can get here a big lunch with salads, main course and side dishes. The quality: an Okay chicken breast on the grill, salads are fine and the cooked side dishes are a terrible combination between overcooked and under seasoned vegetables.

Salads are fine, maybe you can ask for that alone? Rocket.

The side dishes are a terrible combination between overcooked and under seasoned vegetables.

Salad And Grill Bar

4 Nachalat Yitzchak, Tel-Aviv

03-6877062

Go If you’re drunk/starving

One other option in Nachalat Yitzchak is this Salad Bar. For 39 ILS you can choose what goes in your salad then add chicken or burger on top. The sweet potatoes chips are a crunchy addition. All in all – nothing to write home about.

The sweet potatoes chips are a crunchy addition. Salad and Grill Bar.

Shwarma Bon-Ta’am

56 Alenbi St. Tel-aviv

03-5104411

Go if you’re around

Late night snack in Alenbi street is highly popular. It’s either pizza or shwarma. Bon Ta’am is open all night and offer turkey or beef shwarma. It’s expensive compared to other shwarma places but being open so late makes it really worth it! Feel light a satisfying snack? Go for half-dish (20 ILS) of shwarma in a pita bread. Enough to get you covered snack-wise but not feel too full. The salad bar – most are cabbage based but still a nice selection. The pita is baked there and even late at night it’s fresh and soft.

Bon Ta’am – open late night, Offers a satisfying night snack.

Half a dish of shwarma in fresh made pita with salads (20 ILS).

Donkey

91 Hahashmona’im St, Tel Aviv.

03-546-5295

Go anyway!

Tex-Mex fast food that we never really had here and it’s about time we got to know in Tel-Aviv. Not bad at all and with a lot of variety to choose what’s going inside your burrito or taco. The guy that welcomed us highly recommended the burrito (‘the holy grail”) but I think the spicy chicken Enchiladas were better overall. Not like the best Enchiladas in town (see my post about Mezcal), but not bad for 24 ILS. The burrito can be filled with ground beef, chicken or pulled pork. We tried their pulled pork with brown rice, frijoles, peppers and onions, guacamole, mango salsa, cheese and vegetables (36 ILS). Wrapping it, it almost didn’t close but we were happy to be able to add almost anything we wanted inside without getting sour faces. It’s worth it. You can also get the whole thing in a salad bowl instead of the burrito. Seems like anything is possible with these guys. Point to perfect: the cheese – I prefer a strong cheddar cheese. Hope they will survive the not-so-great corner they’re located in.

The burrito can be filled with ground beef, chicken or pulled pork. We tried their pulled pork with brown rice, frijoles, peppers and onions, guacamole, mango salsa, cheese and vegetables (36 ILS). It almost didn’t close. Donkey.

The burrito might be ‘the holy grail” but I think the spicy chicken Enchiladas were better overall. Not like the best Enchiladas in town but not bad for 24 ILS.

Hakatzav

39 Karlibach St. Tel-Aviv

03-5615030

Avoid anyway!

Just in front of Donkey you can find Ha’Katzav. The place is cheap, unfortunately for a reason. We tried the chicken and the beef kebab sandwiches. Their “house baked baguette” doesn’t taste as fresh as one can expect, the weird combination of hummus and mayonnaise doesn’t work and the meat quality is below average. It’s not a nice place to sit, made us only want to eat-and-run and for the service, well, bad will be a compliment. Avoid.

Hakatzav. The French fries were the best quality of the place and we didn’t even order them…

Beef (Entrecote?!?!) kebab sandwich, “house baked baguette” doesn’t taste as fresh as one can expect.

Leftovers mess

Ha’Itliz

8 Malchei Israel St. Tel Aviv

03-527-8790

Go anyway!

We heard rumors about Ha’Itliz but having to wait for 40 minutes when we first came broke us and we went somewhere else. The next time we came there was no queuing necessary and I already can’t wait for next time. This place is a real gem in the Tel-Avivian scene. At last someone had the courage to take the well known and loved Shwarma to a different angel – a well made version. It’s a fusion between the French Charcuterie and the Turkish traditional Donner. Except for the smoked meat dishes there’s the flag dish of The Donner: a beef and lamb combination soaked in milk with pine nuts and pistachios that goes over the donner rotisserie with lamb fat. This meat is then cut and put on a Moroccan spongy bun with yogurt, tahini, preserved lemon spread, roasted eggplant, onion confiture and spicy tomato salsa (38 ILS). I took the dish on a plate version with all the condiments on the side with this amazing bread as well and together with a nice cucumber and lettuce salad it came up to 49 ILS. A bargain I tell you! Everything was tasty, good quality and went great together. Don’t miss!

At last someone had the courage to take the well known and loved Shwarma to a different angel – a well made version. Ha’Itliz.

The Donner: a beef and lamb combination soaked in milk with pine nuts and pistachios with yogurt, tahini, preserved lemon spread, roasted eggplant, onion confiture and spicy tomato salsa (38 ILS for a sandwich / 49 ILS for a meal on a plate).

Bazili.com

52 Chen Boulevards, Tel-Aviv

03-6913399

Go if you’re around

If there’s a longish waiting time in Ha’Itliz you can go around the corner to Bazili.com Pizza. They have nice pizza and my favorite part is the garlic tomato salsa and pesto both free and self service to add on your slice.

Bazili.com Pizza. Self-service salsa and pesto.

Tony Vespa

140 Rothschild Boulevards , Tel-Aviv

03-5460000

Go anyway!

For a totally different style of pizza go to Tony Vespa and choose whatever just got out of the oven. With a thick crunchy outside and soft inside pizza crust and a handful of quality products as toppings – it’s a fine option. The pizza is sold by the kilo and isn’t cheap (around 90 ILS per kilo) but worth it for a bit of magic in your mouth.

Choose whatever just got out of the oven. Tony Vespa.

Next chapter in the series will be all about the sweet snacks in the city!

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