Herbert Samuel

My favorite restaurant in Israel so far. I have been there several times, but the food just keeps surprising my taste buds. The atmosphere is trendy and chic with loud Spanish and atmosphere music playing in the background. The people are dressed to the nines, but with best Chef of 2009 the food itself is well beyond the tens.

I started my meal off with a free glass of lambrusco while we waited for our spot at the bar. To kick off our pallets, we ordered an appetizer of Oysters topped with ginger and thinly slices peppers, Julianne style. The presentation was just beautiful and the taste was absolutely perfect for the appetizer, light and refreshing.

The great thing about Herbert Samuel is it's style of food, gourmet Tapas. So naturally, for a couple that loves everything and anything, we decided to taste a bit of a bunch. Following the oysters came gazpacho soup with chopped crab. This was not like any ordinary gazpacho. The soup itself acted as a light sauce that glazed the bottom of th bowl. The sides were rimmed with pureed avocado and topped with watercress and lettuce (yum). But to top it off, the center consisted of a small mound of crab meat tossed in a very delicate sauce. the finish were dollops of goat cheese around the crab. I have never tasted anything like that.

third, a small plate of grilled shrimps tossed in a light yogurt dill sauce and decorated with grilled onions and hot peppers (really hot peppers). It was not my favorite tapas but still wildly impressive.

But the order that really caught us was the home made Gnocchi tossed in a butter and truffle oil sauce and topped with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese on top with some roasted chestnuts thrown in as well. I was convinced I must have done something great in a previous life to be blessed with this meal to taste.

To end the dinner, the lovely and handsome bartenders offered us free shots of vodka, yum. The followed by the rich and heavy cheesecake which I devoured effortlessly. But a surprise ending complimented by the bartenders was very flattering, chocolate mouse serve with a cream puff pastry, unreal.

The meal itself was on of my favorites I have experienced so far in this country, it will be hard to top.

Go to Herbert Samuel for a nice date for two, or a place to impress the parents. This is a place they will keep talking about for sure.

Kosher: no

English menu: yes

Reservations: yes

6 Koifman St (Beit Gibor), Tel Aviv

03-5166516

Ruben

If you are looking for a good Ruben sandwich, this is not the place. However, if you want to taste home made pastrami just like the corner deli's back at home, I recommend Ruben.

Located on the busy corner of Ibn Gvirol and Yehuda Halevi, this small restaurant has great Pastrami. Their sandwiches are a little too simple for my taste. I ordered the pastrami sandwich, whole wheat bread, mustard and A Thousand island dressing, topped with sauerkraut and tomato. in my opinion, it could have been done better but the meat itself was outstanding. However, apart from the meat, the sweet baby pickles that were served on the side really satisfied my appetite.

Although the meal itself was nothing to write home about, the atmosphere was so cute. The shelves are lined with vintage Campbell's tomato soup cans and you even have the option of sitting outside looking out onto Dizengoff.

If you have a hankering for a sandwich, I can give you some other recommendations, but really just go to Ruben for the home made meat.

Kosher: yes

Reservations: no

English menu: no

112 Yehuda halevi Tel Aviv

077-4908050

Beta Cafe

Its 10:30 am and it has become routine for me to come to Beta Cafe for their coffee. This quaint little nook is located just behind Alliance High School in the center of Ramat Aviv (A suburb just north of tel Aviv). The atmosphere is warm and social, constantly occupied by retirees, stay at home moms and high school kids taking a break from class. The inside seating consists of a trendy retro design incorporating vintage tables and lamps. This 1950's cafe creates a great place to talk, grab a bite to eat or just sit and people watch (one of my favorite things).

The food at Beta Cafe is nothing fancy, to be honest. Their simple menu consists of ordinary sandwiches, salads and soups of the day. Although I have not always been impressed by roast beef sandwich, sweet potato soup or grilled fish, I cannot resist their coffee. Although Israel is famous for their coffee, but at Beta Cafe it has got to be one of the best cups I have tasted yet.

When in Israel, try to make it to Beta Cafe and taste their fabulous coffee, I will most likely be here.

Brodetzky Street 17

Ramat Aviv

03-6412285

Kosher: no

English menu: yes

Reservation: no

Onami

For all of you Sushi lovers out there, GO TO ONAMI. I have been there several times every month for this last half of a year and I still cannot get enough. Last night, I had the joy of dining with three amazing women that I worked with. But I must say, the food itself really made the night complete...sorry girls.

The Retsuarunt is clean and chic with a little bit of a raw edge. The music is trendy that creates the perfect sexy atmosphere. I'm game.

The menu itself feels authentic and true to the Japanese culture, not that I have been to Japan, but lets try our best to imagine. I start off my meal with a nice portion of salted and hot Edema me beans. Always satisfying. Soon after, I receive the seaweed salad. This salad is different in the best of ways than other seaweed salads I have tasted. It has a slight hint of soy sauce, with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and best of all, the seaweed itself is dry. It created a very nice and satisfying texture when taking my first bite.

For my main course, I ordered the fatty salmon Sashimi (raw slices of fish) over a bed of sliced cucumbers. The fish was impeccable, you could tell how fresh this catch really was. Last but not least, like a true Onami fan, I ordered the Unari Special for "desert". If you are willing to venture out into something new for your taste buds, or even if you are not, I am not giving you a choice...ORDER THIS! It is one roll. You pick what fish you want inside, (i picked Enteas) and then they complete the rest of the roll for you. They add fish eggs, a touch of mayo, a light fry for crispiness and rolled with a thin strip of seaweed...it comes warm. Its harder to eat than it sounds though because you have to eat it all in one bite! Not only did I enjoy the roll, but my friends enjoyed my chipmunk face. I did not care, it was a gift from heaven.

Needless to say, go to Onami. You will not be disappointed, and your taste buds will thank you too.

English Menu: yes

Clean: yes

Wait: on weekends

Reservations: Yes

Kosher: no

Address: 18 Ha'arbaa Street
Tel: (03) 562-0981

Benedict

12:00 pm, Saturday Morning (afternoon), I started my day with a huge serving of heaven, two poached eggs layered on top of two slices of hot brioche, and finished off with fresh smoked salmon covered in hollandaise sauce that could only be a gift from "you know who". Each bite was just as good as the next, warm, with the perfect amount of flavor to make the meal exactly what it was. Although my dish "Royale" was accompanied by a delicious fresh salad, with just a hint of light lemony dressing, I could not keep my hands off the bread basket (this is not a low carb meal, deal with it.) Michal, our needless to say fabulous bar waitress noticed how much my boyfriend Assaf and I quickly devoured the warm olive bread, whole grain rolls crusted with a variety of seeds and white country rolls that were just... mmm so comforting, did I mention they came with warm butter, Nutella and apple jam? But as much as the food itself was enough to keep us coming back for more, the atmosphere, located on the corner of Rothchild and Allenby was really was the kicker. Fun old French music followed by good n' oldies tunes really set the mood for this 24 hour gourmet diner. If you don't mind around a 30 minute wait on a Saturday morning then I would recommend Benedict. This place is the perfect place for families, friends, or just a place for two at the bar to enjoy breakfast or lunch at any time of day. If you can finish your order, unlike myself, I am jealous.

English Menu: Yes

Clean: yes

Wait: On weekends

Reservations: No

29 Rothchild Tel Aviv 03-6868657

February 28, 2010

And to think I used to be a vegan...

Seriously. Who could not eat 75% of what the world of food had to offer! Living just one street down from the Shuk (the market for you foreigners) I was seriously missing out and missing the point of why I had the urge to come to Israel...to eat!

After coming to my senses, after tasting the mouthwatering feta cheese, lamb kabobs, burekas filled with spinach and cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes covered in olive oil and fresh za'atar that shook your taste buds saying "where the hell have you been girl!", I knew that I had to find what else was out there...

And that is what brought me here, on my living room couch, hungry for dinner (again) anxiously waiting to eat at another hidden treasure restaurant in Israel. Restaurant after bistro after cafe, I just wanted to taste more, but for an English speaker in a Hebrew speaking country, an unbiased review was hard to come by. I am here to make your life easier. Welcome to A Young Appetite, an unbiased easy to read food review for your eating pleasure. Enjoy!