An Eye of a Tiger – Tiger Lilly

Authentic Thai. The immediate reaction of such a statement is of contempt. Real authentic Asian flavors are really rare to find west of the South Pacific. In most cases, you would find an adoption of local flavors that remind, in one way or another, the original one. In the past we have written about the only true Thai restaurant in town, Thai House. Now, along with the renaissance of the Asian cuisine that flooded the streets lately (Taizu, Popina, Vong, Ang Sue and others), Tiger Lilly aims to rise as a fierce competitor in this field.

Som Tam (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)

Yum Kong (Thai Shrimp Salad with Mint Leaves and Onions)

As other Thai restaurants around town are really just a mix of noodles and rice dishes, you would be pleasantly surprised immediately as you glance at the menu. Classic Thai salads are really the favorites here. The classic Som Tam (Spicy Green Papaya Salad) is superb (Though Thai House’s is better), the Yum Kong (Thai Shrimp Salad with Mint Leaves and Onions) is spot on with flavors, the Larb Gai (Chopped Chicken Salad with Mint Leaves, Cilantro and Chili) will make you demand some sticky rice to soak what is left of the amazing sauce, but the salad which was our favorite is definitely the spicy Nam Tok Salad. The thin slices of beef along with the spicy Chili and Mint leaves were nothing but perfect.

Beef Massaman Curry

Pad See Ew (Rice Noodles with Chicken, Broccoli and Bok Choy)

After the starters that brought us back to the hot and humid Islands of Thailand, the main dishes mission was a hard one. Even though, they made it as well. Though the salads were the real highlight, the main courses still provided quite good Thai experience. Beef Massaman Curry dish had very good tastes but was a little undersized in our opinion. Pad See Ew (Rice Noodles with Chicken, Broccoli and Bok Choy) was again, very good.

Tapioca

The dessert reminded us our weakness for Tapioca, which along with the Tel Aviv heat, is probably the most refreshing dessert you can find (don’t miss it here). The Banana Loti was just OK, maybe it was the condensed milk that was just missing a little bit to resemble the street Loti. Maybe it was just its high price.

Banana Loti

The check please (4 people)
Som Tam – 32 NIS
Yum Kong – 39 NIS
Larb Gai – 32 NIS
Nam Tok – 43 NIS
Massaman Curry – 64 NIS
Pad See Ew – 58 NIS
Tapioca – 31 NIS
Banana Loti – 35 NIS

All in all – 334 NIS

The Cizer Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Forks

Contact Details: Tiget Lilly
32 Habarzel St, Ramat HaChayal,  Tel Aviv | 1700707097 | Sun – Sat 12:00 – 00:00 | http://tigerlily.co.il/index.htm

Friday Night in Jerusalem – Muna

Recently we have celebrated our second anniversary. We have decided to celebrate it a short weekend at Emek HaElah (Valley of Elah) including sleep in Ein Kerem at Montana Boutique hotel.

When we go on vacation we love to plan it in advanced, searching the internet for the best hotel, the most successful restaurants and exciting places to visit. When we have planned this short trip we knew that eating in this area on Friday night will be challenging as most of the places in Jerusalem are closed due to kosher limitations. We booked in advanced a table for two for the hottest spot (and almost the only place open) in town – Muna.

Muna is a well-known institute in Jerusalem that lately was handover to a new ownership by the people of Machneyuda. While the Machneyuda restaurant have the market vibe, Muna is the older respectful sister among the two. We were offered seven portion tasting meal that was served one by one with long breaks. A dinner in the full sense of the word.

And now for the excuses section in this post – it have been a while since we ate there and not all the courses that were served appear on the menu. The chef is creating the dinner for you according to what you love or hate, so we decided to show you all the portion without too much explanation about each and every dish. We will just say that we have enjoyed every portion, some we liked more and some less but overall all of them were tasty and original for us.

The Check please – 630NIS

Summary

Food: Chef Restaurant
Price: Very expensive
Location:  Jerusalem

The Cizer Kobrinsky Scale

4 Forks

Contact Details:

Shmuel Hanagid 12, Jerusalem | +972-2-6222283 | http://monarest.co.il/mona/en/

Keeping it Simple – Café Italia

Cafe Italia

There is a common thing between all good Italian restaurants around the world – they are all simple. Italian cuisine hails the products themselves and does not appreciate cumbersomeness and over sophistication. The reason there are really a few good ones is that you can’t hide behind lots of sauces and spices, unlike other kitchens. Many good Italian restaurants are family-run, as the recipes classics and mostly are not pretentious.

Café Italia tries to bring the simplicity of the Italian kitchen into a large and inviting space with a bistro atmosphere, and for the most of the times, it works.

Carpaccio

Take the assorted mushrooms starter for example. You would expect to read this kind of dish description in a coffee place – very simple – But the execution is brilliant. Few kinds of mushrooms in a quality olive oil, garlic and parsley were really enough to create a delicious starter. A shrimp and zucchini starter continued a very clean Italian line of tasty starters. It was rather the Beef Carpaccio that hid behind a blue cheese and walnut that didn’t fit the dish, which was a shame.

Shrimps Zucchini

Simplicity ruled the main courses as well. The Rib Eye Steak was a simple very fine piece of beef. Classic dish of Cream & Mushroom Pappardelle (though has an 80’s name) was, well, simple and gentle and comforting. Two dishes of Spaghettini, one with a tomatoes and (too much) basil and the other black pasta and seafood weren’t bad at all but did not stand out because of the pasta itself. A Pork Ossobuco on the other hand was very special and felt as it was cooked for a night with close eye from an Italian grandma – it was really special.

Tomatoes and Basil Spaghettini

Osso Bucco

Classic courses ruled the desserts as well. Apple tart, gigantic Tiramisu and a special with mascarpone cheese, mango and passion fruit ended a fun, classic dinner.

Vanilla Cookie

The Check Please (10 people)

San Pellegrino – 25 NIS
Water – 24 NIS
Alexander Beer – 28 NIS
Coke X3 – 39 NIS
7UP – 13 NIS
Corkage – 45 NIS
Focaccia X2 – 28 NIS
Shrimps & Zucchini X2 – 96 NIS
Beef Carpaccio X3 – 174 NIS
Fried Artichokes – 36 NIS
Assorted Mushrooms – 46 NIS
Kohlrabi Salad – 44 NIS
Lettuce Salad – 38 NIS
Cream & Mushroom Pappardelle X2 – 112 NIS
Tomatoes Spaghetti – 56 NIS
Black Seafood Spaghetini X2 – 176 NIS
Seabass Fillet – 118 NIS
Pork Ossobuco – 98 NIS
Rib Eye Steak – 140 NIS
Strawberries & Mascarpone – 44 NIS
Vanilla Short Bread – 36 NIS
Tiramisu – 44 NIS
Chocolate Mousse – 36 NIS
Apple Tart X2 – 38 NIS
Vanilla Ice cream – 9 NIS

All in all: 1591 NIS

 

Summary

Food: Italian Bistro
Price: Expensive
Location: Yigal Alon

The Cizer Kobrinsky Scale

4 Forks

 

Contact details: Café Italia

Address: 6 Kreminitzki st. Tel Aviv | Phone: 03512888

Fine Beef Alabama

Couple of years ago a rumor about a weird beef restaurant came to my ears. The word was that somewhere in the old industrial zone of Natanya, in some warehouse, lays a new restaurant where they serve nothing but beef. Not drinks, no sides, no starters. Beef. Now ain’t that intriguing. After some time, and after hearing more and more about the place, I found just the time to check it out, inviting few of my friends to a dinner at Alabama.

The Charcoal Meat Smoker

Please don’t expect to find any Alabama cuisine in the restaurant; though do expect a huge charcoal meat smoker, and an atmosphere that will make you feel really welcomed. The fact that you bring your own booze (and light drinks) actually emphasizes the homely feeling even more.

Arriving to Alabama, you are informed about today’s cuts. You can order a la carte, but you better get the fixed priced menu as there are few paths to follow from 120 to 160 NIS.  It will depend on how hungry are you and which cuts would you like to receive. A nice thing is that you can decide that as you go.

Unlike the rumors, we did get some starters – a descent vegetables salad, pickled cabbage and peas and beef stew. We can’t write much about either of these as we came with a goal and couldn’t let the starters interfere with it.

First Make us Happy

After few shots that made us happy, we were served with Beef Thin ribs. The cut, which is not usually considered as one of the best, was the best of its kind we ever tasted. The smoker flattered the beef in a way I haven’t tasted before, not to mention the (smoked) potatoes that came along with it. What a fine way to start the dinner.

Beef Thin Ribs

Next came a Sirloin Steak that, like all other courses, came alone without any sauce. This actually shows a lot of courage from a place that is really confident with its meat quality. Though I thought the Sirloin was the weakest cut, it was still pretty good. The Hanger steak brought back the bar just near “Excellent”, as the smoker left it tastes really well on the meat crust.

Sirloin Steak

Hanger Steak

The last two cuts that raised the fixed-menu to its higher level were easily worth it. The Pork Rib was so tender and didn’t feel dry at any point and the Fillet with Foie Gras was quite decadent food, and tasted great (event though the Fillet is not the most suited cut to a smoker).

Fillet and Foie Gras

Though the desserts were pretty weak and blend, we didn’t mind, it might be because we were a little drunk by then, but most probably because we came for the meat, and it was really, really good.

The Desserts

The Check Please (lots of people)

 

Tastings menu – 120-160 NIS PP (include starters)

 

Summary

Food: Steaks. Just Steaks

Price: Medium
Location: Natanya

The Cizer Kobrinsky Scale

4 Forks

 

Contact details: Alabama

Address: 47 Pinkas st. Natanya | Phone: 0544557287

Pampering – Delikatessen

R2M group opens a new place, an event that food lovers like us will never skip. It’s true, it took us a while and a lot of recommendations from the people around us (usually we are the recommending side), but we got there and we will be back.

The new place is located in Yehdua HaLevi street, not really the hottest street in Tel Aviv, despite the “5 minutes walk from Rothschild”. Nevertheless, Ruti and Maty manage to bring this boring street to life.

Cold Coffee

We got there on a late morning Friday, after training at the gym, and we enthused to get back all the calories we have burnt. R2M specialty is pampering – immediately after ordering our dishes we got  a complementary basket of bread and pastry alongside with butter and smooth strawberry jam.

Pastya

Shahar took Pastya – puff pastry filled with spinach and cheese and served with goat yogurt, hard-boiled egg and olives. Shahar liked the dish and especially the olives. Yet, he felt that the pastry had a bit too much spinach that really controlled the dish.

Under these eggs guilty pleasure is hidden

Inbar took French Crockett – Which is kind of Crockett Madam – two layers of puff pastry filled with Emmental cheese and ham, on which you get two eggs sunny side up style. Pure guilty pleasure.

The brunch was definitely good  but the highlight of our visit (and the place) is the deli inside. A real deli that makes whatever you want to start cooking (though you just finished eating). The place is full of goods – meat, cheese, baked pastry, bread, special canning and “homemade” food you can take home and much more. Without a doubt, when R2M group creates a new project – you know it will be the best in town.

The Check Please (2 persons)

Pastya – 46NIS
French Crockett – 49NIS

All in all: 95NIS

Summary:

Food: Deli
Price: Medium
Location: Yehdua HaLevi

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Contact Details: Delikatessen
Address:  79/81Yehdua HaLevi  Tel Aviv| Phone:  03-9681010 |
info@delitlv.co.il | Sunday-Thursday 07:30-20:00 | Friday 07:30-17:00| Saturday 08:00-17:00 |  http://delitlv.co.il/

Japanese BBQ – Yakinuki Tenka

This time we decided to buy a coupon for a restaurant we wanted to check for a while – Yakinuki Tenka.  A yakinuki is a traditional Japanese grill, on which meat, fish and seafood are grilled. Each of us paid 159 NIS for dinner full of dishes that usually costs 320NIS. I would have written down all the courses but it was too long so I decided that this post will be all about the photos. I would say this – it was definitely worth it and the experience was quite unique. Good idea when you want to celebrate with a private atmosphere.

Sake

appetizer

appetizer

Meats waiting for the grill

Meats waiting for the grill

Meats waiting for the grill

Yakinuki – The Grill

Desert

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Contact Details: Yakinuki Tenka

9 Maskit Street, Herzliya |
Phone: 09-9580322 | Sunday to Friday 19:00-Late |
http://yakinukitenka.rest-e.co.il/

Italian Experience at the Heart of Tel Aviv – La Repubblica (di RoniMottti)

Lately, while talking a walk in the quarter of the heart of Tel Aviv, we noticed that our favorite restaurant from Ramat Hachayal is working on a new branch. Over the weekend, while reading our favorite magazine – Time Out Tel Aviv, we have realized that it is not a new branch but rather a relocation. RoniMotti, one of the best Italian places in the city have decided to get closer to the heart of Tel Aviv. The week after we have already booked a table in order to check the new place with Shahar’s parents – Zipi and Shaul.

Bread and Antipasti

We started with complimentary Bread and Antipasti. This antipasti is a good example of how this dish can be served in so many restaurant in the city but only few will really know how to execute it well. On top of quality olive oil there they were – oven baked vegetables such us Beet, Onion and Pepper alongside Olives and tasty slices of Parmesan cheese. The bread was crispy from the outside and soft from the inside. With the bread came some crunchy bread sticks that were topped with nigella seeds that gave it its edgy taste.

Rocula Carcciofi & Fichi

For starters Shaul and Zipi shared the Rocula Carcciofi Salad, Fish Carpaccio and Fichi. Fichi are slices of fresh figs and real buffalo mozzarella cheese that were topped with balsamic sauce and basil olives. This classic Italian salad (Fichi are figs in Italian) was surprisingly not dull at all and the balsamic sauce was cooked to be contracted and thick. The Fish Carpaccio was gentle and light, perfect match for the crispy bread.

Beef & Fish Carpaccio

We shared the Beef Carpaccio that was, again, seasoned with good olive oil, parmesan cheese and Rocula leaves. As its colleague dish, the Fish Carpaccio, the Beef Carpaccio was made of good beef (Sirloin) and suited the bread perfectly. In addition, we were served complimentary Malfatti. Malfatti are kind of dumplings made of spinach and cheese on top of Rosa (tomato) sauce. The combination of the melted cheese and the cream sauce, made it, as appose to the other starters, a heavy dish.

Veal Cannelloni

After a massive attack of appetizers and starters, and after drinking a first round of fine Flam Classico (Israeli red wine of Flam winery), we were ready for the main courses. This time we decided to split – Shahar took the Veal Cannelloni – Canneloni Pasta filled with slow cooked chopped Veal and tomatoes sauce – a true Italian dish that does not try to flatter the average Israeli diner – and tastes great.

Tagliatelle with Shrimps and Carcciofi

Inbar took Tagliatelle with Shrimps and Carcciofi that were cooked in lemon, white wine and butter sauce. A simple dish with quality ingredients – from the homemade pasta to the fresh Shrimps, and especially the lemon sauce that gave the dish it unique flavors. Zipi and Shaul shared the Sirloin steak that was perfectly cooked and served with beef stock and spinach. A good steak is measure by the beef quality and the cooking quality. In that case, both were at a very high class.

Sirloin Steak

For dessert, our first two choices were missing from the menu that evening, so we head to settle for Crème Brule and Tiramisu, both served at their classic version – not too bad (or even good), but nothing to write home (or post) about. As in the previous phases of the dinner, so as in the dessert phase, the owner (Motti) did not forget us – we were served complimentary chocolate cake. At that stage it was already overloading of sweets and we pretty much skipped it (Although appreciating the nice gesture).

Tiramisu

When coming to the end of the post, you will probably say it is hard to critic when receiving so many complimentary dishes. But, our dear readers – have no fear! We are professional writers, and as such we know to compliment a place when it deserved it and definitely criticize when needed. This time, with a whole heart (and stomach) we will definitely recommend you book table ASAP.

The Check Please (4 people)

Fish Carpaccio – 52NIS
Beef Carpaccio – 48NIS
Fichi – 48NIS
Rocula Carcciofi – 42NIS
Tagliatelle – 72NIS
Veal Cannelloni – 78-NIS
Sirloin Steak – 110NIS
Water – 20 NIS
Flam Classico – 138NIS
Crème Brule – 38NIS
Tiramisu – 32NIS

Summary:

Food: Italian
Price: Medium-Expensive
Location: Heart of Tel Aviv / Allenby

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Contact Details: La Repubblica di RoniMottti

Address:  3 Mazeh st. Tel Aviv | Phone: 03-6470247 |
Opening Hours: Sunday – Friday 8:30-24:00 Saturday 9:30-24:00 |
http://larepubblica.co.il/

Birthday Present – NG

Green Hill

For a long while Shahar has been dreaming about a good steak dinner at one of the famous steak restaurants in town. His birthday was a good opportunity for me to fulfill his wishes while investigating Neve Tzedek as tourists.

Beef Porterhouse - Before

We started the birthday celebration at G&D Luxury Suites, an old building that was converted to luxury suites. After we unpacked our suitcase, we took a walking tour in Neve Tzedek, looking at the antique buildings and enjoyed the boutique stores.  In the evening, we went outside our room and jumped into NG – the restaurant was literally “across the street”.

Beef Porterhouse - After

We started off with “Green Hill” – salad of chopped herbs with Shrimps and walnut in vinaigrette, a fresh and light dish that left us the exact amount of place we needed for the dinner highlight – 1 KG of Beef Porterhouse, about half of it tenderloin and half strip steak to share, an amazing piece of beef that was cooked to the right point. The beef was served with mashed potatoes, sweet potato chips and spinach.

Chestnut pie - Not the best we had

For dessert we took Chestnut pie with a scope of pistachio ice cream, which was a nice dish but one we could definitely skip.

All in all NG is a place almost perfect at what it does – Beef, while Neve Tzedek experience is perfect at what it supply – a romantic atmosphere.

The Check Please (2 people)

Green Hill – 48NIS
1KG Porterhouse – 270NIS
2X Zinfandel (by the glass) – 56NIS
Soda water – 11NIS
Chestnut pie with Pistachio ice cream – 41NIS
2X Espresso – 18NIS

All in all: 444 NIS

Summary:

Food: Steak House
Price: Expensive
Location: Neve Tzedek

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Contact Details: NG

Address:  6 Ahad Haam, Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv | Phone: 03-5167888
Opening Hours:  Sunday – Thursday 18:00-01:00 http://www.ngrestaurant.co.il/english/index.html

Arabic Style – Haj Kahil

Haj Kahil

The biweekly meeting with Adi & Elad took place in Jaffa, according to Adi’s choice. For a while she was thinking about the Arabic restaurant in the clock square at the border of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. It was Thursday so it was very hard to find a parking space. Once we arrived to the restaurant it was easy to forget Jaffa’s chaotic atmosphere that took place outside of our street view table.

Tabouleh salad

We started with Tabouleh salad that was made mostly out of chopped parsley (as opposed to oriental restaurants that uses mostly Tabouleh and a bit of parsley) which gave it a fresh sense. We also took slices of Sabra fruit with Labaneh scoops, which was a very surpriesing dish that was quickly gone from the plate.

Sabra fruit with Labaneh scoops

For main course Adi and I shared Mansaf which is Lamb Ossobuco served with yogurt and rice on top of Taboon bread. The meat in this dish was amazing, tender and full of tastes you just can’t resist.  The rice, bread and yogurt were left far behind. Elad took Kebab skewer with Mujaddara. The Kebab was tasty but not something to write home about…

Mansaf

For desert we took Kanafeh which is a desert made from kadayıf noodles and goat cheese topped with sugar syrup. The Kanafeh was very good and was perfectly escorted by the black coffee in small glass.
If you are looking for an oriental Arabic restaurant in the heart of Israel, Haj Kahil will definitely do the job.

The check please (3 people)
Tabouleh salad – 20NIS
Sabra fruit – 28NIS
Mansaf – 95NIS
Kebab Skewer – 28NIS
Small Kanafeh – 24NIS
Coke – 10NIS
San Pellegrino  – 22NIS
2 X coffee  16NIS
Tea – 8 NIS

All in all: 251 NIS

Summary:
Food: Arabic
Price: Low – Medium
Location: Jaffa

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale:

4 Forks

Contact details: Haj Kahil
Address:  18 Raziel st. (clock square), Jaffa| Phone: 03-6831239 |Opening Hours:  Saturday-Thursday 11:00-24:00 | Friday 11:00 – 1:00AM |  http://www.rest.co.il/sites/Default.asp?txtRestID=11694

Social Justice – The Mizlala (Eatery)

The summer of 2011 will (hopefully) be remembered for the uncompromising fight of the middle class in Israel against the economic policy of Prime Minister Netanyahu, that caused Israel to have almost the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor in the western world. The people of Israel demand social justice.

Adoni in Action

The Summer of 2011 will also be remembered as the summer in which Meir Adoni opened the Mizlala – his middle-class restaurant. Adoni, well recognized and appreciated chef had become famous after cooking at the top fine-dining restaurants in Israel (Including Catit).

Peanut & Salt on the Bar

When Adoni opened this restaurant he stated that he aims to get to the young middle-calss crowd in Israel serving good food in reasonable prices. When we arrived to the restaurant we have realized we were the only couple that fits his measures.

As a place that suppose to act as an eatery (Mizlala), one would expect to encounter a loud and dense place with a chaotic atmosphere. Nevertheless, the design of the Mizalal is quite “clean” and sterile. Eatery with a high level design. To our surprise, Adoni was standing right behind the bar constructing our dishes.

Palestinian Tartar

We started with Palestinian tartar – if this is the meat you can get in Gaza, we can’t wait to have peace… Chopped rump beef, Tehini, Pine nuts, Yogurt, Burned eggplant paste & Cumin (just too much of it).  Great twist on the traditional tartar that usually comes with a French scent.

Mullet Ceviche

We continued with another starter (Although the menu is not divided to entrees and main courses) – Ceviche of Mullet fish that was served on top of some kind of Asian salad. This dish was good but had resembled to too many other dishes we have eaten in the past in restaurants such as the Thai House and The Officers Club.

Seared Chicen Liver

For main course we have shared (not too big of a dish) the Seared Chicken Liver that was served on top of Polenta, Forest Mushrooms & Asparagus. This dish was amazing and we felt as if it was melting in our mouth.

Vanilla Brulee

For desert, we took Vanilla Brulee that had nothing to do with Brulee. It was a thick layer of Vanilla that was topped (and not burned) with a layer apricot that was topped with layer of Crumble. This layer was also topped – with a scoop of berries ice-cream – Too Much!! when the bartender asked us if we enjoy the dish we had to answer that this was the least good dish in that dinner. The bartender replied that this is Adoni’s interpretation to the Creme Brulee -we thought he was too creative.

Summarizing this experience we were a bit confused. It was (mostly) a good meal in a (sort of) reasonable price, nevertheless we could not identify the middle class people among the crowd. So where is the social justice?

The Check Please (2 people)
2 X Gewurztraminer – 72 NIS
Palestinian tartar – 55 NIS
Mullet Ceviche – 63 NIS
Seared Chicen Liver – 53 NIS
Vanilla Brulee – 41 NIS

All in all: 284 NIS

Summary
Food: Israeli Chef Restaurant
Price: Medium-Expensive
Location: Nachlat Binyamin

The Cizer-Kobrinsky Scale

4 Forks

Contact Details: Mizlala
Address: 57 Nachlat Binyamin st, Tel Aviv | Phone: 03 5505 566
Opening Hours:  Sunday – Saturday 19:00-01:00
http://www.mizlala.co.il