A Weekend of Restaurant Hopping

There is a lively and well developed restaurant scene in Israel catering to a wide variety of tastes, from the simple falafel stand to five star quality establishments. This weekend we explored three restaurants, Kimmel, Turquoise and Cramim each very different from one another both in atmosphere and the food they served.

Cramim

Cramim, whose menu is supervised by Chef Sahar Rafael is the perfect place to visit after spending the day outdoors and this is exactly what we did. There were many families with children and couples enjoying a late afternoon lunch, either in the garden or the roomy, well lit  interior.

I liked the waiter, who had bright blue eyes and a friendly disposition. He immediately presented us with Sahar Rafael’s cookbook in the hope we would buy it by the end of the meal. This was the first time I was propositioned to buy something while sitting in a restaurant but I enjoyed browsing through the book until the food arrived. I didn’t buy it simply because I am on a strict cookbook diet.

We ordered lamb chops and steaks which were both cooked to perfection. We also tried a root salad of fennel, celery and carrots flavored with concentrated orange vinaigrette which I also enjoyed. The focaccia bread was studded with basil leaves and dried tomatoes, which was tastier than the usual version. I will definitely be going back to Cramim.

Cramim

Not Kosher

Opening hours: Sun-Sat 9:00-24:00

Address:Moshav Sgula, just of the main Tel Aviv Kiryat Gat road

Telephone: 08-8505859

Kimmel

I read and heard several good recommendations for Kimmel, a French restaurant located in the heart of Tel Aviv and decided that I wanted to try it. The restaurant has a rustic and homey feel to it, with wood being the main element used in the interior design. Spice jars align one wall and boxes of fruits and vegetables decorate another side of the room creating a warm and charming atmosphere, or so it should have been.

The restaurant was packed, the tables were crammed together with barely enough space to move between them in the long and narrow corridor. There were mostly small groups of two-four people so the overall feel was a bar mitzvah taking place in a too small living room. We were seated next to a man with a hacking cough and another one who was doing weird things with his toothpick, it was very distracting (what happened to toothpick etiquette?). Then I kept hearing the waitress discussing the menu over and over again as she moved from one corner table to another, squishing past my chair to get by.  I had to lower my gaze as the table near me had a romantic first date going on, and I felt I was interrupting something.

I ordered lamb chops and my husband a steak, and although they were both prettily styled they were chewy and over cooked. No amount of gravy, sorry, sauce de la espagnole , however flavorful could cover that up. However, the first order of eggplant with goat cheese and the desserts were wonderful.

Perhaps the restaurant would be better suited when it isn’t so crowded and noisy or for those looking for the hip Tel Aviv crowd. I would like to go again but I won’t make the mistake on going on a weekend.

Kimmel

Not kosher

Opening Hours: Sun-Sat 12:30-23:00

Address: Hashahar 6, Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv

Telephone: 03-5105204

Website

Turquoise, a seafood restaurant

I took no pictures of the food in Turquoise since my husband was getting rather annoyed with the flash going off in his face.

This was a completely different atmosphere from Kimmel; the diners were about 10 years older, wearing more serious outfits and speaking languages from across the world such as French, Russian, English and even some Hebrew. Turquoise has a cosmopolitan atmosphere with stylish yet simple dishes made with only the best ingredients. Almost every table was occupied but the room was large enough to accommodate the crowd without feeling suffocating. It also did not feel as densely packed as Kimmel, partly because of the large size of the tables.

I ordered a whitefish wrapped in swiss chard leaves with a delicate cream sauce and my husband tried the seared red tuna with teriyaki sauce. Simple, yet delicious. We also shared a ceviche which was excellent.

There is an extensive wine list which I can’t really comment about since I am not very familiar with many types of wine. What did strike me was the price of some of the wines, especially the Grange Penfold from Australia, crazy expensive but apparently there are some who wouldn’t drink anything else.

What else? Rona Lee, Israeli reality show dancer and performer is working there as a bartender.

 Turquoise

Not Kosher

Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 10:00-00:00 (Midnight), Friday 9:30-00:00
Address: 6 Herzl Rozenblum St.

Telephone: 03-699-6306.

Website