A Trip to Tel Afek, near Rosh HaAyin

Friday was sunny and gorgeous, so we gathered our motivation, joined forces with Y, and ventured out of the city and into the pastoral landscape of Tel Afek. The nature reserve includes an Ottoman fortress, a lake and an abundance of green plains. We took a short walk around the site (it was easy and wheel chair/baby carriage accessible). It was a much needed outing and lots of fun.

Antipatris Fortress

An Abandoned British Water Plant

Rosh HaAyin from a distance.

A caterpillar! We really need to get out more.

A Hazy Day in Haifa

Hotel Montefiori, Tel Aviv

The restaurant at Hotel Montefiore prevails upon being a hip French brasserie with a touch of Vietnamese. This is a slight overstatement as we do not consider a garnish of corriander or steamed bok choy to suffice as Vietnamese influence. But, we completely forgive for the food and atmosphere are top noch.

We entered and were asked to wait a few minutes during which we were served a glass of cava. We don't like waiting but we like cava.

For starters we ordered the beef carpaccio with hazelnut oil which was simple and very well executed and a fun and fresh amberjack seviche with hot green pepper, avocado and coriander.

The main coarse was a delicious and light grilled sea bream with lemongrass cream and a tender braised goose in a caramelized sauce with kumquat. We loved the goose and licked our lips till the very end.

For dessert we had saint honore, cream puffs filled with creme pattissier and accompanied with whipped cream, a perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Hotel Montefiore is a favorite. They also offer business lunch and drinks from 5-7.

Reservations are a must.

Amberjack Seviche

Beef Carpaccio with Hazelnut oil

Sea Bream with Lemongrass

Saint Honore

Hotel Montefiori

36 Montefiore St.

tel  03 564 6100

OUR NEW WEBSITE

www.theroyalex.com

These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,
door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.
these are a few of my favorite things...

Tucked away between the many clothing stores on Ibn Gvirol, we rediscovered an old establishment we liked very much. Edit Pastries (pronounced 'Idit') has a large selection of scrumptious pastries and what not. You might even get asked out on a date by a 85 year old. How fond. We love when this happens. They also won the 1966 Miami Beach Gold Medal (for what we're not sure, but we'll assume for their pastries). This fact is still on their business card. It's a cute place and a perfect respite from the trendy cafes all over town. Old style recipes with a 1950s air.

Apple strudel

Edit Pastries
85 Ibn Gvirol street, Tel Aviv
tel 03 5249613/ 03 5230505

And then we ate a ROAST BEEF SANDWICH

Well, what can we say, Ruben stole our heart with their absolutely delicious deli-style sandwiches. They have four sandwich options on their menu all layered with roast beef or turkey (or a mix of both), home made sour kraut, lettuce, red onion, mayo and mustard all gloriously sandwiched between light and fluffy whole wheat bread. Oh, and a yummy pickle on the side. Influenced by their handmade roast beef, we made some of our own at home.

The roast beef sandwich

The turkey sandwich

Ruben

112 Yehuda Halevi street, Tel Aviv

tel 077 490 8050

i ♥ ma poule

Somehow, we often find ourselves starving on Ben Yehuda street. The perfect solution is I ♥ ma poule, a laid-back chicken rotisserie joint we rely on in these situations.

Lunch: a plate of rotisserie chicken potato, rice, peas and carrots all on a cute gingham tablecloth.

I ♥ ma poule

98 Ben Yehuda street, Tel Aviv

tel 03 5220424

Halva & Tehini

Halva and tehini are products made from sesame seeds and staples in the Israeli kitchen. At the market we went in search for these creamy delicacies and found them...
We left Jerusalem with a doggy bag filled with goodies.
Lately we've been experimenting with tehina in our kitchen, exploring new recipes and eating it for breakfast with toast and homemade jam. For years we've been loyal to Techina Gamal, often traveling to Jerusalem to refill our supply but while at the market we decided to try something new.

Poppyseed Halva & Oat Halva

The BEST TEHINI we have ever had! We'll need to go back soon for a refill.

Fruit leather.

Mamlechet Hahalve
10 Etz Hachaim street, Machane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem
cell 054 7936895

Mizrachi Cafe

While at the market we stopped off for lunch at an old Jerusalem favorite...  Mizrachi: the perennial student hangout/uber-Jerusalem scene. Here basta (market stall) owners sit side by side the B+B (Bakah boheme). You can order a cafe botz, "mud coffee", though we prefer their excellent cappuccino. They also offer daily baked goods and a menu of salads, sandwiches and soups.

Mizrahi
12 Shazif street, Machaneh Yehuda Market, Jerusalem
tel 02 6242105

Mushroom tortellini in butter and sage.

Feta ravioli with greens, pear and parmesan.

Coffee and cake: this is the place with the best coffee in Jerusalem, hands down.

Spices in the market

We lingered around the market on the lookout for spices and dropped by Avraham Yechezkel's stall. We walked away with oats which we later made into porridge.

Avraham Yechezkel: coffee, spices and grains

Etz Hachaim street 32, Machane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem

tel 02 6252675

Coffee beans & cinnamon sticks

Candied ginger and sun-dried tomatoes

 Tea

Spices

How we buy our cheese, Jerusalem

When in Jerusalem we never miss out on a trip to the produce market, Machane Yehuda. We also never miss the best cheese store in Israel, Basher Fromagerie, located in said market. They have a large selection of imported and Israeli cheeses and professional staff eager to advise. We never leave without some goodies...

Basher Fromagerie  
Etz Haim street, Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem
tel 02 6257969

Camembert

Grape jam & baguettes

 

More saint mor please.

Sandra, Tel Aviv

We recently discovered Sandra, a quaint little studio in Florentine that makes and sells houseware. From vases to wall hangings, the objects are all handmade in the studio, including some lovely fabric toilet paper hangers and colorful bags. It's fun even just for a peek.

Sandra,  28 Washington Blvd Florentine, Tel Aviv    tel:03 518 6234