Dinner at Chloelys

We went to dine at Chloelys with high expectations as we were told it was one of the best fish restaurants in town. Entering the restaurant we were surprised to see a large, busy and child friendly space.
The food was definitely good. For starters we tried the soup of the day, a large bowl of Cold Gazpacho with Parsley Sorbet, and an excellent dish of Hand Made Smoked Salmon.  For mains we went only for fish, and tried a very good Gilt-head Bream Fillet on Grape Leaves with Bulgarian Cheese Filling and a heavier dish of Grey Mullet Filet with Gnocchi. 
Generally speaking, the food was done very well. But we can not agree with the overly positive reviews associated with the restaurant. It takes more than just good fish to make us satisfied and we found the dishes to be very standard, some even boring, not to mention a bit overpriced considering the atmosphere and poor service. Chloelys is a good option for big family dinner, but not an intimate night. It wouldn't hurt refreshing the menu.

Cold gazpacho with parsley sorbet

Hand made smoked salmon

Gilt-head Bream Fillet on Grape Leaves with Bulgarian Cheese Filling

Grey Mullet Filet with Gnocchi

Dacquoise Praline. A mundane dessert.

Chloelys
16, Aba Hillel Silver st.
Ramat Gan
tel 03 575 9060

Lunch at the Container

After the 1 1/2 hour walk to Jaffa we were famished so we sat for an excellent lunch at The Container, a new bar by Chef Vins Muster at the Jaffa port. We loved the location, surrounded by fishing boats on the dock, and the airy atmosphere of the hangar. It's a great place for lunch and also great for an evening out, not to mention a welcome alternative to the yuppie Tel Aviv port. We sat on the bar and ordered three delicious dishes: root vegetable salad with Jerusalem artichoke and truffles, smoked forel with horseradish and grouper steak in butter and herbs. We loved them all and will be back for more...

The Menu is mostly fish and seafood base with some salad options.

The kitchen.

Some fellow diners.

Root vegetable salad with Jerusalem artichoke and truffles.

Smoked forel with horseradish.

Grouper steak in butter and herbs.



The Container
Jaffa Port
tel 03 6836321

Peres Center for Peace

Today was a gorgeous day and we took a walk through Tel Aviv south to Yaffo to check out the fairly new Peres Center for  Peace designed by Fuksas Architects. Apparently they have been opened since December (we stand corrected). We must re-visit some time during the week to check out the interior. Finally, a piece of architecture worth visiting!

Pre-Yom Ha'zikaron

The Tel Aviv municipality all set up for the big national morning day.

A Family Vacation at Villa Melchett

Come March, we went to the Kinneret, on what has become an annual family vacation at Villa Melchett. Once belonged to Lord Melchett's family, the turn of the century villa and the surrounding grounds are situated right on the beach. Anyone can rent the place. L did and got us spending 3 wonderful days of lounging around and relaxation. We were a bit displeased with the management, but the luxurious rooms, professional kitchen, fish pond, 2000 square meters of grass, hammocks, oriental tent and the open view to the Sea of Galilee kept us very content.

The Moroccan lounge in our bedroom.

The villa from the front garden

Going on a walk

A content family member.

Cairo!

The last two days we spent roaming the streets of Cairo, a beautiful, over populated fascinating city. We'll definitely be back. 

Zamalek neighborhood, as seen from a bridge over the Nile.

Inside the Sultan Hassan Mosque

A fellow explorer at the Khan Al-Khalili market.

Medieval gates at Khan Al-Khalili

Details of... Hieroglyphics

Sharia as-Souq, Aswan Market

What We Ate... In Egypt

Whenever we could we ditched the hotel buffet and ventured into town to try local specialties.

A staple street snack is ta'amiyya- the famous Egyptian falafel. The pita is stuffed with falafel and an array of salads. Tasty, but a little dry.

In Luxor we went out to dinner at the authentic Egyptian restaurant, Sofra. They offered a delicious variety of mezze and tasty local stews.

We ordered some of the delicious mezze- lentil salad, labane and tahini.

Sofra
90 Mohamed Farid street
Al Manshiya, Luxor, Egypt
phone: +20 (95) 235 97 52

We were surprised to find fresh fruit juices offered almost everywhere in Egypt. We tried guava juice (yumm...) and karkadai -a juice made from dried hibiscus flowers- (yummier...)

We also stopped for furkish coffee and mint tea at a tea house in the Khan Al-Khalili, Cairo.

The Nile

While in Aswan, we took a felucca ride on the Nile. A very cliche tourist attraction- we went for sunset- but beautiful nonetheless.

We went down to Egypt.

During the Passover holiday we joined A+L for a 9 day organized tour of Egypt. We don't do group tours, but as it was paid for, we thought it ridiculous to resist. It was a tumultuous journey. We joined forty 65+ Israeli travelers and wreaked havoc on the land of the Pharaohs. Egypt is an incredible country with much to see and do. We recommend going solo as it is safe and a major part of the fun is meeting the locals, an impossible feat when you're in a group tour.

The first day was all about the PYRAMIDS. Amazing.

Pyramids and tour buses.

The Sphinx.