Today's treats

An oatmeal cookie @ Bakery (wheat free!) and a coffee @ Cafe Marsand.

Morning Coffee #5

Today's coffee @ Bakery (the cafe/bakery next to Brasserie).

Bakery
70 Ibn Gvirol
Tel Aviv
tel 03 6967111

Morning Coffee #4

Today's morning coffee @ Hemda.

Hemda
חמדה עוגות
109 Ibn Gvirol
Tel Aviv
tel 074 7024664

Morning Coffee #3

Today's morning coffee @ Kaymak.

Kaymak
49 Lewinsky st.
Lewinsky Market (Shuk Levinsky)
Tel Aviv

Morning Coffee #2

Today's morning coffee @ Hatachtit.

Hatachtit
9 Lincoln st.
Tel Aviv
tel 03 5618759 / 057 9378649

Morning Coffee #1

Took our morning coffee at Taza D'oro, a favorite cafe from our former neighborhood, Neve Tzedek.

Tazza D'oro
6 Ahad Ha'am st.
Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv
tel 03 5166329

Cafe Mersand

We met J for breakfast at Cafe Mersand, one of our favorite places to sit for coffee in Tel Aviv. Mersand has been around since the 1950's and has a loyal clientele who have been sitting here since then. They changed ownership a couple of years ago and we love their logo designed by Hatayas. This was not our first time writing them up as we have briefly reviewed them before. This time around we had a Turkish Breakfast which was delicious. A small bowl of couscous, hard boiled egg, hummus, green olives, labane cheese, whole wheat bread and shredded halva (super sweet and super good).

Mersand
Frishman 18 (the corner of Ben Yehuda)
Tel Aviv
tel 03 5234318

Cafe Tamar

Cafe Tamar has been around the Tel Aviv cafe scene since the 50's and has been serving the bohemian art and literary set ever since. Now, you can since next little old ladies with done-up hair and the occasional actor/poet, while the mythological Sara Stern serves you coffee, the way it used to be.

An americano coffee and a tuna salad

Sara behind the cash register

Cafe Tamar
57 Shenkin street (the corner of Echad Ha'am street)
Tel Aviv
tel 03 685237

Cafe Michal

Went out to brunch with R and I to Cafe Michal, a local cafe in our neighborhood. They always have the prettiest flowers, but their location is a bit noisy.

Cafe Michal
230 Dizengoff st. (corner of Jabotinsky)
Tel Aviv
tel 03 5230236

Lunch at Mezze

This small vegetarian restaurant has been under our noses for quite a while, but we only began eating there recently. The menu is laid back and the dishes are not too sophisticated. Mezze offers tasty and well balanced imaginative veggie options perfect for the health conscious (we spotted many a dieting local celebrity there).
The highlight of their menu is the absolutely delicious tahini (techina) of the week, with combinations such as tahini with yogurt and dried tomatoes and tahini with chili and oranges. The mains are mostly rice and grain based dishes all very tasty and filling. We had black rice with pumpkin, azuki beans, herbs and goat feta cheese. It was rich in flavor and texture. The special of Indian vegetable stew with whole grain rice was simple, slightly sweet  and also very good.
Mezze also offers a menu of shakshuka, sandwiches and salads options and an array of small mezze dishes. Highly recommended.

The secret tahini and freshly chopped salad

Black rice with pumpkin, azuki beans, herbs and feta cheese

	Indian vegetable stew with whole grain rice Quinoa and sprouts with yogurt sauce Mezze 51 Echas Ha'am St. Tel Aviv tel 03 6299753

The King's Night - A Different Tel Aviv Bachelor Party

A bachelor party is one of my least favorite things. I usually know only half of the crowd and the conversation topics are rarely anything but real-estate and womens' breasts. So when I had to part with the Queen for a night of heavy drinking with fellow men, I was partly discontented.

We are not an ordinary group, so the bar of choice had to be something with a twist. Mommy's Place is a karaoke bar which caters to foreign workers from South-East Asia, China and Africa, and is located on a dingy street not far from the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station. My worries disappeared the moment I set foot at the door. This was another world.
It had everything you would expect from a South-Asian karaoke bar: the pink lights, the cheap shots of whiskey, lots of smiles and some very talented Thai divas, performing only the latest pop songs. The food was also a surprise. An excellent genuine Thai menu at very reasonable prices (rare in Tel Aviv).
The night continued to Joy's Bar, a very sleazy dance bar on Allenby street, which as I recall (by then I was seriously drunk) had two chubby blonds dancing on the bar? And then to Hummus Ashkara, an old Tel Aviv establishment, to seal the alcohol with a 3 am bowl of heavy hummus and pita.
It was a crazy night, just as bachelor parties are supposed to be, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Watching my macho friends sing The Total Eclipse of The Heart, or dance with potential drag queens to Madonna and Ricky Martin, I understood what it was all about -simply being free with your closest friends, something we should all practice more.

Congratulations E and M!

Mommy's Place,
10 Bnei Brak St.


Hummus Ashkara,
45 Yirmiyahu St.
tel 057 938 1339   

A Day on Ben Yehuda Street

Lately, in our ventures out and about, we were surprised to find many new shopping and dining options on the lesser known Ben Yehuda street. This street, the unpopular older brother of Dizengoff, once known only for double parking and retail stores now has many new (and "ancient") boutiques and restaurants amid a French and American clientele. We went out on a mission to rediscover this long forgotten stretch of Tel Aviv and found what we think is the next best thing.

Gallery 74 at no. 74 (Ben Yehuda st.) is an old antique store that seems to have always been. Yet somehow every time we pass by the store window we glaze over the cluttered objects and neon lighting inside. We finally got through the door and learned that it specializes in early 1900s silver judaica among other great finds. Its the perfect place to find a 1940s filigree silver mezuzah.

Persepolis at no. 60 is another dusty old antique store. It is mostly filled with junk and fake nic nacs, BUT anyone for some old Iranian torah cases? These ornamented antique cases can reach the four digit range (in $). Perfect for the Jew who has everything.

Once Upon a Time (Hayo Haya) at no. 72 is the resident second hand clothing shop.

Anavim at number 126 has a good wine selection (and fair prices) and offers tastings on Friday afternoons. We bought a bottle of 2002 Reserve Marques de Caceres Rioja but have yet to enjoy it. The store also has a branch on 21 Yirmeyahu st.

Deja Vu, no. 121, is the only place in northern Tel Aviv to find a decent pair of spectacles. Half of us buys their glasses here, black, plastic and Anne et Valentin. The store carries Cutler and Gross, Theo, Mykita and more...and the other half of us finds the owner tres cute. (French spoken)

Other places on Ben Yehuda:

no. 116,  Nedunya: kitchen antiques.
no. 36, Alaska Furs: a long lost fur boutique.

Great eating options:
no. 69, Frank: German frankfurters. tel: 077 411 3150
no. 98, Ma Poule:  a kosher rotisserie selling roast chicken and baked potatoes. tel: 03 522 0424
no. 106, Wineberg: wine bar with excellent tapas and sandwiches. tel: 03 522 3939
no. 120, Mika: the usual Tel Aviv bistro. tel: 03 529 8764
no. 122, Dolce Melody: real Italian ice ream store which we consider the best in town. tel: 03 527 4008

What They Ate... Beta Caffe, Ramat Aviv

While waiting for our new stove to arrive, L was kind enough to take us out to lunch at her favorite local cafe. "I'm gonna order the Beta salad" she said grinning (she always does). As the waiter sat us down at a cozy side table L got a bit more risky: "I want the fish". So she ordered both and we got a chance to share it.

The Beta salad is a fun twist on the famous Israeli salad. The simple mix of chopped cucumber, tomato, red pepper and red onion is combined with al dente rice and black lentils. It's tossed with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice and an extra lemony tehini dressing is served on the side. It's fresh, simple and excellent.

The grilled sea bream on baked butternut squash sprinkled with coconut flakes was served over black lentils and topped with red basil. It was also very well prepared.

Beta cafe is located 10 minutes walk from the University at the old commercial center of Ramat Aviv and is a quiet comfy place to sit over a cup of coffee with lunch or dinner (with extra room for your laptop or dog).

L was very satisfied, and so were we.


Beta Salad

Grilled sea bream on baked butternut squash

Beta Caffe
Brodetsky 17, Ramat Aviv tel: 03 641 2285

More on where to eat and what to do in Tel Aviv!

Random Cafes, Tel Aviv

An apartment hunt is never complete without the many coffee breaks along the way. Lucky for us the city is absolutely crammed (and overflowing...) with cafes. An old favorite in our former neighborhood, Neve Tzedek, is Dallal which serves one of the best coffees around. The fresh cakes, pastries and breads are baked on the spot in the attached beautiful kitchen. Even though the menu has changed a bit in the last year to accompany a more popular taste (they now sell chocolate rogalach and simpler eclairs) the result is still excellent.

Mind you, do NOT confuse the bakery with their sister restaurant next door. The last time we ate there the food was disastrous and the decor, unacceptable.



Yummy pastries at Dallal.

Dallal. 7 Kol Yisrael Haverim, Tel Aviv tel: 03 510 9292


Cafe Yoel is another corner cafe where we stopped for a quick caffeine fix. It's a relatively new place that serves the usual coffee, sandwiches, breakfast and baked pastries. In addition, they have a cute selection of imported meditteranian deli products. Their coffee was ok and we didn't try the food, but the location on Albert Square across the Pagoda house is charming. It's a good option if you're in the area.


Cafe Yoel. 1 Meltchet, Tel Aviv tel: 03 620 4545