In a sunny day after three-months of mild winter, you might end up wandering around the shores of Tel Aviv-Jaffa crowded with people, families and couples strolling on the sea-promenade.
All this happy noise though might sound a bit too much after a week of hard work, and you look for an appropriate reward for your mind and your stomach taste.
Although the exterior view of the place does not represent the one of a charming place, due to its straight lines, rational and boxed characters, entering the place suggests a different atmosphere. The ugly exterior has suddenly disappeared leaving space to a long horizontal window looking over the sea and a lovely Tarkovsky-futuristic Gas Station giving a touch of extraordinary to the view.
Me and my fiancée enter the place, approached by the gentle woman who assists customers to find their table, we need to answer a couple of usual questions about existence in a Shakespearian way, “Did you reserve or did you not reserve?”, “We didn’t”; “Then to seat at the Bar or not to seat at the Bar?”, “The Bar, at the corner so that we can enjoy the view” (actually I find the Bar usually more social-entertaining than the lonely tables).
Now let’s talk about eating and drinking: there are three menus, 1) is the standard menu, 2) is the wine and drinks menu and 3) is the specials menu – and the specials are really specials.
In the tradition of Tel Aviv-sparkling venue, we start with a couple of glasses of Cava to create a fine separation from the outside heat and noise and allow our minds to concentrate on the next-to-be experience.
Going through the menus takes a while and a bit of counseling with the helpful (unlike some other places) Bar tenders.
As an opening I took a delicious place with Red Pepper stripes leaned over a soft green leaf and wet by a gentle spicy sauce. The color, relaxing green and passion red immediately arouse expectations in my eyes and my tongue, rightly satisfied when I started eating the tasty vegetables.
My fiancée took a slice of creamed cheese with Saint-more and probably a touch of Gorgonzola, lightly colored on a dark plate, the strong taste gently hugged by the soft cream caused a little envy in me.
As first course we took a couple of Mediterranean plates, a full sea-bass cooked in the oven with a light tomato-source and potatoes, and a dish of sea fruits. The sea-bass was very tasty, reminding the Italian traditional food-cooking and I felt so rewarded while socializing with the Bar tenders that also offered us a chaser of Stolichnaya.
All this eating was complemented by a couple of white wine caraffes, the first an Israeli wine and the second a French Chablis.
Last, but in this case I should say, not very least, the dessert based on Belgian chocolate and a cream of caramello gave this wonderful experience a strong final energetic taste that we needed to wake up from the dream, to stand-up a leave the place with a smile on our face.
Price: ~350 shekel (2 Starters, 2 Main Courses and 1 Dessert) + 200 shekel for the wine (2 glasses of Cava and 1 Bottle of White Wine).
Address: Prof. Ezekiel Keufman פרופסור יחזקאל קויפמן 6 (Tel Aviv-Yafo)
Phone: 03-5166516
Web site: http://www.herbertsamuel.co.il/
View Larger Map
Use the below rating to vote the restaurant …
Great article. I am looking forward to more of your reviews. keep in touch and tips on new restaurants!
Excellent! Impatient to read more of your impressions on Tel Aviv restaurants