Lovely Meal at Jerusalem's גן סיפור Gan Sipur

Last week I found myself invited with a small group to  גן סיפור Gan Sipur, a dairy restaurant in Jerusalem. Although I must have passed nearby many times, I hadn't the vaguest idea it existed. But after having a meal there, I won't forget it.

As you can see in the photo above, the food was amazing. The prices weren't bad considering the quantity and quality of the food. I ordered the "Sport Salad," which is in the foreground. It was really tasty. All of the salads chosen by my companions were excellent. 

My only complaint was the noise, though the staff did move us to a slightly quieter table. Acoustics aren't great, but I'm hypersensitive to noise and wear hearing aids, also. Yes, rather complicated.

Gan Sipur is in Gan Sacher near the junction of Betzalel Street, the High Court and Cinema City. It's in the park. 

Kosher Dairy

Open: Sunday – Thursday – 08:00-24:00, Friday – 08:00-14:30, Saturday Evening – An hour after Sabbath ends until midnight.

Contact: Seating can only be booked by telephone 072-3360999 Extension 5   

Fantastic Salad Deal in Ariel

Last week I had a brunch date in Ariel. We had planned on eating in BIGA, in the new "mall" or better called "shopping center" across from the Ariel University. But since my "date" had come by car, we needed a parking space, and every one was full. I really didn't want to drive around and around, up and down hoping to find a car pulling out, so we went to the other mall, which has lots of parking.

The only problem was that besides the Greg dairy restaurant, in which we had an awful meal a few months ago, I didn't know of a place where we could have a nice simple meal. Considering that a lot of stores have recently opened, I suggested we case the joint. We parked the car at the end closest to the university and furthest from Rami Levi Supermarket, and then we walked. For some strange reason, there aren't many restaurants in that mall. We walked from one end to the other, and besides the Greg, nothing.

So, I suggested that we go to the second floor, over the Rami Levi. And we took the escalator up. We saw a bakery and decided to peek in and discovered that they serve sandwiches and salads made to order.  At only NS35, we decided to give their salad it a try.

The worker filled our plastic bowls with everything we asked for, tuna, fresh vegetables, a hard boiled egg, mushrooms, cheese, roasted vegetables and the salad dressing of our choice.

I think the name is "Lachmitzia," if I'm reading it correctly. It's a bakery cafe` and its sign also says "kosher mehadrin," meaning kosher to the highest standards. This is the phone number from their Facebook page 050-846-1484.

Many of the food businesses in Ariel cater to the residents of Shomron and Northern Binyamin, who are mostly religious Jews. The two new malls have all kosher stores, if I'm not mistaken. Although you can still find non-kosher restaurants and food stores in the older shopping areas. Many of the veteran residents of Ariel are Russian, not religious and even not halachikly Jewish. In recent years the population has changed. More religious and traditional Jews are moving to Ariel, besides all the university staff and students.

My salad

We were both happy with our salads. They didn't come with rolls, which didn't bother us. Since Lachmitzia is a bakery, we could have asked, but we really didn't want the temptation. Customers were coming in to buy rolls, rugelach, challah and cake. Some just sat eating cake and coffee. Ever since we ate there, I've been recommending it.

Afterwards, we looked at the shops nearby, and I bought some of the Chanukah presents for my family. Then we went down the elevator. I did more Chanukah shopping as we walked to the car.

I plan on reviewing the public toilets later on. The mall is officially called the Ariel Mall, but most people refer to it as the Rami Levi Mall, since the large discount supermarket is the draw for most visitors/customers.

Enjoy

BIGA, Ariel, Great Food and Service

Last week I blogged about my trip to check out the new mall across from the Ariel University.   It's only a few minutes from Shiloh and right near the bus stop/trampiada to a from Shiloh. I was with a couple of friends, and we had lunch out together in BIGA, a kosher dairy restaurant/bakery chain.

The mall has a couple of levels, and there are stairs and an elevator to get from one to another. BIGA is on top with a nice terrace, though my friends and I ate inside.

The menu was interesting, even though it's a chain. I had a delicious lentil salad and tried the bread, so I could review it...

My friends tried other dishes, and we were all very happy with our selections. Another good thing was that the staff was very accommodating when we requested that they lower the volume of the music.
I was the youngest in the group, and most of us are at the stage where hearing conversation can be difficult when there's too much background noise. We made a point to sit in a quiet corner.

The BIGA Bakery is very popular. My friends also stocked up on their bread. I saw that they also have a selection of gluten free breads.  I couldn't find the opening hours, but the telephone number is 03-7721779‬, and it's on 2 Moriah Street, Ariel, across from the Ariel University.

We all agreed that BIGA is the best restaurant in Ariel. I just hope it keeps up its standards.

Dinner at Merlot, A Real Dairy Restaurant in Shiloh

It's so nice to know that we don't have to travel at all to get to a nice dairy restaurant. When we had been renovating our kitchen last summer, the added expense of a few meals "out" was minor financially and made life much easier. Merlot is nicer than many of the chain dairy restaurants you find all over the country and on par with, or better than most kosher dairy restaurants in most cities and towns.

Our most recent visit to Merlot was just before Pesach/Passover, after Bedikat Chametz, the ritual searching for the forbidden chametz. There was nothing to eat in the house, especially after a long day cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen to turn it into Pesach mode. For many years, my husband has brought home felafel from Jerusalem for us to eat after the "search," but this year he was home that day. When he did some shopping that afternoon, he checked at the pizza store, which apparently is attached to Merlot, about felafel. They didn't have any on their menu, but he was told that Merlot would be open until midnight with its full menu available.

Once we finished with the ritual, I "spruced myself up" for our post-Bedikat Chametz "date night," and we walked down the hill to Merlot. For those coming by car, there's a parking lot behind it, and it's also near bus stops for the 461 and 463 Egged Taavura. Merlot is across the street from the Shlomo Levyatan Supermarket and the Kupat Cholim Leumit clinic. Yes, the location is central and convenient, even for those who don't live in Shiloh. And of course it's strictly kosher mehadrin.

Merlot is open Sunday-Thursday 8am - 11pm. Friday 8am- until 1pm (or possibly later during summer hours,) and after Shabbat until 11pm. Call 02-6284601 for more information.

My husband ordered the Asian Stir-Fry, and I had the Sweet Potato Salad. We were both very happy with the food, which was delicious. We didn't order dessert, though I've eaten their desserts other times, including parties. Merlot also has a Breakfast Menu, which is offered until 12 noon.

Yes, we definitely recommend Merlot, and it's worth the trip, even if you don't live in Shiloh. Shiloh is only about ten minutes from the Ariel University, Ofra and of course closer to Eli and all the Gush Shiloh Bloc communities, besides being off of Highway 60 and barely ten minutes from the Alon Road.

Early Lunch and Visit to Israel Museum

Yesterday I only had one of my Matan classes, so I was finished there before 10:30, and I had made a date with a friend visiting Jerusalem. Since we had a couple of hours and we were both hungry, we decided to go to the Israel Museum.

Mansfeld Café is always a good choice for a simple tasty dairy meal. For her it was breakfast, and for me it was an early lunch. I chose the Quiche of the Day, which was spinach. It comes with a fresh salad and was totally delicious.

After eating we found ourselves just wandering around various exhibits, not with any real plan. We didn't even check to see what's new. There is always so much to see in the Israel Museum, even in the permanent exhibits there are changes, since the museum has  so much in its storage facilities.

We really enjoyed looking at these beautiful and amazingly modern-looking jewelry in the Jewish Costume and Jewelry: A Matter of Identity gallery.

Right now, even though quite a few galleries are being redone with  new exhibits, there's still plenty to see. As the days get hotter, it's extra important to find places that are indoors. Parking is free, and there are a number of buses that you can take to the Israel Museum.

Bagel Café Breakfast, Also Lunch

I have some good friends I meet regularly for all sorts of enjoyable activities. Yesterday's plan was a festive breakfast "out."

We decided that the most convenient location would be the Hadar Mall in Talpiyot. The big problem was to choose which of the many restaurants there. Until just a few months ago, there wasn't much choice, but now they've opened what could be called a third "food court" by the main entrance of the building on Pierre Koenig Street.

Choosing where to eat wasn't easy with so many restaurants. I checked out some via the internet, and we ended up at the Bagel Café, which has a nice large section by the front door.

There's a rather daunting, large selection of food to choose from, special breakfasts and the regular menu. At first glance, it's not cheap, but then I realized that I could "kill two birds with one stone." Since many of the breakfast choices contain too much food, which is why my friends weren't interested, I ordered the Israeli Breakfast.

The above photo doesn't even show all the food served to me. There was also a cookie, which I should have trashed. In the right hand upper corner of the above picture you can see a bit of a bagel. The first thing I did was to make myself a sandwich, tuna, salad and some cream cheese. That was put aside, later packed for my lunch. The remaining food was delicious, filling and kept me going until I got home after 3pm. All I ate, just before a 12 noon class in Matan, was an apple and cup of water. So, even though I spent more than I had hoped for breakfast, I really got two filling meals from it.

The wait staff was polite, but not all that professional. First of all, they should have asked me if I wanted to start or end with my coffee. They started by bringing me coffee and the cookie. The cookie wasn't worth the calories, and I'm sorry I ate it. And my carrot juice wasn't brought with the rest of the food, besides the fact that it should have had been served, or offered, first. I had to remind the staff that it was part of the breakfast. One of my friends had very clearly requested that she get a salad without any tomatoes. But the salad had tomatoes, so she sent it back.

The food was much better than a recent lunch I had at the Emek Refaim branch. Maybe it was the processed fish, we had eaten that had an awful salty aftertaste. This time I ate none of that.

We were all happy with our breakfasts. It was a nice treat.

Bagel Café
Hadar Talpiot Mall, Jerusalem
Sun-Thu 6:30- 23:00
Friday 6:30 -14:00
One Hour After Shabbat Till 23:00
1-700-500-751

Avihail Cafe, Near Malcha, But Not in The Mall

Last week, my friend and I wanted to have dinner together before going to see Hidden-The Secret Jews of Spain. I "consulted" with facebook friends to find a restaurant not far from the theater. A number of people suggested the Avihail Cafe, which is in Malcha, but not in the Mall.

Avihail Cafe ended up being perfect for many ways. Besides being Kosher Mehadrin, we were able to completely avoid the traffic jams by Teddy Stadium, where there was a big game at the same time. The only problem with the location is the lack of a parking lot, or we just couldn't find one. After driving around a bit, we found a spot down the street. There are bus stops right outside the restaurant.

The food was good. My friend had what's called "Toast," which in Israel is a version of American Grilled Cheese. It came with a salad, that they assembled to order. I had the Pea Soup, which tasted homemade, though a bit salty to my "no salt, please" taste.

We sat in the enclosed area, and it was very pleasant, not noisy and a comfortable temperature. I would definitely recommend Avihail Cafe if you'd like a nice dairy or fish meal in that part of Jerusalem, but not in Malcha Mall.

More information:
02-6782979 / cafeavichail@gmail.com
כתובת: הדישון 21, מלחה ירושלים
21 Hadishon Street, Malcha, Jerusalem

Hours שעות פתיחה:
8:00-23:00 או עד אחרון הלקוחות, or until the last customer leaves
שישי- מ8:00 עד שעה לפני כניסת שבת Friday from 8am until an hour before Shabbat
מוצ״ש- שעה לאחר צאת השבת ועד חצות או עד אחרון הלקוחות
Opens an hour after Shabbat and closes when the last customer leaves

Perfect "Breakfast for Two" in Bagel Cafe

Very early yesterday morning, one of my learning partners and I discovered that it would only be the two of us, instead of 3-6 (it varies from week to week) in Matan for our 7:45 breakfast plus chevruta Al Haperek Tanach Bible session. Whenever that happens, we end up just talking, so we decided to really "play hookey" and have breakfast "out."

I did a quick "google search" to find what would be open on nearby Emek Refaim, Jerusalem. Bagel Cafe, 54 Emek Refaim, fit our requirements. By 7:30am we were already seated and hungrily poring over the menu.

We decided on sharing a Breakfast for Two. The waiter took our order and accurately served us exactly what we had asked for, even though he didn't write it down. Salads and omelets were prepared separately, according to our individual requests.

All the food was delicious and exactly the quantity we needed. Our only complaint was that the coffee tasted rather ordinary. I had asked for "American or filter" and thought it tasted more like my Elite Turkish when perked. As you may know, most mornings I have real American coffee, Kirkland brought by a good friend, made in a French Press. So when I order American, I have a certain taste in mind.

We polished off pretty much everything served to us and agreed that we'd return there for breakfast whenever we have a good excuse.

That very filling breakfast really did the trick and kept me satisfied for hours afterwards. Usually I need an early lunch at 11:30 before going into my 12 noon class with Yael Leibowitz at Matan. But besides eating a few cashews in the middle of the class, I needed no food until I got home a few hours later.

The Bagel Cafe seems to be very popular, and people were lined up for takeout, besides those of us sitting at tables. It probably is the best breakfast on Emek Refaim. Give it a try. Bagelcafe.co.il/mobile, 1-700-500-751.

Merlot, Great Dairy Restaurant Here in Shiloh

Photo by Yisrael Medad

Thank Gd, we don't have to go far if we want to eat out. There's a wonderful dairy restaurant here in Shiloh, Merlot. It's just across from the main supermarket and Kupat Cholim Leumit. There are also bus stops in front and around the corner. And there's a parking lot, too.

The food is absolutely delicious, and Merlot is willing to accommodate for groups and those who have allergies/sensitivities. The hechshar in Merlot is Mehadrin dairy. You can call them for more information 02-6284601. Even though their site is all in Hebrew, there are menus in English, and the waitstaff speaks English.

I ate in Merlot twice this week with friends, and when we were redoing our kitchen, we ate there a few times.

I highly recommend Merlot. It's nice to have a pleasant, reasonably priced restaurant a short walk from home.

Feast your eyes on the photos:

As you can see, presentation is also top class.

Bye, Bye Cafe Rimon

For as long as I remember Jerusalem, going on forty-nine 49 years, there has always been a restaurant, or two, called "Rimon" just off of Zion Square on Lunz Street. And I've had some wonderful meals there. So when a friend and I were looking for a place to meet for lunch yesterday, The Rimon was an easy and popular decision.

I had been looking forward to ordering their "Business Lunch," and my friend expected to have their breakfast she loved, even though we were meeting after 1:30. We had ordered these things many times at that hour.

When I didn't see the business lunch on the menu, I just figured that the waiter had forgotten to give the extra sheet to us. And my friend was concerned that nothing was on the menu about breakfast being "served all day."

The waiter was friendly and charming, but that didn't help, since he had bad news for us. Both the attractive business lunch menu and breakfast all day are history in the Rimon. We had a very tough time finding something to order in the newly revamped menu. My friend ordered the "Crispy Salmon," and she told the waiter that they should leave out the spicy mayonnaise. One bite and she was in pain from the spices. They forgot, but at least the waiter offered to replace it and give her one without spicy mayonnaise. She liked the salmon and gave me a small piece. I found it awfully oily.

I wasn't happy with any of the salad options, and I didn't want to spend more for a fish meal. Many of the so-called salads were really sandwiches, or based on bread. And there were too many ingredients, which usually means too much oil and salt. Finally I chose the Asian Salad, even though it's based on pasta. At least it had some nice cooked vegetables. If you're wondering what that white stuff is on the right, you should be. I think they called it "rice sheets," or something like that. It looks a bit like thin Styrofoam, and it has less flavor than paper. Yes, it was that awful.

We were enjoying talking, but I needed to leave, and they hadn't given us our bill yet. I suggested we just walk out. They probably wouldn't have noticed. But instead we finally got the waiter's attention and asked for it. Then it took ages until they gave me my change.

Before leaving I went up to the WC, public toilet, and they were in awful shape. Luckily I noticed that there wasn't any toilet paper before closing the door, so I took paper towels. A woman came up right after me, and she complained too. Then we began discussing the new menu. We agreed that everything in the Rimon had gone downhill except the prices.

I won't be back.

Bye, Bye Cafe Rimon

Celebrating at Tereza & Seeing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This week some of my friends took me out for a pre-Birthday Lunch at Tereza, Cinema City Jerusalem. Afterwards we saw The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, because we had read the book for our book club.

At first we had trouble choosing a restaurant in Cinema City; there are so many. But despite the fact that Tereza bills itself as a "Pasta Bar," we chose it. It looked more interesting, and was relatively quiet. Apparently it's a chain, and I couldn't find a phone number for the branch itself, 1-700-700-338. 

Tereza offers those popular lunch specials in which for the price of just the main course you get a starter and juice, bottled water or soda. We all chose different menu items, breakfast, fish and pasta.

My first course of grilled eggplant, which included salad and white cheese, was so large and filling, I had them pack it up for me to eat the following day for breakfast. I chose a fish which was delicious. The bones had all been removed, so it was easy to eat. As you can see, there was also a large green salad, which I chose from the side dish options. The others were all carbohydrates.

My friends ordered us a celebratory waffle with ice cream and whipped cream for my upcoming birthday. It was the perfect end to a birthday lunch with close friends. And for me, eating a quarter of such a treat was enough to satisfy my sugar cravings. On that we were split. Half of us said that we were glad to share it, while the other half would have been happier eating an entire portion.

We all agreed that Tereza was a great choice. We loved the food and the atmosphere. Service could have been a bit swifter, but we made it to the movie on time.

Being that it was a Tuesday afternoon, the senior tickets were reduced to NS14, if I remember correctly. We also enjoyed the movie and agreed that the screenwriter did a pretty good job adapting it. With the exception of the non-American actor playing the fiance, who had an awful fake accent, casting was on target. I love the fact that British actors have real faces, unlike Americans who look like they've come off an assembly line in a toy factory.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a movie suitable for all ages.