RoundTables - HaYarkon99

Admin
Oct 31, 2017
4 min read

I know that this blog is supposed to be about Jerusalem cuisine - but I feel the need to report on the meal I had last night at HaYarkon99, in Tel Aviv. For those of you who are not aware, The RoundTables campaign, by American Express, brings Michelin-starred chefs from around the world to create a pop-up in an Israeli restaurant. There was only one kosher option, at HaYarkon99 in the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.

The Michelin-starred chef was Andreu Genestra Garcia, from Mallorca. And it was a pleasure to meet him and taste his food. I couldn't resist asking him a bit about what it was for him to be here in Israel and cook in a kosher kitchen. He was certainly thrilled to be here. He lamented a bit that with the pressures of time he was only able to spend 1/2 day in Jerusalem and none in Nazareth - but he was absolutely thrilled to be in Tel Aviv. In fact, he felt that RoundTables - and certainly his menu - were more geared for Tel Aviv; and he felt it wouldn't succeed in Jerusalem. "Jerusalem is the country's capital; but Tel Aviv is the country's cultural capital." As for cooking in a kosher kitchen; his attitude was refreshing. Often, we hear about the limitations of cooking kosher - about what we're missing out on. Chef Andreu views the experience as not a challenge; rather an opportunity to play and learn and create. "I looked at it like a game. If you constantly do the same thing; it's boring. To cook in a kosher kitchen is an opportunity to learn and hone skills that might not ever be used." For example, he related a story when he was creating the cream on Friday evening - and it wasn't done yet. But the Rabbi came in at 5PM and demanded he stop. "No. I can't." he replied. "But you must!" replied the Mashgiach. Eventually not only did they come up with a way to compromise they actually became very good friends.

The restaurant certainly had a pop-up feel. We were seated in what seemed to be a large foyer between several restaurants and cafes in the Hotel. A bar was built - as was a staging area for expediting the food. While the food may have been Michelin star quality; the service wasn't. it was good by Israeli standards; but not exceptional by any means. For example, we were not offered water when we sat down - nor were we offered drinks beyond the initial order at the beginning of the meal. Nor was the salt, spilled by the waitress as she placed the menus, cleaned up until after the meal and before dessert.

Now for the food. Well, let's start with some adjectives... Tasty. Interesting. Colorful. Intelligent. This was a very good meal. Not the best I've had. But certainly indicative of a thoughtful approach from a young chef who is, for the first time, cooking in Tel Aviv - and cooking kosher.

As our drinks were being prepared, we were served bread. According to the bread waiter - this was a traditional Mallorcian service. There were two breads offered: a crusty baguette (not French as the crust was crispier and the inside not as chewy) and slices of a wonderful multi-grain bread; kept warm in a small dish with warmed rocks. The baguette was, as per Mallorcian tradition, broken in half by our bread waiter and presented for approval before being placed on our bread plates. A generous serving of olive oil was provided as well.

We started with a delightful amuse bouche - one bite to set the tone for the rest of the meal. My wife thought that this was the best course of the entire meal. And it was certainly an impressive start. The amuse was a cauliflower and moringa cream (moringa is a leaf that is purported to have many health benefits), caramelized onions and pine nuts on a cripsy empanada skin. The second course was a series of three salads - Fennel and duck breast, tomato tartar and an eggplant ravioli. Of the three, my favorite was the ravioli - in brick pastry (brick pastry is a Moroccan preparation of Warka pastry). And while I'm not a huge fennel fan - this preparation managed to restrain the licorice flavor. There wasn't enough of the smoked duck breast for me. The tomato tartar - with banana puree - was OK. A bit muddled and overall not my favorite. This was followed by a sea bass appetizer with eggplant "scallops" over a bed of pesto mustard with a sauce that had only a hint of truffle. This was a very good dish. My only complaint was that I wanted more!!! For the main course, we were able to choose between a lamb pastrami or a veal cheek terrine. We got one of each - and were not disappointed. This wasn't an awe inspiring course either; but they were both very tasty and technically sound dishes. I was especially impressed with the knife work used to create the sweet potato "risotto" on the lamb dish and the smokiness of the pastrami. The veal terrine was smartly paired with pears and cinnamon. For dessert, we were served a basil and lime sorbet with crispy eucalyptus "bread" and balsamic vinegar "caviar"; and a strawberry pavlova with meringue and a lemon confit. The pavlova was the contribution of chef Oved Alfia - chef of HaYarkon99; while the basil and lime dish was created by chef Andreu - and had no added sugar. Both were delicious. All in all, this was a memorable event and a VERY good meal. I couldn't say that the meal itself was worth the 299 NIS price tag per person; but this is an experience that I'll remember for a very long time!