Just your average Tuesday

Tuesday is my day off and each week I try to adventure somewhere new or adventure somewhere old that I love.  This week, I started off with an adventure to find real coffee.  None of this Americano / fake latte business.  I wanted to find reaaaaal coffee, like the stuff I was accustomed to drinking on the daily in Melbourne.

After a little Googling, I found my place - Cafelix Coffee House in Jaffa.  They roast their own beans on premises (#love) and have two smaller cafes in Tel Aviv.  I decided to go all out and visit the roastery in Jaffa.  Jaffa is the basically on the oustkirts of Tel Aviv, more to the South aka closer to Rishon, so I expected the journey bus to be fairly simple. But this is Israel so simple turned into a bit of an adventure quite quickly.  

I took an express bus which goes to the central bus station in Tel Aviv but I thought that I would get off before the central bus station because that place is sketchy as eff and so confusing that's it's basically impossible to get a connecting bus unless you ask like 70 different people in and outside of the station where you need to go.  To my dismay, I had incorrectly interpreted my map (unsurprising) and the bus took me right into the central bus station.  After walking out of the bus station, then walking back in, then asking one information booth, then going upstairs and around a corner and walking 200m, asking another information desk and missing my original next connection, I found my bus and was on my way!

A little side note though - a group of artists have been trying to revamp the central bus station to make it less creepy so I stumbled across a wall of graffiti done by various artists.  It was actually super cool and did make the place less sketchy.  I snapped a few cute pics:

The birds are made of string!

After catching my second bus and finally making it to Jaffa, I found Cafelix and it was everything I had hoped for plus more.  They had their coffee menu on the wall written in English (#lessstruggle) and I proceeded to order a real filter coffee (#zerostruggle).  While the lady was making my filter I also perused the pastry cabinet and saw a pistachio and chocolate croissant and YOLO, so I ordered that too.

Filter coffee AHHHHHHH!!! 

The coffee wall of fame

The coffee was incredible.  The girl told me she made the filter with their single origin Papua New Guinea and it was perfection.  Extremely smooth I enjoyed veery drop.  And the croissant was obvs heavenly.  The cafe is only small but it is right next to a park so a lot of customers grab a cup and sit in the park enjoying the sun.  

The cafe also has a coffee wall of fame whereby they have labelled cups for VIPs.  If you are a VIP, you go into the cafe, pick up your cup, put it on the counter and order your coffee.  To me, that is the coolest VIP membership card out and also a goal of mine although the bus trauma to get there may stop me from ever reaching it.

I also tutor (I say tutor but really we just talk in English with me correcting a few mistakes here and there) a med student every Tuesday with his English and after I'd got my coffee and read my book in the park, he called.  As part of our agreement, E has offered to take me to cool places in Israel so we don't get stuck in a cafe for our tutoring sessions.  As I was already in Jaffa, he decided to take me to Abu Hassan, which apparently serves the best hummus in Israel.

After devouring that scrumptious croissant earlier on, I wasn't particularly hungry but I'm not one to shy away from food on a full stomach so we both ordered 15 shekel bowls of hummus (that's $5).  We actually ordered masbacha which E informed me was like creamy hummus with chickpeas.  Cool fact for those players at home, chickpeas are called hummus (with a throaty ch sound at the beginning) so I was basically eating hummus with hummus.  They serve it with raw onion, a spicy pickle onion sauce thing and fresh pita bread.  I would say quite comfortably that it was one of the best hummus' I've had in Israel.  It was so so so creamy and the chickpeas in the hummus were soft and delicious.

After our hummus adventure, E took me to this really cool park in Tel Aviv.  Israel is basically all desert so visiting a park with greenery, trees and a lake with ducks was a real treat.  It reminded me of Princes Park in Melbourne.  I basically couldn't stop taking photos and I really wish I had some bread to feed to the ducks.  (Well I did have some leftover pita from our hummus stop but I wasn't in the mood to share it!)

MM x

Haifa for the weekend

Last weekend I went up to Haifa to visit my family (yes, I have family in Israel)!  They are my cousins (I think), well Mira is my Mum's first cousin and she has a daughter, Karin and she has two adorable baby girls: Maya and Romi.  We spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out whether we were all first cousins or second cousins or fifth cousins but we just settled on cousins because either way, we are all related and it doesn't really matter.

I caught the train from Tel Aviv to Haifa and it was beautiful! The train line runs right along the beach so I had incredible views of basically untouched beaches.  I arrived around 4pm and we went straight to Karin's house to meet the family and get ready for the night's festivities.  It was Karin's birthday last week so we were going out to her favourite bar, the Duke, to celebrate with a few friends.  

Unfortunately, I have zero photos of the night but it started with a divine meal at the Duke of beef carpaccio, steak and fish and chips washed down with a few beers including my new fav beer in Israel, Kasteel Rouge.  It's a beer mixed with cherry flavouring and I love it! 

I met a few of Karin's friends and her family and it truly was an excellent night.  One of her friends had lived in Manila for the last 6 years and spent a lot of time travelling through South East Asia which has got to be one of my favourite places ever! She gave me a few suggestions of places to visit and eat when I'm next there. It was so nice to get out, have a few drinks and meet some new people.

The next day we visited Akko, which is about a 25 minute drive from Haifa.  Akko has a lot of history, as in Archeologists recently discovered a whole city underneath modern Akko in which the crusaders lived in Medieval times.  The archeologists claim to not have even found most of what is under modern Akko.  Pretty sick stuff.  

Today though, Akko is mixed city with Jews, Muslims and Christians living there.  The Old City I think is mostly Arabs but there are Churches, Synagogues and Mosques that you can visit.

We walked around the markets and through the old underground medieval city (including a pretty cool tunnel called the Templar's Tunnel) and ended our day at a beautiful restaurant by the Akko port aaaaaaand had seafood for lunch! Like real seafood with prawns and mussels and calamari.  I was so happy I could have cried! (Although again, I got so excited I forgot to get a snap of the meal) haha fail.  I did snap a photo of the menu though which is pretty funny.

Creamed calms... mmmmm

Hello blasphemous seafood!

Bloody beautiful mate

Two little cuties playing with wind toy thingys

MM x

My views on Israeli snacks

Buzzfeed recently, as in the last two days recently, did one of their amazing food review videos on Israeli snacks aaaaaaaaaaaaand it is potentially my new favourite video / an adequate representation of my weekly shop haha.  

Now what kind of ex-pat would I be if I didn't personally review all (but one) of the featured snacks for you.  In the order that they are shown:

Milky: aka God's gift to the snack world.  Apparently Israeli kids grow up on this stuff and I can totally understand why.  The bottom is chocolate pudding that isn't too sweet and it's topped with sweetened whipped cream.  Ridiculously simple but soooooo gewd.  I discovered a new version of it yesterday where the lid comes filled with tiny raindrop meringues that you mix in.  I died and went to snack heaven. Not.even.joking.

Milk chocolate with pop rocks: I could lie to you and tell you that I didn't consume a bar of this a week in my first two months here, but I'm not going to.  I did and I don't regret a single square of it.  This chocolate is perfection.  It's popping candy, the world's funnest candy, married to chocolate, the world's best food ever. It's basically a chocolate party in your mouth and I wish that Cadbury / Hersheys would make a version.

Bamba: BAAAAAAAMMMBAAAAA.  This is probably my fav Israeli snack.  When I first had it, it wasn't really my jam but once you down two packets of the stuff, you are basically addicted for life (so much so that a few months ago I investigated whether I could even source it in Australia for my return).  The best way to describe it is a cheetoh made of peanut butter.  It's salty but a little sweet but basically perfect.  I even got my Mum hooked when she vistied me.  Oh wait, I should tell you that they sell a variety with a tiny bit of chocolate in the middle of each bamba #genius.

Falafel Bisli:  I got hooked on these the last time I was in Israel but I wouldn't say they are my favourite as they are a little too crunchy for my liking; I'm more a puffed chip consumer but the flavouring is incredible.  Legit, it taste like falafel. I guess I would just rather eat real falafel.  It doesn't mean you shouldn't try them if you visit me.

Mocha Krembo: Now this shiz is really my jam.  They only produce Krembo in the winter because it's basically an uncooked meringue but holy bagoly, it is soooo fricken good.  It's a casual biscuit topped with meringue goey fluff covered in chocolate.  It's also dairy free which is a bonus.  There are multiple ways to eat a Krembo apparently with your chosen way telling a lot about you as a person.  I usually start at the top and work my way down ending on the cookie but if I am in a particularly exciting mood I put the whole thing in the microwave where it sought of puffs up into a warmer larger Krembo. #yummmmmmm.

So, basically, where the bloody hell are you?  Get your butts to Israeli so you can eat these amazing snacks with me!

MM x

Real Mexican food exists in Israel!

Mexican food isn't really a thing in Israel yet and it absolutely breaks my heart. However *drum roll please* today I finally located a legit Mexican cafe in Tel Aviv which is right off the shuk; Los Burning Tacos.  Genuine Mexican tacos; I think I nearly cried tears of joy.

The place is small including three or so outside tables and a bar inside with about nine seats.  The fit out is minimal and right behind the bar is the kitchen.  I watched as the chef compiled my lunch right in front of my eyes #freshhhhh.

I pulled up a seat at the bar with prime viewing position of the menu which is chalked on a blackboard.  It has all my Mexican favourites including charred corn, ceviche, nachos with salsa, burritos and my absolute fav, tacos!  The tacos and burritos come with either chicken, beef, fish and veggies.  I however, was lucky in that they currently have a special of pork tacos #hellsyes.  I thought it was funny how the special wasn't written on the board but I guess you shouldn't be publicly offering blasphemous food for sale.

The pork tacos were incredible.  Homemade soft taco shell with pulled pork, a mango (I think) sauce, salad of tomato, onion and chilli, guacamole and real lime (that or limey looking lemon but who cares).

 

I got talking to the waiter / maybe owner and asked him about whether Mexican food was popular in Israel.  He replied that it is slowly becoming mainstream but by no means popular yet.  He said Los Burning Tacos did last summer as a pop up in a bar and was so successful that they decided to open up shop. Out of the two that I have been to though, Los Burning Tacos was defs the tastiest and the most legit and I would highly recommend!

MM x

Buying pumpkin in Israel 101

I woke up this morning feeling all inspired to be healthy (after eating a billion and one pastries on our Jerusalem weekend) and decided to make myself my favourite veggie soup - pumpkin! Hurrah!  I walked myself to the supermarket but to my utter horror and despair they were fresh out of pumpkin.  Now, pumpkin isn't really something that you can really replace if you're trying to make yourself pumpkin soup, so disaster had really struck.

After reviewing my options (including attempting to make some sort of broth pumpkin soup sans pumpkin), I decided that my best chance would probably be to visit my trusted veggie man.

Now I'll admit, I've never seen pumpkin on his veggie shelves before but he really was my last chance if I wasn't going to abort my pumpkin soup mission.  After getting my groceries at the supermarket, I popped over to his store and asked him whether he had any pumpkin in the hope that it was out the back or hiding under a palate of onions or something.  And, thanks be to G-d, he replied yes and called his fellow veggie man (we will call him veggie man B for the purposes of this story) from the back to help me.

To my surprise, the pumpkin had been there all along basically staring me in the face under one of his veggie shelves and it was legit the size of a two year old child.  Veggie man B bent down to face the small child pumpkin and pulled out his carving knife (I am not kidding) as veggie man A asked me how much pumpkin I wanted.  A little shocked, I sort of motioned a decent square sized piece of pumpkin and bam - veggie man B cut me up a fresh slice of pumpkin and handed it to me upwrapped all ready to be taken home and turned into soup.  

So.... basically ... pumpkin shopping complete (of course I had my phone out the entire time to document this experience because it was too amazing).

I guess it goes to show that if you don't ask, you'll never know.

**pumpkin soup was a massive success.

MM x

Our food trek to South Africa

Yesterday, we went on an adventure, neigh, a food odyssey in search of Israel's only South African restaurant.  What happened was no less than potentially the most exciting day in Israel I have had thus far.

We started our adventure nice and early as even though our destination was only a 45 minute drive to the south, we had to take 3 buses with a combined travel time of 2 hours + #thestruggle.  Everything was peaches and cream for the first 2 buses: we stopped in Ramla, I got myself a 5 shek coffee from Cofix and then off to Beit Shemesh.  We got to Beit Shemesh around 12:30 and should only have had to wait 10 minutes for our next bus but alas, we live in Israel so should have sort of expected it - the bus never came #epicstruggle.  We were basically stranded in the middle of nowhere on the cusp of starvation.

Us stranded in Beit Shemesh prior to finding out the bus was never coming.

But, we got some cabs and alas, finally made it to the renowned Mike and Sharons' Bistro on Kibbutz Gal On.  I should probably add that in amongst our epic journey, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen in Israel thus far.  The rain had made everything so pretty and green! 

Because we are organised, we emailed Sharon prior to our adventure to assure a table at this famous establishment.  Little did we know though that the Bistro is usually closed on Sunday and Mike and Sharon had specifically opened it up for us - talk about ridiculously lovely!

The restaurant is decorated throughout with South African paraphernalia, including a photo of Mandela with their children.  The walls are also painted with a very apt picture of Mike and Sharon and scribblings from former guests.  But enough about the decor, what about the food?!

This is Mike

Guest messages

The menu!!

The food was amazing, and I really truly mean that.  We had samoosas to start  (note the extra o which is apparently legit if you are South African) and a side of complementary fries followed by a main of potjie (pronounced poikee which is like a beef stew) and boerewors (pronounced bouravors which are spiced sausages) both served with pap (pronounced pup which is sort of like polenta made with maize meal that's buttery, creamy and delicious).  I had the boerewors and omg, I am still dreaming about them + the sauce + the pap (mostly the sauce).  It was such a homely, warm and slightly decadent meal.  I loved every bite!

And of course, we didn't travel 2 hours by bus to not get dessert so we shared melktert (pronounced milk tart).  Mike told us he makes his with stevia so I felt a little less guilty about gorging myself.  It was creamy but sweet but not too sweet but actually, just perfect.  We then ended with Amarula - South Africa's national liqueur which is creamy and made from the African marula tree.  It sort of tastes like Baileys but better.  Apparently elephants in the wild eat the marula tree and get drunk which is quite the sight.

 

We spent the rest of our time sitting around with Mike, Sharon and their two daughters chatting, laughing and learning a few necessary South African phrases like now now which means 5-10 minutes or just now which means 20 minutes or more.  

Sitting around chatting

It honestly was the best day! Sharon offered to adopt us all, which we agreed too very quickly and also host us at the kibbutz for Valentines Day #hurrah!  We also signed the wall of the restaurant to mark our momentous afternoon spent there.

If you ever find yourself in the south of Israel with a car looking for a meal and a friendly face / hug, I couldn't recommend this place enough!

MM x