Hidden behind the Great Synagogue on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, is a row of restaurants/ bars which truly come alive at night. Walking down the line of enticing eateries with their various facades, seating ar
rangements and the sumptious smell of flambed food, it is not an easy task to choose which one to spend an evening in. Luckily for us we were invited by some sweet friends to have late supper in a restaurant which sounded as though it should be in Italy! The restaurant called Santa Katarina which you would believe to have a traditional Italian touch , is as far from the soggy spaghetti cuisine as I am from the Holy Grail! The name in fact belongs to a Greek Orthodox monastery sited on Mount Sinai where G-d appeared to Moses. However, even with a somewhat misleading branding the food is definitely delicious enough to forgive the titillating title.
As usual we were slightly late, ( I blamed it on Sweet man) so our friends were already seated at a table for four close enough to another table that we could almost taste what they were eating. You get the picture, the place was chock-a-block full with customers and tables tightly packed in. With the atmosphere buzzing and foodie odors wafting under our noses we quickly got down to perusing the menus in the limited lighting. With one none meat eater in our midst we selected dishes including fish, not just keeping to the meatier kebabs which the waitress highly recommended.
To my mind, the food at this establ
ishment is a fusion between updated Italian and modern Middle Eastern , with dishes often served on traditional hummus or tahini bases. The menu includes favorites like cerviche, beef skewers, char grilled fish & seafood plus delightful al dente flavorful vegetables. Desserts include a specialty cake called of barbousa made from semolina. (No similarity to school pudding!) The use of a huge domed brick taboon oven imported from Italy in the open kitchen, ensures that the homemade Focaccia bread, twisted bagels, pizzas and savory pastries are baked to crispy perfection.
The restaurant opened earlier this year and has become a popular place for casual dining. Fairly modest in decor it is a noisy but fun eatery frequented by the trendy young and young at heart crowd!
We had a enjoyable evening. The company of our good friends, welcoming tasty wholesome cooking and a glass of wine to toast life with. Fortunately for us Sweet friends footed the bill on this occasion, but I did notice that this special treat was not too extravagant in price.
2, Har Sinai St.
Tel: +972 58-782-0292
Opening Hours:
Mon – Thu & Sun-5:30pm – 01:30am
Friday 12:30pm – 01:30am
Saturday 7:00pm – 01:30am
Reservations: Suggest you book at weekends
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