Last update - 00:00 05/07/2007
Dining Out / Tried and true
By Daniel Rogov
There are not too many restaurants to which one can return, time after time, and every time walk away after a fine meal thinking that things have never been better. But so it has been since Carmella BaNachalla opened in Tel Aviv nearly six years ago, with chef Daniel Zach not only maintaining his light and accurate touch but regularly presenting new and often exciting dishes.
Visiting this time to sample Zach's new summer menu, we opened with three first courses. The first, of endive that had been seared on the grill, was served with halved fresh figs, walnuts and blue cheese, all in a gentle but flavor-filled balsamic vinaigrette. The endive, lightly sweetened as it was grilled, melded beautifully with the cheese and fruit and, accompanied by our chosen bottle of semi-dry Alsatian Riesling, was a special treat.
Nor did the same wine fail to please with a plate of lightly roasted red peppers and zucchini with the addition of honey and za'atar and tossed together with good Brinza cheese and halved grapes, all topped with a crisp, tissue-thin slice of bread that had been sprinkled generously with za'atar.
Continuing in this Mediterranean-Provencal style, our next offering was of a fine grouper tartar, the flavor-filled fish deliberately cut in somewhat thicker and larger cubes than is usual before being treated to a sauce that contained tomato seeds, seaweed and tobiko (shrimp eggs) all whipped gently together with sour cream.
It is possible at this restaurant to order many dishes in half-sizes so that one can build a kind of degustation menu. It was that path we followed with main courses; the first to reach our table a piping-hot black skillet containing a tempting array of shrimps, coquilles St. Jacques and calamari. The shrimps, with their tails intact, were firm and just crisp enough; the coquilles were plump, with their natural sweetness and the fresh taste of the sea fully preserved; and the calamari, also flavorful, were just chewy enough to please. Served in a cream sauce enriched with saffron and Pastis and topped with just firm enough wild rice, the dish was truly a marvel.
My companion's choice as a follow-up dish was for a grilled fillet of sea bass, with its skin crisp and served on a sweet, well made corn risotto. The risotto also contained dried peas flavored with wassabi that added charm to the dish, the crunchiness of the peas nicely complementing the soft corn. My own option was for the scaloppini of milk veal, the tender meat pounded until thin, served with a concentrated veal stock and with spaetzle, those little German noodles made by mixing together eggs, flour and salt and dripping the batter through a strainer into boiling water.
We shared a single plate of dessert, consisting of three different mini-offerings. The first, served in a small cup was a kremschnitt in which the sweet cream, plum jam and crisp pastry leaves came together very nicely indeed, the whole enriched with whipping cream. The second was of a slice of sponge cake with summer fruits, halvah and creme patisserie, a refreshing dessert that was surrounded by a good raspberry coulis. These two helped us finish off our bottle of wine but the third, a good thick dark chocolate mousse, served with croquante cookies, proved ideal with several cups of strong espresso coffee.
The service, as it has always been here, is genuinely warm and friendly and the restaurant, situated in an old building close to the Carmel Market, has both large and small rooms, and an impressive European decor.
The wine list, primarily of Israeli wines, is a good one with quite a few at reasonable prices. For special occasions, the list has been supplemented by several rare quality classic wines, which are far costlier. A degustation meal for two, including several first courses, several main courses and dessert will come to NIS 400-450. The restaurant also offers a business lunch for NIS 90-120. Considering that this remains one of the very best restaurants in the country, I consider this excellent value for money.
Carmella: Rehov HaTavor 46 (corner of Rehov Rambam), Tel Aviv. Open Sun - Thurs 12:30 - 23:00. Closed Saturday. Tel: (03) 5161417.