Dining Out / Saturated in good taste - Restaurants - Israel travel and tourism

As the founder of the original Keren when it was located on Ibn Gvirol Street in the mid-1980s, and then as the founder of Lilith during its stay on Rehov Mazeh, Keren Hendler Kremmerman has had a long and distinguished culinary history in Israel. And now, with the opening of Jaffa's Horace, she is moving once again to make her mark on the local dining scene.

Keren's mark, it should be understood, is one that involves style and atmosphere as much as the food that is being served. Named in honor of gallery owner Horace Richter, the new restaurant is as much a gallery as it is a restaurant. A brightly painted wooden horse and colorful sun umbrellas give a uniquely Indian note to the setting, as does a statuette of a fat Buddha tucked away in one wall. European touches include a small fountain on one wall, several crystal chandeliers and several large paintings. In fact, everywhere one looks there is a surprise awaiting - a green plant, a decorative dish mounted on the wall, a gargoyle staring at you from a tiny crevice.

And then there are several large tables laden with dishes, silverware and serving pieces, all of which are for sale in this boutique qua gallery qua restaurant. And, truth be told, from the small second floor dining room, an intimate bar set in the midst of the gallery, to the outdoor terrace, covered partly by a trellis and partly open to the sky, everything is saturated in good taste and inspiration. The silverware was even brought from the original Lilith, and that, too, makes one feel at home here.

Dining here is a casual enough affair, with a small menu containing just enough to grab our attention. We opened our lunch by sharing a small Caesar salad, which contained, as it should, perfectly fresh and crisp romaine lettuce hearts; croutons that had been sauteed in olive oil until they were crisp and golden; the traditional dressing of Worcestershire sauce, crushed garlic, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, raw egg yolks and salt and pepper; and a topping of Parmesan cheese shavings. The dish was simple but delightful and refreshing. What was missing were the traditional crushed anchovy fillets, but the salad was good enough that those were barely missed. With the salad we received a portion of the house bread, which had a good firm crust, with a few pumpkin seeds inside. The only fault that I could find so far was that the butter served was not of a high quality. Fortunately, there was enough sauce left from the salad in which to dip the bread.

I went on to a portion of meatballs, a combination of lamb and beef. The meatballs, speckled with pine nuts, were just firm enough. Their rich meaty flavor was complimented by a well-made lemony sauce that contained dark green Turkish spinach, with an appealing bitter note, and tarragon. The dish was accompanied by a generous serving of rice, which in and of itself was rather flavorless but when mixed together with the sauce, it was quite rewarding.

My companion opted for a quiche. Baked in a gentle, flavor-filled and just crisp enough filo dough pastry base, the filling of spinach and Roquefort cheese proved airy and rich, the quiche happily calling to mind those of Parisian patisseries and not the dull, heavy creations one receives in most local restaurants. The quiche was accompanied by a salad of red and green lettuce, tomatoes and sunflower sprouts in a simple but well-made vinaigrette sauce.

For dessert we shared a generous slice of Calvados cake, in which a generous hint of Calvados, the apple brandy of Normandy, came together marvelously with a rich, crumbly white cake containing bits of apples. The dish was served with a small portion of whipped cream. We requested a bit more cream and received a generous bowl of thick, sweetened whipped cream topped with two ripe strawberries, a small treat for any hedonist. Our closing espresso coffees were strong and flavorful.

The outskirts of Jaffa's flea market, where the restaurant stands, is becoming gentrified, and Horace adds another face to the varied culinary offerings now on offer. There is nothing fancy or pretentious here -the dishes are simple but well thought-out and prepared. Equally important, the restaurant is charming and the pastoral atmosphere, only a few meters from the bustling small workshops, reminds one of charming places in Tuscany and Provence. All in all the food, the friendly but not familiar service, and the pleasing ambience come together very nicely indeed. Our food bill for two came to NIS 170, to which glasses of the Sauvignon Blanc wine of Tabor added NIS 29 each. Definitely worth visiting.

Horace: 34 Olei Tzion (in the Flea Market), Jaffa. Open daily 10:00-midnight. Tel.: 077 216-0040.