Top Gastro

At the end of a dimly lit, dead-end street (no sign in sight) are two heavy doors; open them and you’ll find THE restaurant which everyone in Tel Aviv is talking about and salivating for. The atmosphere, including classical music at full blast is, is incredible: welcome to the abode of Chef Eyal Shani, a star chef and cooking show judge. Chef Eyal Shani already has an impressive trail of trendy restaurants that people fight to get into. Our waiter patiently tells us in detail about the Chef’s signature dishes. The service is never pressured. The entire team is amiable and good-humored, at once drinking, laughing, cooking and serving. You feel like you’re enjoying a meal with friends. It is quickly apparent that the intention here is to highlight the product, rather than being sophisticated. The focus is on freshness, quality, and seasonal ingredients. In this spirit, the menu changes daily depending on the market and the Chef’s inspiration. The Maestro performs for those seated at the bar: he delicately assembles, tastes, and puts the final touch on the dish, after his assistant’s energetic preparation. Hasalon which uses only excellent quality ingredients offers intense visual, olfactory and taste pleasures and a high energy vibe. If possible, experience it seated at the bar and from 10:00 pm onwards, and don’t forget to bring a full wallet as this pleasure has a price. Eyal SHANI has got the award of the best entrepreneur and culinary trendsetter.

We reserved at OCD four weeks ahead of time to meet the prodigy of Tel-Aviv gastronomy. We are warmly welcomed in a setting perfectly matched to the concept: 20 comfortable chairs seated around a U-shaped bar, with a panoramic view of the kitchen in which the chef, Raz Rahav, and his assistants are busily at work. This is not the chance to observe the spectacle of a star chef but a young, modest highly focused chef whom it is quite easy to confuse with his assistants. The service is remarkable thanks to the attentive but discreet maitre D and the waiter who carefully explains each composition, technique and seasoning. The service is perfectly timed, making us feel a part of the process. Very quickly, a close feeling is established between the staff and the diners. The mood is so intimate that we can’t help sharing our impressions with our neighbors. The mise en bouche sets the tone: a subtly refined mini-donut with labné. The series of dishes that follow are truly delightful. Some of the combinations are extremely innovative and the products are of the highest quality. They include wakame algues, sesame crumble, dried, fried mochi, whisky cream, smoked potatoes, parsnips, pecans, black garlic cream, sage, hilbe (a Yemenite condiment), to name just a few. This is inventive, visually graphic cuisine that delivers an intensely pleasurable tasting experience. The unique concept of the tasting menu takes into account your dietary restrictions, about which you are asked about when you reserve. The chef is discreet, hardworking, and in no way imbued with his own star status. The cuisine is extremely refined and made with utterly fresh, meticulously worked products for an unrivalled quality to price ratio. Raz RAHAV has been elected the Chef of the year Gault&Millau 2018.