Top Tel Aviv restaurant burns down
Blaze engulfs and destroys high-end restaurant Mul Yam, one of Israel's most well-known dining establishments for 20 years.
Tel Aviv's high-end Mul Yam restaurant, one of the most well-known eateries in Israel, burned down completely on Wednesday night. Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at around 2 AM early Thursday.
The conflagration destroyed Hangar 24 in Tel Aviv's port, where the restaurant was located. Firefighters spent hours attacking the inferno, which was centered in the gallery and under the ceiling. They successfully contained it at around 4:45 AM.
"This is a very sad day for the Mul Yam family," said Ben Maharovsky, one of the restaurant's owners. "We'll know everything after an investigation, but as far as we know there was a small electric short circuit that ruined a 20-year-old restaurant."
The restaurant was founded in 1995 by Shalom Maharovsky, an importer of wines, fish, and seafood. Its first chef was Yonatan Roshfeld, who departed after less than a year. He was replaced by Yoram Nitzan, who has directed the Mul Yam kitchen since.
The menu was based mainly on fine, rare seafood and fish, and the restaurant considered at the forefront of Israel's elite dining establishments. It celebrated its 20th birthday only months ago.
This was not the first such disaster to strike the Maharovsky family. Two years ago, the Pier 23 restaurant, also owned by Ben Maharovsky and located next to Mul Yam, caught fire, forcing it to close temporarily.
