Chef Avi Levi
Photo: Asaf Karela
A master chef serves up Algerian comfort food
Avi Levi, who won the second season of Channel 2's competitive cooking show, opens Chiripom in downtown Tel Aviv.
When Avi Levi won Channel 2's "Master Chef" competition in the show’s second season, he received offers from exclusive restaurants in Tel Aviv. He turned them all down to start his own, rather modest, kosher restaurant in Jerusalem, near the Mahane Yehuda market.
As one sits down to peruse the menu - there is an English one, complete with symbols denoting vegetarian and vegan - the waitress is likely to suggest starting with an arak "chaser." Since I am not a fan of anise-flavored spirits, I had my doubts but allowed myself to be persuaded to try a premium brand (Fairouz). I was impressed by the deep amber color and won over by the smoothness: It tasted like liquid licorice candy.
We progressed to more substantial appetizers, starting with mehammar, falafel-type balls of combined mashed potato and sweet potato. Distinctive and delicious, the taste is reminiscent of Indian cuisine.
Now, three years later, and just three months ago, he finally opened his Tel Aviv restaurant - another modest establishment, although on a street (Ahad Ha’am) that boasts other prestigious restaurants.
Yasou!
Buzzy Gordon
Authenticity is the hallmark of Greco, a Greek restaurant and bar typical of Israel's eastern Mediterranean neighbor.
The mezze salads, available as side dishes, include the usual suspects (hummus, tehina, etc), but there are a few standouts that are a cut above the ordinary - in particular the chunky matbouha, the roasted red peppers, and the spicy eggplant, all served with pita baked fresh on the premises.
Photo: Anatoli Michaelo
Chiripom’s version of fish-and-chips comes dressed in chermoula, one of Levi’s signature sauces. The tangy Algerian condiment really perked up the fish sticks and golden disks of fried potato.
One of the truly exotic dishes on the menu is mebbauer, perhaps best described as Algerian kishka. The calf derma stuffed with lamb was served atop a bed of baby chickpeas that were drenched in a brown sauce of exquisite complexity.
No self-respecting North African restaurant would be without merguez (spelled here merges) on the menu, and Chiripom is no exception. The spicy sausages here are as good as I’ve tasted in Israel.
Photo: Anatoli Michaelo
According to our waitress, one of the most popular dishes here is the Algerian veal hamburger, which both looks and tastes different from its Ashkenazi cousin. The meat patty is smothered with caramelized onions, sandwiched between slices of the house pita, then flattened and grilled panini-style. The result is juicy and flavorful, with a touch of sweetness imparted by the browned onions.
The kuffta meatballs are another Chiripom specialty. After the ground beef is seasoned and cooked, it is placed in the oven and roasted a second time together with cauliflower. Served with generous drizzles of tehina, it is a filling and satisfying dish.
As creative as both these entrees are, my vote for the most inventive dish on the menu goes to the khraime sweetbreads. The preparation of the rich, delicate veal sweetbreads in a manner usually associated with fish was inspired.
There is a limited wine list, but the pleasant house Cabernet - bearing the Tavor winery’s Adama label - was ideal for washing down all the main courses.
The treat that is discovering Algerian Jewish cuisine extends to the desserts at Chiripom as well. The basbousa - semolina coconut cake in a lemon, verbena, and mint sauce - was surprisingly moist, and far and away the best example of this sweet I have experienced anywhere.
Finally, the profiteroles à la Chiripom are cream puffs with a North African-Middle Eastern twist: the cream filling is almond rather than vanilla, and the entire confection is infused with rose water. All in all, a gooey delight that combines the best of French and Maghreb patisserie traditions.
Chiripom
Kosher
29 Ahad Ha’am St., Tel Aviv
Tel. (03) 620-0022
