Culinary variety: Haifa’s Food Tour, Tel Aviv’s World Food Market
Review: Trendy restaurants are breathing new life into Haifa’s lower city, while ethnic cuisine is showcased monthly at different venues in Tel Aviv.
I confess that I used to tell tourists planning a trip to the north of Israel that Haifa is worth half a day at most: the view from the top of Mt. Carmel, and maybe a walk through the Bahai Gardens. The sights—and even the restaurants—of Caesarea and Acre are the real highlights of the Western Galilee.
No longer. I was recently introduced to a couple of game-changers. In addition to the best hotel in the Western Galilee—the Dan Carmel—Haifa is home to several newer (and more affordable) boutique hotels. And now—thanks to the efforts of the Haifa Food Tour—there is another good reason to spend an overnight in the city: to enjoy the food.
Haifa Food Tour is the brainchild of American-born Jessica Halfin, who considers herself an “ambassador of Israeli culture through food” when she introduces tourists—many of whom are cruise passengers—to her city’s culinary delights. There are two facets to the new Haifa culinary scene: street food, and more upscale establishments.
Halfin recently share her favorite street foods in an article for Time Out, a leading leisure and lifestyle magazine.
At the same time, her tours highlight a neighborhood of Haifa’s lower city adjacent to the port and central railway station that is coming back to life, with restaurants, bars and artists’ studios replacing storehouses and other industrial buildings that were falling into decline.
On a recent foray, Halfin led a group on an evening restaurant and pub crawl along Hanamal Street, a quasi-pedestrian walkway that is now home to some ambitious eateries, serving intriguing food.
First up was Hanamal 24, with the credentials to merit the adjective gourmet, thanks to Chef Ran Rosh, who previously owned his own restaurant in Paris after having trained in a Michelin two-star restaurant. Located in a former grain storage building whose interior mimics a Tuscan courtyard, Hanamal 24 serves classic French cuisine adapted to Haifa’s Mediterranean environs. In our brief visit we sampled a velvety cream of onion soup, and an over-the-top dish of foie gras with white chocolate and chili.
Across the street is Morel Worldwide Tapas and Wines, opened by Chef Liraz, who relocated to Haifa from the Upper Galilee in order to be part of the city’s culinary revitalization. His winning formula combines wine starting at the affordable price of NIS 20 per glass with generous tapas dishes spanning the globe’s cuisines, such as tuna tartare tacos and New York steak carpaccio.
Just a few steps away is Chang Ba Thai Street Food, a newcomer to the neighborhood where it has expanded to larger premises, owing to its popularity among the locals. The Israeli and Thai chefs whip up some mean curries, and did an excellent job of frying a whole fish.
Around the corner, Venya Bistro, under new management, is upgrading its food menu, alongside its inventive cocktails. It has a fully stocked bar, and a plethora of al fresco seating.
Finally, back on the main drag of Hanamal Street, the Libira Brewpub is an impressive establishment, with its giant tanks of suds in full view. Libira brews five craft beers—two German-style, an English bitter and stout, and a Belgian ale, which can be enjoyed in tasting flights or washing down pub food ranging from the hearty—like sausages and burgers—to the sophisticated, like smoked salmon and paté de campagne.
We did not encounter any bakeries in the neighborhood, but this did not prevent our resourceful tour leader from providing us with delectable desserts from one of Haifa’s leading pastry chefs, the proprietor of Gal’s Bakery, which both supplies local restaurants and operates a popular café.
Haifa Street Food Tours.
Ethnic food galore at Tel Aviv’s sprawling World Food Market
Drawing inspiration from such international foodie hotspots as London’s Borough Market and New York’s Chelsea Market, Israeli entrepreneurs Na’ama Eliyahu and Gary Ghozlan have launched a monthly enterprise they have named World Food Market.
“In World Food Market,” says Eliyahu, “we wish to showcase a variety of dishes from all corners of the world. In fact, this is an opportunity to be exposed to the diversity of cuisines in Israel.
“The dishes offered at the market are as authentic as possible, and are mostly prepared by those people who grew up eating them,” she adds. “In addition, we have made sure the prices are fair, ranging between NIS 10-30 per dish.”
One weekend a month, the World Food Market comprises between 21 and 30 booths cooking and serving food for five hours on Friday and six hours the following day. Each booth represents a different country, or at least different regions of a country; the total number of booths depends on the size of the venue, which has been rotating since the ambitious market launched just this summer.
According to Eliyahu, the market is looking for a permanent home, hopefully one where the organizers will not have to charge an entrance fee, so the only cost to customers will be the price of the food. For the time being, most markets have been held at 8 Dubnov Street in Tel Aviv, where tickets to enter cost a nominal NIS 10. At the larger venue of Beit Romano in Jaffa, there is no entrance fee.
“So far, we are just barely breaking even,” says Eliyahu, for whom the World Food Market is clearly a passion. “We are not yet turning a profit.”
At the most recent event, there were hundreds of people lined up to sample cuisines from five continents: Africa was represented by Sudan and South Africa; Asia by Georgia, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan; South America by Chile, Colombia, and Argentina; and Europe by Greece, France (2), the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
American food was celebrated by real culinary professionals: Greg, the founder of the Cafe Greg chain, presided over three booths, and dished out succulent slow-cooked brisket sandwiches on pretzel rolls, while Talya Rasner of NOLA served up Southern BBQ and S'mores.
There is plenty of variety when it comes to drinks as well: bars serving wine, beer, and soft drinks. There is also Kombucha—a refreshing, fermented fizzy iced tea flavored with exotic combinations of fruit and herbs—such as sage strawberry, guava lemongrass, grapefruit geranium and persimmon cinnamon (which also can be drunk hot).
I was not disappointed by any dish I tried, and I certainly was full by the time I left. It is not humanly possible to eat everything on offer, so there is no need to be greedy—just mark your calendar for the next month’s culinary extravaganza.
World Food Market.
