Ruben | The power of corned beef

I won't go on and on about Ruben, not since they don't deserve - because they really do; except I wrote about them before, so I'll just paste links to previous posts.

The picture below is from last week; I was drinking out with friends and when we got the munchies we realized Ruben was around the corner.

corned beef on white bread, with mustard, herb aioli, horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomato

The sandwich was amazing as always, so was the service.

Look at that pinkish, juicy meat.

LOOK AT IT.

Read more:

The Search for Tel-Aviv's Perfect Sandwich: Ruben

Corned Beef Sandwich @ Ruben

Beef & Turkey Pastrami Sandwich

Read this post in Hebrew

A Visit to Hummus Abu Adham

Abu Adam is probably at the top of my all time favorite hummus list.

The amazing hummus, hearty service, low reasonable pricing and infinite refills are a what hummus enthusiasts' dreams are made of.

This is just one in a series of frequent visits - hopefully I'll soon gather a post reviewing all of them combined. 

hummus, fave beans, tahini, egg, parsley, cumin, paprika

There's no way do textually describe just how good this hummus is, so all you can really do is stare at this picture and envy me.

Seriously, it's really good.

If you happen to be in the area - don't miss it!

Another BLT from Dixie Grill Bar, Tel-Aviv

Quick update:

Since the previous BLT from Dixie was so good -  I ordered another one, it turned out to be even better!

That is all.

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich w. Bacon @ Moses TLV

2am sandwich at Moses, Tel-Aviv: slightly roasted bun, arugula mayo, lettuce, tomato, grilled portobello mushrooms and a side of bacon. Also at hand - a plate of fries with BBQ and chili sauce.

Although this sandwich was supposed to be a vegetarian take on BLT (Moses call it PLT on their menu) I could not resist my urges - thus the bacon.

In light of my previous disappointments with this location and the chain in general (great dishes replaced with mediocre ones and prices being jacked) this sandwich was amazing, affordable and quite a nice companion to their late night discount on booze.

The service war horrible, but the food was great and the ambiance was generally pleasant.

The so called PLT is very much worth returning for.

BLT from Dixie Grill Bar, Tel-Aviv

Ordered this beauty over the phone and hoped for the best; luckily I got much more that I bargained for.

A fresh ciabatta bread, crunchy lettuce, a delicious tomato, mustard based mayo and a large amount of thickly cut bacon, both crisp and juicy.

That lovely sandwich and a side of fries, my lunch was pretty epic.

BLT from Dixie Grill Bar, Tel-Aviv: bacon, lettuce, tomato,mustard mayo, ciabatta

The order arrived in less than 30 minutes, it was wrapped neatly and contained everything we've payed for (don't you just hate it when items are missing or arrive with a topping you asked to remove?).

It was one of the most efficient deliveries I've seen in quite a while and the tip was high enough to show our appreciation. 

This was a total 10/10, with top notch food and service.

I will gladly order from Dixie again.

10 Sheqel Falafel | HaMasger 73, Tel Aviv

Before I start, allow me to do the math for you:

10nis (New Israeli Sheqel) are the equivalent of 2.77 US Dollars.

Mind you, $2.77 is a great price for any kind of food, especially for a falafel sandwich.

The price range in Israel shifts between 15 and 20nis, with the exception of a handful of places that are trying to brake the market with 6-10nis falafels.

That said, it doesn't matter what you pay if the falafel sucks.

This falafel didn't suck.

We came in at about 15:00; at such a point of the day a good falafel has either ran out of most things fresh, or currently having everything prepared for the second or even third time that day.

And indeed, some of the food ran out already, some of the salads too; and they were prepearing new salads and falafel as we came in, upon order.

The pita was fresh and warm, quite an achievement for three in the afternoon.

I was told that they buy from nearby bakery, so they have fresh inventory at all times.

My falafel was great, crispy and flavorful.

With fresh and pickled cabbage, tomato \ cucumber \ pepper salad, tahini and amba - it was wonderful.

The amba was a reall bouns, when it's good - it's great; Amba is a mango based condiment  it's sweet, sour, tangy, a bit spicy, not unlike chutney, but introduced to Israel by Iraqi Jews.

It's mostly found in falafel \ shawarma places.

Bottom line: I will gladly eat there again (also - very friendly service).

Roast Beef Bagel

Wasn't even my idea, it was the lady.

We were at a new delicatessen, it was crowded, claustrophobic even.

I went out for a breath of air, she hung in inside for a while, and later came out declaring she's craving for a roast beef sandwich. 

I'm not one to argue on such matters.

poppy seed bagel, mustard, roast beef, grilled eggplant, cucumber, tomato, lettuce

Tal Bagels, that was our destination of choice.

The place was kinda empty, but with enough people to not seem suspicious.

While our roast beef was sliced and heated and we chose our bagels. I picked poppy seed and she wanted a zaatar bagel, later switching to a light bagel.

My poppy seed bagel also featured: mustard, roast beef, grilled eggplant, fresh crunchy cucumber slices, tomato and lettuce. Heating the meat made it lose the pinkish hue, but the flavors and softness made up for that. All and all it was a sandwich justifying the fact we ran out of the hippest deli in town.

HaCarmel Hummus

In the middle of Tel-Aviv's HaCarmel market, on the market's busiest steer, lies a hummus placed named after the street it's located on. Hummus HaCarmel is also named Hummus Magen David (star of David), a name that goes well with the interior design. Numerous Judaic artifacts, books and even some of the seats used to be synagogue benches.

But the main thing, their hummus, it's divine.

  hummus, soft chickpeas, parsley, pickles, skhug and a can of non-alcoholic malt beer

A few warnings:

• Self service! Go to the counter, make your order, take your food and sit down in one of the two halls available.
• Make sure you know what you want: Hummus HaCarmel offer a unique style of plating in which all of the stuff that's often served in several dishes is piled onto your plate so if you don't want a side of pickles, skhug or chopped onion you better pay attention.
• The skhug is amazing. Their version of this popular hot sauce is closer to the traditional green Yemenite skhug but it's not all green chilli peppers; there's a touch of cilantro and chunks of red stuff that might be tomatoes but also could be red peppers. It's not the deadliest hot sauce, it's moist and not as oily as others in this genre, but it might physically hurt some of you.
• The pricing is absurd. You won't get these prices anywhere. They charge roughly 50% less than anyone out there on both food and drinks. I'm guessing that the self service and the fact that they have lots of diners helps them to not lose money that way, or maybe they're just less greedy.

hummus, soft chickpeas, parsley, pickles, skhug, olive oil

This is my current favorite and I make an effort to visit every Friday.

It's hard to argue which hummus is the best since it's a matter of personal taste, but this is certainly not one of the bad ones.

The taste is rich, the paste is smooth and creamy, the toppings add a whole new dimension of textures that other hummus venues seldom explore.

I'd give Hummus HaCarmel five stars or a 10/10 rating, but I don't do that shit, it's not that kind of blog.

The Search for Tel-Aviv's Perfect Sandwich: Ruben

Ruben is a place that you can easily get addicted to its produce. They have several branches yet they're able to keep the original ma & pa look and feel, kind service and most importantly - incredible sandwiches.
Ruben, which sounds like Reuben and kinda looks like it too - is not your classic Reuben.

The pictures below were taken in the Carlebach \Yehuda Halevi branch, it's the closest one to where I live and I ate quite a few sandwiches there. You can smell the cured meats outside the store, and when you walk in the serving counter is right in front of you, there are bar stools to sit on and look out the huge windows. There's a second floor, with more stools and windows, and even a balcony.

Juicy, moist, thinly sliced corned beef, sauces, gherkins, a frosty Dr. Pepper

The menu is quite simple. Three sandwich sizes, two types of sliced bread, there's beef, there's turkey, sauces and vegetables, just name your ingredients and it's made in front of you while you drool. You might even get a few slices of meat to snack while you wait. Each sandwich gets a side of two delicious, crispy gherkins.

The fridge is packed with all the usual drinks, plus Dr. Pepper and several types of Dr. Brown's. There are also  two taps of beer (and pitchers if you're that thirsty).

Now for the sauces: there's a superb horseradish sauce, mustard, mustard cut with date syrup, herb aioli, and a hot sauce. The vegetables are pretty basic: tomatoes, lettuce, onions and pickled cabbage with onions.

A perfect corned beef sandwich

The sandwiches are of the kind that makes you come back again and again. Tender, smoked, moist meats, fresh and delicious everything, it's a foodies wet dream. The prices are reasonable and there's always good music playing in the background.

The only bad thing I can think of would be the opening hours, this place should operate 24/7.

If you're a fan of sandwiches - Ruben is a place that you must visit.

Hummus Porn

Following some appreciation from r/foodporn I've decided to gather some of my latest hummus photos, the ones I didn't post here yet, knowing that they'll be well enjoyed. 

Here you go:

Ronnie Ful: Hummus with an egg, and a msabbaha

Hummus Sayid: "Meshuleshet", hummus, tahini, msabbaha, fava beans, chickpeas

Hummus Assaf: Soft chickpeas and tahini

Bethlehem Hummusm, Tel-Aviv

Another meshuleshet by Sayid's Tel-Avivian branch

Another one by Assaf

Nadim's Hummus

Danny Ful, Jaffa

Hummus Sayid are back!

After a many doubts and a very long hiatus, Hummus Sayid is now open again!

I promise I'll do a more informative post soon, with a full coverage and some more pictures, but for now here are two photos I took today:

Hummus, cooked chickpeas, olive oil, a hard boiled egg and touch of tahini and parsley

Hummus, ful (fava beans), tahini and msabbaha, with parsley and spicy lemon sauce on top

Pasta Melanzane

A simple lunch, delivered to my office door in 30 minutes. An interesting shape of corkscrew pasta, spicy tomato sauce, big chunks of eggplants, mozzarella melting nicely in the middle, some fresh pesto on top. Grated parmesan was sprinkled moments after I took the photo.

Pasta melanzane by Olive

Olive do great deliveries and they're also a good enough place to eat at. Most branches are spacious, the menu is quite vast and the service is good enough (the prices are the real deal). When ever I'm too lazy to cook my own delicious pasta dishes or to go someplace fancy, Olive is my go to place.
The fact that they're open late at night makes them a gathering place for people about town on the weekend, if you don't mind the drunkenly - Olive could be a great spot to much after a binge.

Corned beef sandwich for lunch

A bun with a baguette-like crust made the perfect bed for hot corned beef, served with tomatoes, cucumber slices, a dressing of mustard and tahini, at Rothschild Cafe.

Add some friends from work and a cold soda (carbonated water) with slices of lime, and you get a fun break in the midst of an unpleasant day.

Although in a perfect world this sandwich would offer more meat, I found it to be quite satisfying and just in the right amount to make my hunger magically disappear - yet not leaving me bloated and sleepy.

The original sandwich was supposed to have sauerkraut in it, and mayo instead of the tahini, but I made my choices. This composition seemed somewhat better, and I was right.