Let’s meat at Aish

This off-the-beaten-track restaurant specializes in Eastern-style meats and delicious salads.

By SARAH NADAV
aish laffa 311 (photo credit: Sarah Nadav)
aish laffa 311
(photo credit: Sarah Nadav)
I am a sucker for freshly made pita. I was excited when we entered Aish and saw that it had its own taboon oven for making lafa (large flat pita) breads (NIS 12). The breads are made to order and they arrive at the table steaming hot. Along with our lafa we were served a table full of salads, among which were a few surprises including pasta with basil and a yummy tomato salad with chard. All of the salads are made fresh at the restaurant and can be ordered as part of a main dish or a la carte. My dining partner and I were pleased because the salads went beyond the usual humous and pickles and were not heavy on the mayonnaise.
Aish is located at the One Center next to Yishpro shopping center in Modi’in. Through some mysterious quirk of Israeli planning, signs refer to the area as a “craft center” so keep your eyes peeled and don’t miss the turn-off or you will end up in Lod.
One of the first things which I thought of as I sat down at Aish was that Israeli dining had finally arrived. “Al ha’esh” (skewered meat cooked on a grill) is ubiquitous throughout the country. Generally, restaurants that serve it are the Israeli equivalent of a greasy spoon – food is fast and cheap and the hygiene is questionable.
Al ha’esh still has its rough-and-tumble charm but new places like Aish are taking it up a notch. The décor is hip, the music selection was notably good and the food was excellent. Aish is just seven months old and is a “re-opening” of a formerly unkosher restaurant. It seems that “kosher” and “hip” are two words that used to be at odds with each other. Finally bridging the gap, it seems that restaurateurs are finding that being kosher is good for business.
My dining partner and I both enjoyed everything that was served to us.In particular, the entrecote  steaks (NIS 29) were delicious as was awarm mushroom side dish (NIS 25) and the boneless chicken (NIS 23). Mydining partner ordered Majadera (rice and lentils, NIS 11) and it wasperfect, with sautéed onions and a great spice combination. She alsohad the liver (NIS 22) which she raved about. The shwarma on a plate(NIS 42) was also delicious.
Aish has a great take-out menu and while we were there my diningpartner commented that even though she was facing the door and couldsee people coming in to get their take-out, it didn’t make the placefeel like a train station.
We finished the meal with three desserts which we shared – a moltenchocolate cake, Belgian waffle, and passion-fruit sorbet. The wafflewas good but since we passed on the parve ice cream (which in myopinion is just never even worth trying) it tasted dry. The sorbet wasexcellent and made from real fruit, which was evident by the crunchyseeds.
Overall, the meal was good, the food was plentiful and we both left with doggy bags. 
Aish, One Center, Modi’in.
(08) 970-6111. Kosher. The writer was a guest of the restaurant.