A cut above

Upscale yet casual, Brown serves delicious fare, be it for brunch, lunch or dinner.

By JASON MESKIN
Upscale yet casual, Brown serves delicious fare, be it for brunch, lunch or dinner (photo credit: PR)
Upscale yet casual, Brown serves delicious fare, be it for brunch, lunch or dinner
(photo credit: PR)
Located in the heart of north Tel Aviv in the G Tzameret boutique mall, Brown is a dining destination that serves food that is a cut above the rest in a setting that is casual yet upscale with a buzz in the air. I love the fact that you can go there at any time of the day for a meal – brunch, lunch or dinner.
On the way in, we couldn’t help but get distracted by the glorious bakery to the left of the entrance.
It is open all day until the restaurant closes, so we already planned to go by for a second dessert after we finished our meal to try some of the great-looking cakes and pastries.
At the restaurant, run by chef Alon Lipinski, patrons are greeted by a welcoming ambience, modern decor and a spacious dining room.
After we were seated at our table, menus were given out, water glasses were filled, and we started going through the options in an attempt to narrow down our choices. The menu is quite extensive, with a wide array of salads, pastas, fish and meat dishes. Our waiter was friendly and took care to make us feel at ease. He took his time explaining details of dishes and drinks.
He started by bringing us the complimentary bread basket. And what a bountiful basket it was! This was no microwaved Italian bread or tooth-breaking French bread. It was a collection of Brown’s finest breads baked that day in-house: soft, yeasty and simply delicious. We tore through that bread in a way that would make any Atkins follower cringe.
We began our meal with the sirloin roast (NIS 56).
Accompanied by roasted tomatoes, arugula and mustard aioli, the tasty, tender slices were done beautifully. We then shared the trio of bruschetta (NIS 46) with rich truffle paste, Parmesan cheese and a hard-boiled egg. It was delicious and very unique. The truffle on the bruschetta was definitely noticeable and I even liked the egg, which I thought I wouldn’t, given that it is a strange combination.
But without question, our favorite starter was the wild mushrooms (NIS 52) sauteed in a hot fire pan on a cream of white root vegetables, Parmesan cheese and walnuts. Every element was perfectly in balance and wonderfully seasoned. The mushrooms were woodsy and earthy. It melted in our mouths, and we actually had keep ourselves from ordering more.
The portions were huge. I was full by this point, but we still had our main courses to go. First up was the chicken schnitzel (NIS 62) marinated in honey and mustard.
The schnitzel was perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of breading and not greasy at all.
The generous portion came with creamy mashed potatoes and a salad.
We then tried the seared chicken breast (NIS 68) served on a bed of quinoa, broccoli, cranberries, tomatoes and a white wine sauce.
The chicken was on point, savory and succulent, with the exception of the end parts that were a tad dry. The quinoa was cooked just right, not undercooked or gritty at all.
For dessert, we settled on a caramel-mango tart. The texture was smooth and creamy and quite salty, which complemented the mango very well.
Thoroughly satisfied with the delicious food, we still wanted to try some of the baked goods we had seen on the way in. I opted for a batch of macaroons and a chocolate brownie. We took these with us for the walk home, happily huffing for breath the whole way.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
Brown Not kosher 10 Nissim Aloni, Tel Aviv (03) 544-4024