A new place in Ra’anana fills the gap left when an old establishment was closed.
By GLORIA DEUTSCH“Borochov 88”(photo credit: Courtesy)
It may sound strange to call a restaurant “Borochov 88” when it is situated on Ahuza 88, but for the residents of Ra’anana and surroundings, it makes sense.Borochov 88 is a veteran kosher dairy restaurant on the other side of town, very popular with ladies who lunch and a desirable venue for family celebrations. When the previous establishment at Ahuza 88 – Coffee and Friends – went out of business, the owners of Borochov 88 quickly moved in to fill the gap.Not a great deal has changed in terms of décor, but they brought their own menu with them. The place has always been very popular with the Anglo religious community of Ra’anana, and those who really missed Coffee and Friends will be delighted that it has come to life again – albeit under a different ownership.We went there to sample the fare and found a discreet corner table reserved for us. While appreciating the thought, I found that I could not sit on the leather banquettes, as I sank right down, making the table top about level with my chin. We moved to another table with regular chairs and found it much more comfortable.The English menu that was brought on request was very extensive and mercifully free of howlers in spelling, something that is still quite rare in restaurants here in Israel.We began our meal with a large bowl of piping hot soup (NIS 24), which was very welcome on a cold night, although the place was more than adequately heated. My companion’s sweet potato soup with ginger was velvety and sweet – but not too sweet – and the ginger flavoring was subtle but detectable. The very generous portion was garnished with toasted sunflower seeds. I preferred my choice of courgettes (squash) soup, heavily redolent of garlic and coriander leaves and very tasty without being as calorieladen as the other one.For his main course, my companion chose grilled salmon with roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes and garlic confit (NIS 79). Being frozen, the salmon was not as melt-in-the-mouth as fresh salmon usually is, but the chef had done the best he could and the fish was passable. The accompaniments were tasty.My choice was a dish of stir-fried vegetables in an Asian sauce with crispy goat cheese (NIS 54). It was hot, the vegetables were crunchy, and the goat cheese in a fine breadcrumb crust made a pleasant contrast to the slightly sweet and spicy vegetables, which included carrots, peppers, squash, fresh mushrooms and bean sprouts.Fresh granary rolls with butter arrived with the main course. They also have Tuborg draught beer, which made a satisfactory accompaniment to the food.Other possible main dish choices are quiche and salad (NIS 49), tuna steak (NIS 84), many different salads, ranging from NIS 48 to NIS 56, pastas (NIS 46 to NIS 52) and sandwiches.Where Borochov 88 really comes into its own is on the dessert part of the meal. We discovered that one of the owners is a conditor (pastry chef) – and it shows! Almost everything is chocolatebased except for the Belgian waffles and the apple pie, and they vary from the great to the sublime. Crème Schnitt is a dessert of brownies with white chocolate mousse, and something called cookielida is a wonderful confection of meringue, fresh cream and chocolate mousse served with a chocolate sauce. All desserts are NIS 32, except for the house dessert (more chocolate and cream) at NIS 34.At Borochov 88 they also offer business lunches, all-day breakfast and a children’s menu. A popular meeting place for all ages, it is good to see the light on at Ahuza 88 once again.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.Borochov 88 (Kosher dairy)88 Ahuza St., Ra’ananaTel: (03) 744-2203 (ext. 2)Sunday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight. Friday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Saturday night, after Shabbat until midnight
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
