Bistro at its best

The Brasserie serves local ingredients with a French accent

NOVEMBER 29, 2017 18:18

Situated on Tel Aviv’s bustling Ibn Gvirol, Brasserie is one of the city’s most attractive bistros. It’s classy; the service is friendly and professional; it’s good for romance or business; and the food is outstanding.

Stepping inside, it almost feels like you’re not in Tel Aviv but in some quaint bistro outside of Paris. There’s a lovely outdoor terrace in the front, filled with tables and chairs for al fresco dining, in addition to the main dining area and long bar inside.

Chef Ofir Dvir combines the finest in locally sourced ingredients with accents of French cuisine. The extensive menu features fish, seafood, meat and pasta dishes. The tasty dishes are complemented by a fine selection of wines, both local and international.

Before the appetizers appeared, we cleansed our palates with a couple of refreshing cocktails, which displayed the same nuanced flavors that make the dishes so impressive. My dining partner opted for the white sangria, while I chose a whiskey sour. What a great drink! It really sent my taste buds on a trip from sweet to spicy with a nice whiskey finish. If you’re a whiskey drinker and want something rather light and refreshing, this is a great choice.

We began our culinary journey with one of the specials of the day – a creamy blue crab soup. The soup was surprisingly light in texture and strong in flavor and, together with the tasty homemade bread, it was an ideal way to begin our meal.

This was followed by the endive and Roquefort salad (NIS 54). Endive is a notoriously difficult vegetable for those unfamiliar with using it. Though fragile in appearance, it has a rather bitter taste. Here, the endive was finely sliced and served in a mound with nuts, Roquefort cheese and a sauce that mellowed the bitterness without overpowering it. I would go back to the restaurant just for this rich and delicious salad. It was creative in both taste and presentation.

For the main course, we had the beef fillet (NIS 134) accompanied by a piece of bone marrow. The meat was generous in proportion, and the seasoning was just right. Normally I have to add a lot of salt to my fillets to bring them up to my preferred salt level, but this was seasoned perfectly with just salt and pepper, with no extra seasoning needed.

Next up was the sirloin steak in a Madagascar pepper sauce (NIS 136).

This steak was absolutely delightful.

Cooked perfectly medium/rare, it was very tender and juicy. The pepper sauce with cream and brandy made it even more addictive. I cleaned my plate of that sauce using anything I could find, except my fingers! My dining partner and I tried to eat it as slowly as possible so the experience wouldn’t end. Both main dishes came with a side of thin, crisp French fries.

For dessert, it was recommended that we try the decadent dark chocolate cake, as well as the cheesecake (NIS 39 each). Both were sinfully good.

Brasserie has carefully preserved an old world atmosphere while serving top-of-the-line meals. So when you’re looking to combine a gourmet meal with elegant atmosphere and nearly faultless service, you’ll find that Brasserie has it covered.

The writer was a guest of the restaurant.

Brasserie

Not kosher

70 Ibn Gvirol St., Tel Aviv

Tel: (03) 696-7111