By BUZZY GORDONClash restaurant(photo credit: PR)
The NYX Hotel, likely the trendiest property in the Fattal chain, is the venue that attracted chef Haim Tibi to Tel Aviv after having established his reputation in the Galilee. The restaurant’s intriguing name, Clash, adds to its mystique.Clash takes pride in its seven specialty cocktails, which bear classic Greek names. The Thanatos (NIS 48) blends Cointreau, Cherry Heering, lemon juice, pineapple and vanilla extract, served in a martini glass garnished with orange peel. Despite the ominous name (signifying death), the drink is pleasantly sweet and smooth as silk.The Hypnos (NIS 56), meanwhile – rum, lemon, mint and extract of violets, served in a tumbler over crushed ice – was bracing and refreshing.The extensive menu’s categories comprise raw food appetizers (both Sea and Land), three salads under the designation Earth, Starters, Pastas and Main Courses (fish, seafood and poultry) and Steaks (lamb and beef). Steaks merit their own category because meat – hung and aged on the premises – is the house specialty.The house bread (NIS 18) is a crusty loaf studded with raisins and walnuts and covered with poppy seeds. It is served with an olive oil dip that has a lot going on: salsa, garlic confit, sour cream and a tiny slice of chili.From the Earth category, we selected the dish that seemed to combine salad and pasta: beetroot ravioli (NIS 52) – beetroot dumplings filled with goat and Camembert cheese, served cold and topped with a melange of chopped pecans and herbs in a cherry and olive oil vinaigrette.Once you get used to the novelty of cold ravioli, the dish provides a nice interplay of flavors and textures.Our next dish, albeit from the Starters section, was also a salad: Asian duck salad (NIS 52) – shredded duck meat atop pumpkin, eggplant, shallots confit, kohlrabi, sprouts, mint and basil in a slightly sweet sauce. The generous portion of duck was enough to go around with all the ingredients, in a dressing that enhanced the salad without overpowering it.The dish of jumbo shrimps (NIS 138) – marinated in olive oil, chili, garlic and parsley, and served with candied pumpkin and saffron risotto – was beautifully presented. The plump shrimp were drier than we expected, but the perfectly seasoned risotto came to the rescue.The Steak category includes one lamb dish: saddle of lamb (NIS 152). The tender strips of lamb steak were rendered succulent by the rich jus.The T-bone steak was 500 grams of beef that covered an entire plate (NIS 165). Overall, I have had better steaks recently than this one, but the buttery texture of the filet side of the bone was remarkable.Both steaks came with slightly overcooked green beans and zucchini, as well as the house potatoes: fragmented baked potatoes seasoned with thyme, rosemary and sriracha aioli.There is an adequate international wine list, with a few available by the glass. Our first choice of red was not available, but the Castel rosé (NIS 43) was a fine accompaniment to the lamb and shrimp.Clash has a dedicated pastry chef, Roni, with a flair for creativity. Her inverted affogato (NIS 38) reverses the roles of the classic vanilla ice cream in espresso: a generous scoop of coffee ice cream covered in chocolate gravel floats in a pool of vanilla anglaise spiked with coffee liqueur. Mocha lovers in particular will like this version.Roni’s personal favorite is her semifreddo bergamot (NIS 48), a Mediterranean sweet and savory delight. The cool semifreddo with the distinctive flavor of bergamot had the consistency of cheesecake, with a bottom crust of kadaif on a layer of salted pistachio ganache, while two cubes of rosewater Turkish delight, caramelized pistachios, and tiny flakes of candied rose petal decorated the custard’s surface. This is a palatecleansing finish that lingers on in the memory.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.ClashNot kosher46 Menachem Begin Road, Tel AvivTel: (03) 502-3223
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