Friday breakfasts at a cafe are definitely one of the highlights of my week.
By VIVA SARAH PRESSLe Central - cafe bistro
Sun 8am-1 am; Fri 8 am-2am;
Sat 9am-1am
29 Rothschild Blvd,
Tel Aviv
Telephone 035667822
Friday breakfasts at a cafe are definitely one of the highlights of my week (particularly because I often work on Fridays and thus cannot enjoy this rite regularly).
Sure, I could easily crack an egg open and make an omelet, cut up some vegetables for a salad, and scoop out three or four cheeses and plop them on a plate. But the ambiance of my apartment just doesn't add up to that of an urban coffee house. And so after hectic weeks, my friend and I decided last Friday that the most strenuous thing we would do was breakfast at a cafe.
I secretly hoped to go somewhere I had not yet reviewed, and it was a mutual decision to go to Le Central - cafe bistro on Rothschild Blvd. We were greeted with a frown upon the hostess hearing we had no reservation, however, a table for two in the no smoking section was easily found. Housed in a Bauhaus building, stylistically Le Central is the place to be. It also has a great people-watching vantage point over the famous Tel Aviv thoroughfare. Despite the self promoted breakfasts and specialty desserts, this place was all about disappointments. First of all, the tables are too close together. We might as well have been sitting with the two couples to our left. We followed their conversations, could smell their food, and all but rubbed shoulders with them. A red light should have gone off in our heads when said neighboring table received their orders at different intervals. Anyone knows that the sign of a good eatery is that all patrons in a group receive meals at the same time. My friend and I decided to keep it simple. We ordered the 'Morning Le Central'. It would seem that it was our mistake to arrive at the cafe hungry. We waited. And waited. And waited. The service staff was flippant: each one ignored our queries as to how a breakfast meal could take more than 35 minutes to prepare.
When our order finally came, the waiter was not amused that we wanted a second plate. From the looks of other patrons, it would seem this feeling of irritation and disappointment was shared by all. One last grievance - the prices do not justify the fare. How this place is a mainstay baffles me.