The Mamilla Cafe is an ideal place to start the day.
By JONATHAN GILAD
Situated a few steps up from the bustling Mamilla promenade is a tranquil, elegant and quiet cafe-restaurant that, to my taste, serves one of the finest breakfasts in town.The Mamilla Cafe, which is actually part of the prestigious Mamilla Hotel, offers many innovative dishes for lunch or dinner, but it was the simple breakfast we were after.On the menu, the fare looks very much like any other breakfast served in most cafes throughout the country – two eggs, an array of cheeses, breads and juice, but the similarity was only on paper.We were first impressed by the clean and serene surroundings and the beautiful interiors (done by the hotel’s architect Pierro Lissoni) divided into three dining areas – the open terrace; a central seating area with long tables and arched windows; and a more intimate side room with different designer chairs around a round table. On each table there’s a small pot with fresh herbs, olive oil and a bottle of wine, set beside cutlery and cloth napkins. Lovely.Once the food arrived, it was a perfect selection of freshly baked breads, wonderful cheeses and fantastic eggplant salad (we asked for more). The eggs were prepared exactly the way we asked, and the juice was freshly squeezed. Everything was just the way one would want it to be when envisioning a long, leisurely breakfast to kick off the weekend.The only downside at the cafe was the coffee, which was not up to standard. But then you can’t have it all, can you? The Mamilla Cafe offers a great selection of dairy lunch and dinner dishes such as pizza, soups, creative salads and fish cakes, fish and pasta dishes, toasts and much more. There are also wonderful desserts.and a few kids’ specials.Breakfast is served all day (NIS 45). Mamilla Cafe. Kosher, dairy. Hamelech Shlomo 11, Jerusalem. Open Sun- Thur. noon- 11 p.m. Fri. 10 a.m. - 4:30 P.m. Sat. after Shabbat until midnight. (02) 548-2230