Warm and welcoming

If you like an eclectic mix of fine food, you’ll adore Adora in Tel Aviv.

By SHAWN RODGERS
Adora (photo credit: Courtesy)
Adora
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Adora is home to creative chef Avi Biton, and when it comes to the many elements of a positive dining experience, the place is a case in point. The restaurant is on the small side, warm and welcoming, with wooden furniture. There is an enclosed terrace that is a smoking area, and a long, well-equipped bar with high stools in the main dining room.
Biton wanted my dining companion and me to get a good understanding of the menu the restaurant has to offer, so after we provided a little guidance as to our likes and dislikes, we were brought a parade of tastes. The menu offers a wide variety of culinary styles, taken from Israeli, French, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines.
We started with the sourdough house bread (NIS 17) with garlic confit and olive tapenade. The bread was thick and fresh, making it irresistible to my dining partner, who normally avoids filling up on bread before a meal.
We then tried the roasted beet salad (NIS 39) served with brioche bread croutons and a young buche de chevre cheese. The beets contributed a delicate sweetness, and the walnuts and rocket leaves gave the salad a fresh, lively flavor. The tanginess of the cheese really complemented the earthy qualities of the beets.
Having eaten there before, I was looking forward to once again sampling the felafel stuffed with seared eggplant, herbs and Parmesan cheese (NIS 45), served with a side of sunflower sprout salad.
It did not disappoint. An obsessive eggplant eater, my dining partner always goes for the eggplant starter and was thrilled with this new take on a Middle Eastern classic.
This was followed by seared red tuna (NIS 46) served on a Japanese salad of carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, green onion and coriander in a vinaigrette of soy and lemon grass. Arranged with exquisite attention to detail, this was a definite stand-out dish.
For mains we were presented with a sea bream fillet (NIS 89) roasted in a heavy pan, served with roasted tomatoes, bok choy leaves, potato confit and Jerusalem artichoke delicate cream. The dish was generous and fresh. The fish was seasoned beautifully and grilled to perfection.
The crunchy skin was an extra plus.
This was followed by a calf cheek ravioli (NIS 83) with root vegetables served in red wine, thyme butter, garlic confit and oregano sauce. The ravioli was divine, as was the sumptuous, silky beef. This was by far my favorite dish of the night.
Next up was the beef fillet (NIS 89) in demi-glace and port sauce served with potato puree and steamed vegetables. On the one hand, I really liked the sauce and wanted to smother the meat with it. On the other, the meat tasted so good that I wanted to savor its individual flavor.
The mashed vegetable side was superb.
The desserts were sinfully good. We shared the patisserie vanilla cream rolls (NIS 38) served in a light berry sauce, as well as the coconut ice cream (NIS 32) in a chocolate fondue sauce accompanied by a cigar of fresh roasted nuts and seeds. These alone would keep us coming back for more.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
Adora Not kosher 226 Ben-Yehuda St., Tel Aviv (03) 605-0896