Let’s say it straight. It’s no secret that dining out these days is not cheap, and still, every now and then, we feel like treating ourselves. We’ve already gotten used to paying for a starter what a main course used to cost, but all we ask is to be sure we’re getting value for our money. Because if we’re already going out to eat and paying for it, at the very least it should be a place that delivers full value and an experience that’s worth it. A visit to Cezar, the Rehovot bistro, left us satisfied and smiling, so it’s our duty to tell you about it.
Cezar has been around for 20 years, and it’s no coincidence that it has lasted this long. It’s a fine-dining restaurant that manages to be gourmet without being pretentious, offering a luxurious experience while still feeling like home. That alone makes the trip to Rehovot worthwhile. Every dish on the menu awakens the appetite and the senses just by reading its description, and these are the kinds of dishes that, no matter how hard we try, we simply can’t recreate at home. These are exactly the flavors we go out to restaurants for. They are served with great respect, plated like works of art, without compromising on portion size. Beautiful dishes, generously served.
The kitchen, led by owners Itai and Nisso, uses local ingredients, some of which come from the family-run Konigstein-Cohen farm. This is probably why vegetables are the true stars of the plate — beautiful, flavorful, comforting, and full of soul, which is the most important ingredient in cooking and in life itself. Many dishes feature roasted root vegetables, deep butter- and cream-based sauces, and a great deal of respect for ingredients and classic cooking techniques such as roasting and caramelizing root vegetables, which here are elevated to the highest level of fine dining. One example is the colorful baby carrots in carrot cream and brown butter with Manchego cheese (NIS 69), a deep and memorable dish whose flavors linger and call you back for more.
Also on the menu: Leaf salad with maple vinaigrette, polenta cracker, goat cheese, and sesame (NIS 69). Goat-cheese tortellini in sage butter on a root-vegetable foam (NIS 98). Cezar’s forest pappardelle, porcini stock, and an assortment of mushrooms (NIS 98). Sea bream fillet with pesto risotto, cauliflower, and caramelized cauliflower cream (NIS 139). Butcher’s cut skewer with potato gratin in a pepper-cream and mustard sauce (NIS 149). For dessert, citrus-honey loukoumades with Greek yogurt (NIS 54), and don’t miss the banana tatin in toffee and spice sauce with vanilla ice cream and hazelnuts. It may sound simple, but it’s one of the best and most surprising desserts around.
Cafe Cezar | Mada 15, Rehovot | Reservations