It’s not easy to find Purete, and we drove around Kibbutz Kvutzat Kinneret (near Tiberias) twice before parking and asking directions. When we finally arrived, it did not look like the chef restaurant it advertised itself to be; it was more like a laid-back kibbutz eatery with lots of plants and a cozy vibe.
“The chef restaurant is shown by what’s on the plate, not what’s in the building,” chef Tomer Tiv said. “I wanted a place that is intimate and makes you feel like you are somewhere else.”
Tiv studied at Le Cordon Bleu in London and worked as a chef in several Michelin-starred restaurants in London before returning to Israel. After his return in 2010, he became the executive chef of the Canaan spa in Safed and a private chef. He says his customers come from all around the country.
The first thing I noticed when I entered the small restaurant was that almost everyone there was drinking wine from very large wine glasses – already a good start. The house wine was Har Odem Volcanic, an excellent choice from the nearby Golan Heights.
There is a private area attached to the restaurant, where a group of doctors was (somewhat ironically) listening to a lecture on GLP-1 weight loss drugs. But that didn’t stop them from digging into Tiv’s excellent food.
Digging in
My favorite husband, Cliff, and I shared two appetizers and two main dishes. The menu is relatively small, but I’d rather go to a restaurant with a smaller number of dishes done well than a larger menu that is not as good.
The sigarim (cigars) filled with smoked asado on a bed of hummus were crispy and juicy (NIS 80). Definitely a winner. My husband’s sea bass ceviche (NIS 78) looked like a painting, including edible flowers. It was a bit spicy for my Ashkenazi palate, but my husband loved it.
Purete has a smoker, and I was tempted by the Smokehouse Platter of asado, brisket, lamb spare ribs, and pargit, which comes with salad, bread, and eggplant carpaccio (NIS 240 per person).
But I can never resist filet mignon (NIS 238), which in this case was two medallions of medium-rare soft filet on a sweet potato puree. I finished every bite. Cliff went with the entrecôte (NIS 190), a large portion that was juicy and not too fatty. The meat comes fresh from the nearby Golan Heights, and you can taste the difference between fresh meat and the frozen meat that is sold in most supermarkets. Each bite was really special, and I kept eating past the point where I was full. The meat went perfectly with the wine, and we enjoyed a lovely evening.
I was too full for dessert, but my chocoholic husband powered through and ordered the Ferrero Rocher dish (NIS 58), and for the sake of my readers, I managed a bite. Delicious.
Purete is highly recommended if you are traveling anywhere near the Kinneret.■
Purete
Kvutzat Kinneret
Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 6 p.m.-10 p.m.
Tel: 054-222-1977
Kashrut: Rabbanut Emek Hayarden. The meat is Beit Yosef.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.