Several years ago, the owner decided to open a sushi bar carved out of a section of the restaurant. He named it Sefora after his late wife.
By BUZZY GORDONUpdated: JUNE 3, 2021 17:57Sefora(photo credit: SHAY AFGIN)
Just about every major city in the world has a restaurant – many of them revolving – perched on the observation deck of a skyscraper, affording a bird’s-eye view of the metropolis and its surroundings.In Tel Aviv, this singular honor belongs to the kosher bistro 2c, located on the 49th floor of the round building in the Azrieli Mall Complex, sandwiched between the Ayalon Highway and Menachem Begin Road. 2c may be stationary, but its stunning views make it a popular venue for business lunches and private events.Several years ago, the owner decided to open a sushi bar carved out of a section of the restaurant. He named it Sefora after his late wife.Seating in Sefora is at two bars, and many small high tables, accessible only by means of bar stools. There is one regular table, designed for families or groups.The panoramic views are from the tables for two arrayed along 360 degrees of floor-to-ceiling windows. The ideal time to come is at dusk, to survey the Coastal Plain and sea in daylight, then enjoy the sunset and watch the twinkling lights gradually illuminate the city.The sunset is perhaps best enjoyed while sipping one of Sefora’s seven specialty cocktails (NIS 52), the names of which are mangled in English but still comprehensible.Our choices of the Tequila in the Forest and the Lady in Red were both fruity and tending toward sweet, although the latter culminates with a welcome finish of sour.There is a very limited wine list, with only one option each available by the glass for white, sparkling and rosé, and none at all listed for red. The vintages are exclusively Israeli.The separate Hebrew and English food menus comprise just three sections: Starters (NIS 58-124), Specialty Sushi Rolls (NIS 64-89) and Maki (NIS 29-44). Among all the starters – not including the Japanese pickled vegetables, which are more of an appetizer (NIS 24) – there is only one vegetarian/vegan option (a root salad), but a few among the sushi and maki rolls. The pickled vegetables are a worthy appetizer to perk up the taste buds.In the entire menu, there are only two non-fish dishes – both are starters, and both are versions of asado: slow-cooked short ribs.Our first choice of starter was the oddly named Locust Popcorn. No, not the insect, but a weird mutation of the Hebrew word for grouper, locus. The bizarre appellation notwithstanding, the mound of golden-brown morsels of fish tempura was no less than addictive: the bites of tender fish melted in the mouth, enhanced by the slightly crunchy coating and the pleasant tingle of heat that played on the end of the tongue.The Sea Fish Carpaccio, meanwhile, was characterized by the initial impression left by its beautiful presentation. Unfortunately, ultimately the pale, delicate, razor-thin slices of red drumfish were overpowered by small dollops of various sauces and condiments and a heavy hand with the sprinkling of coarse grains of salt.There are eight tempting choices of sushi rolls, making for a difficult decision, since we were told that assortments were not something the restaurant does. Nevertheless, for the sake of this article, the sushi chef – unusually, not ethnically Asian, but an observant Jewish Israeli who learned his trade from his Arab predecessor – agreed to prepare four different rolls for us.All of them were very good, but it is the nature of things that some would be preferred over others. So, in ascending order of what we enjoyed: the Double Tuna, with both sliced and chopped red tuna, orange tobiko, cucumber, avocado and wasabi cream; From Nature, our vegetarian selection, featuring sweet potato, chives, cucumber, avocado and black sesame seeds, accompanied by a citrus ponzu sauce; and the Truffle Locus (once again, they seem to have trouble simply translating the Hebrew into “grouper”), a reprise of our original tempura together with asparagus, avocado and miso aioli, with tiny flecks of grated truffle as garnish.The pièce de résistance, however, was the eponymous Sefora Sandwich – a large roll of salmon, avocado and shiitake mushroom tempura, accented with red miso cream. Rarely have I encountered a sushi roll that yielded such a gratifying symphony of flavors.Finally, we were brought a separate bilingual dessert menu, itemizing five desserts (NIS 49) that looked familiar for an ordinary restaurant, but not for one serving Japanese cuisine. As we suspected, they were exactly the same desserts served in 2c; and like most parve desserts offered in kosher meat restaurants, these, too, were unremarkable. Still, we left Sefora with the feeling of an evening well spent.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.Sefora. Kosher. Azrieli Mall, Menachem Begin Road, Tel Aviv. Tel. (03) 622-2212.
Related Tagsfoodisrael restaurantsushi
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
