Now that the management has introduced a new menu, Greg Café is also a very pleasant place for a light supper.
By GLORIA DEUTSCHNot just for a light lunch(photo credit: Courtesy)
There are many Gregs in the chain of dairy restaurants, with close to 50 spread all over Israel and more to come. Some are kosher, including the one in the Renanim Mall in Ra’anana.It’s obviously perfect for those ladies who lunch, taking a break from a shop-till-you-drop day out for a reviving coffee and meal.But it’s also a very pleasant place for a light supper, especially now that the management has introduced a new menu. On the evening we visited, Adir, the manager, was having a night off, but had left clear instructions to his deputy, Harel, to make us welcome.We had a bit of a struggle with the electronic menu which couldn’t make up its mind which language to display, but eventually it settled for English so we were able to order.For a starter I chose arancini (NIS 34), balls of risotto filled with a cheese mixture, crumbed and deep-fried, served on a base of tomato butter, with Parmesan.Not surprisingly, given the ingredients, they were very tasty and the mysterious hemat agvaniot (tomato butter) turned out to be a kind of creamy tomato sauce.The flakes of Parmesan on top tasted like the real thing and not some local imitation.My companion plumped for vegetable soup (NIS 32) which was identical to the one I make every Sunday morning when I begin my weekly diet (which usually expires by Monday afternoon). It was full of every imaginable vegetable in season, with herbs for added flavor. It was served with crispy warm focaccia and made a satisfying opener to the meal.While there are many pasta and vegan options, we each chose fish as a main course. My choice was Pad Thai, noodles tossed with salmon cubes in an Asian sauce. It came in a deep ceramic bowl which was good for maintaining the heat of the dish.It wasn’t a very dietetic choice, even with the rich variety of vegetables tossed with the noodles, but it tasted very good. The added salmon cubes were plentiful and it was impossible to finish the generous quantity allotted to me (NIS 72).My companion’s choice was a duo of sea bream fillets on a bed of basmati rice with assorted greens. Judging by the state of the plate at the end, one could assume it had been a successful choice (NIS 93).The dessert menu offers a very wide choice of dishes, one more sinful than the next. We decided to share one and, luckily for me, my companion’s choice of profiteroles was “off,” meaning I could have my beloved crème brulee (NIS 42). It was as good as anticipated, a circle of pure heaven.Two great cappuccinos later, we were able to exit the restaurant and the mall, having eaten an excellent and well-balanced meal in pleasant surroundings. The still open shops were winding down the day’s business but getting home beckoned and we decided to leave the shopping for another day.Greg CaféHaMelacha St. 2, Ra’ananaKosher Badatz Beit YosefPhone: 09-748-0889Sun-Thur: 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri: 8 a.m.-1:45 p.m.Saturday night – One hour after Shabbat until 11 p.m.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
