Israeli chef Eran Tibi from London's Bala Baya, shares with U his favourite foodie hotspots in Tel Aviv.

M25

Situated at the heart of the Carmel market in Tel Aviv, it’s the first restaurant to collaborate with the best butcher in the whole of TLV - who had previously refused to work with restaurants. It’s 20 metres away from them in a backyard and not fancy at all with communal tables and fairy lights. Their focus is solely on cooking the meat well and places emphasis on sustainability with not one bit of the animal is wasted. My favourite is their daily changing offal platter which offers five varieties and the ones I last sampled such as the calf brain, veal heart and lamb kidneys were cooked to utter perfection.

Yaffo Tel Aviv

Owned by the phenomenal Haim Cohen, he is my favourite chef in the world. Hailing from a Syrian heritage like myself, his food is rooted in Middle Eastern flavours, yet after going abroad to study fine dining and French cuisine he’s managed to meld them together like no one has done before. He is a pioneer and inspiration. The restaurant tells the story of Jaffa and TLV in one, the design is dear to me as it takes elements from the city (as we did in Bala Baya) and the terrazzo bar is the masterpiece in the centre of it all. It’s a space fused between design inspiration from the cities he and I are so familiar with and food that reaches new places that have yet to be explored.

Mashya

Mashya means ‘mace’ in Hebrew and is chef Yossi Shitrit’s tribute to his Moroccan heritage and the eclectic life of TLV. It’s a place that brings new, old, hip, stylish and strong flavours evoked from childhood into one gorgeous place by the beach. Expect fine dining with punctuated with very authentic flavours of Yossi’s heritage combined with the flavours that define Israel. Simple things like his flatbreads really gave me a personal push to set up the artisan bakery in London – he pushed bread to new heights. The flat bread they serve is called Frenna in Moroccan and don’t be fooled by its humble nature, it actually harmonises 18 different spices meticulously to produce something you will never forget!

HaSalon

Run by chef Eyal Shani, whose full of character and this clearly translates into his cooking. It’s simple but impactful, putting the spotlight on the ingredients themselves. Usually combining a few types of food which normally wouldn’t work together but he makes them sing and weaves them together like a layer of a poem. They only open once a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm for dinner, this exclusivity pushes the queues and hype even higher. The space fits 30 people only and these lucky ones get to witness a show here like nowhere else. Parts of the meal are laid on the table without any plates or cutlery and it challenges you to engage with the food and each other directly. It’s raw, fun and delicious food entwined with a theatrical experience created by a mastermind.

Topolopompo

If there was a two Michelin star restaurant in the whole of Israel, this would be the one. It’s even been awarded ‘most beautiful restaurant’ in the Middle East in 2014. It’s a Pan-Asian tribute to all the techniques lost between our ancestors and us. They went on a huge research trip around Asia for the most ancient, odd and unique ways of cooking. Through this, they present something people haven’t seen before in surroundings of bamboo, charcoal and black concrete. The menu is categorised by techniques they found along the way, such as dishes which are steamed or cooked with cold smoke. They manage to intrigue diners before they even understand what the dish is - their dim sum is impeccable and full of flavour, order as much as you can! One of my favourites is the Sha Zi Gai, a dish of chicken thigh, bananas, ngoc cham and apple served with a crispy net of rice. I have never tasted something like this again, using unripe banana that mimics the texture of chicken simply blew my mind.

Bala Baya has been inspired by the raw creativity and fast-paced atmosphere of Tel Aviv’s hip all-day eateries. Bala Baya is a bakery in the morning, a fast paced pitta kiosk with a sit down mezzanine at lunch and a buzzy street level restaurant at night. It is chef Eran Tibi’s poem to Tel Aviv and his love of Tel Aviv and its many unique eating habits has inspired him to create a menu that mimics a day in the life of the “White City”.

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