by Gabriel Geller » Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:14 am
Wed Dec 28, 2011 12:55 am
Hi Folks, I just returned from a dinner with friends at what was a revelation to me as being not only the newest but also the new best kosher restaurant in Israel and IMHO one of the 3 best kosher restaurants in the world!!! So I had to share my experience here with all you folks either living in Israel but also for your next visit, if you don't.
I will start by saying that I am lucky enough (baruch hashem) to have been in my life to most of the best kosher restaurants in Israel, the USA, France, Switzerland, Italy and many other countries.
The restaurant's name is Fink (and has nothing to do with the homonym one that was shut down about a decade ago not far from there) and is located across the street from the Mamilla Hotel in Downtown Jerusalem. It is a 2-stories modern designed (but with very good taste I thought) small restaurant with a bar on the first floor. It is a true gastronomic experience of french modern cuisine with a not overwhelming touch of molecular techniques. Great quiet music as well in the background
The concept is unique in Jerusalem as the restaurant features a different menu every day displayed not "a la carte" but on a big flat screen on each floor with 8 dishes to choose from including appetizers, entrees and dessert. One can choose 3 different options: a 3-course meal, a 5-course meal or a full 8-course tasting, the dishes will be served in the appropriate size upon the choice and will be priced accordingly (a bit high I first thought but now I think it's worth every penny!).
We were a party of 4 and chose the 3-course menu. I had as appetizer a mushroom soup made out from 15 different sorts of mushrooms including black truffles from Perigord that was absolutely divine and served beautifully, the most original soup I ever had and one of the best. As an entree, I had a medium-rare filet mignon with white Alba truffles "popcorn" and chestnut squash lying on a "bed" of panned foie gras (goose liver) made to perfection, it was served under a bell that allowed it to be wrapped with smoke, it was heavenly GOOD, the best filet ever, again! In between we were generously served with country french style bread and molecular aioli and olive oil but also with complementary tastings of some of the other dishes available this night such as a Buffalo skewer and Kiwi Granita (served on a plate filled with liquid nitrogen). As dessert, a vanilla flavored cream of foie gras with a home-made pear sorbet accompanied by a piece of caramelized foie gras again, simply amazing.
The service was absolutely great, the sommelier is a northern Californian guy and is very knowledgeable and all the staff, from the Maitre D' to the waitress and up to the MASTER chef were all nice, friendly, smiling and efficient. A true 5 stars experience, a very rare finding in Israel!
One con: The Wines offered at the restaurant are all great but not original at all and outrageously overpriced (Petit Castel 2009: 350 shekels!!!) Pro: Ultra friendly corkage policy: One can bring a bottle of wine of his choice, even if found at the restaurant and there is no corkage fee! It just has to be kosher, that's all. As I had called before to inquire about that, we randomly but geniously paired the meal with one of my last bottles of Yarden Ortal Syrah '04 that was the perfect match tonight! My best restaurant experience in the past 3 years! I highly recommend it to all the foodies! My friends and myself were blown away!
The hashgacha is Rabbanut Yerushalayim although they do have a few mehadrin meat options which they actually arranged for one of my friends that eats only chalak meat at no extra cost. As the chef wanted us all to taste also the dishes ordered by my "glatt" friend, we were all given complementary tastings of buffalo skewers as well as goose breast, both were incredible just as the rest of the food. You know, I've worked at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills where the service and overall quality is hard, if not impossible to beat and I'm so happy to say that the service and food quality at Fink were on the same level and I can't believe that I've discovered such a place not only in Israel but precisely in Jerusalem! I hope they will remain consistent and if you or anyone else here decides to check it out, the experience will be as good as mine was. That's what we call in french "demarrer du pied droit", to start off on the right foot.
My score: 19/20.
Best,
GG
Last edited by
Gabriel Geller on Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:17 am, edited 1 time in total.