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15 hotspots in Tel Aviv for this summer (2017)

The Norman amazing boutique hotel in my favorite neighborhood right behind Rothschild Boulevard… my advice is to go there for breakfast

“Stay: The Norman”: 
“To find the best value for your money when booking your accommodation in Tel Aviv, have a look at the map of 
Tel Aviv on AllTheRooms.”Onza located in the hippest area in the Jaffa Fleamarket amazing Turkish food and vibe

Orna & Ella perfect for lunch on Shenkin Street 

Cafe Bucke perfect for breakfast and lunch, hip people only  🙂

Cafe Noir timeless! go for the chicken shnitzel.

HaSalon just google Eyal Shani. PS ideal for big groups and parties. need to make reservation ahead. this is the only restaurant I shared that is NOT walking distance from the heart of the city.

Nanuchka 100% VEGAN and then you just dance on the bar ok?Abraxas North as Jessica Biel tweeted: best burger ever
America Burgers my personal favorite burgers in town including an amazing vegetarian one!Delicatessen always good for breakfast and brunch and take away food and delicatessenBrasserie another classic of 24/7 amazing French foodManta Ray the only real gourmet food ON THE BEACH including amazing sea food and sea viewThe Old Man & The Sea real Meditteranean atmosphere and food at Jaffa Port

A few side notes:

  • yes life – and dining – in Israel is expensive
  • almost all restaurants stay open and are cool with menus at any hours (unlike Belgium)
  • another great Israeli invention is EatWith if you want a home dinner
  • contact me for more details or assistance during your trip: marilyn_josephine@ymail.com
Architecture · Baking · Israel · Kitchen · Tel Aviv · Tourism

The new spot in town: Da Da Da

Living in the heart of Tel Aviv we are spoilt with many of the best cafes and restaurants. But sometimes you just get fed up with all the places. So this Friday I got all dressed up in my Nununu outfit and we went for brunch with Nellie. I’m happy to have discovered the new spot in town: Da Da Da. Da Da Da is located on the beautiful and historical corner of Rothschild Boulevard and Herzl Street.

The ground floor of what used to be the French Institute is now a place for breakfast and lunch, a delicatessen with take away dishes, sandwiches, assortments of pastries and breads. For now it’s open from 7am till 4pm but from what I hear it should soon also be open on Saturdays and go 24/7.

The name Da Da Da apparently refers to Dadaism and is the joint creation of chef Sharon Cohen (Shila) and nightlife king David Tur (Breakfast Club, Cafe Europa). The European design is impressive and visible in the lighting, the outside terrace, the long bar and in the small details. Go check it out.IMG_7049.JPG

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Baking · Food · Tel Aviv · Travel guide

High Telavivity – Top 5: food

In the spirit of John Cusack’s top 5 lists in the movie High Fidelity  here’s Tel Aviv in my Top 5 – part 1. food

Top 5 “just coffee” 
my favorite: hafuch katan dal

hafuch

  1.  Ben Ami – corner Nahmani/Melchett street
  2.  Espresso Bar– corner Rothschild/Herzl street – easy & fast take away at the city’s oldest kiosk
  3.  BaShdera – corner Rothschild/Maze street
  4.  Maze9 – Mazeh street 9 (also a bookstore)
  5.  We love you – corner Habima/Ben Zion Street

Top 4 “fruit juice

my favorite: banana, melon & dates

juice

  1. Tamara – Dizengoff/Ben Gurion street – and extra small branch on Herzl street
  2. Pri 101 – Allenby/Ahad Ha’am street
  3. Mitzim – Shenkin 54
  4. ShakesPri – King George 11
  5. My friend Eli on Yehuda Halevy – fresh & cheap carrot and orange juice

Top 5 “breakfast”

2ndblog

  1. Delicatessen – my favorite: porridge with fresh cut fruit & assorted nuts
  2. Ben Ami – my favorite: chocolate yeast cake
  3. Rothschild 12 – my favorite: ham & cheese toast
  4. Hotel Montefioremy favorite: eggs florentine
  5. Mersand – my favorite: turkish breakfast


Top 5 “lunch”

ornaveella

  1. Orna ve Ella – my favorite: ravioli with pumpkin & sage butter (photo)
  2. Humus Nahmani – hummus & tehina like the locals
  3. Tachtit – open 24h, my favorite: schnitzel with rice & salad
  4. Pua – my favorite: cherry tomato salad
  5. Buddha Burgers -for vegan & vegetarians, the Israeli version of Lombardia

Top 5 “diner”

fle

  1. Cafe Europa – my favorite: lamb tortellini
  2. Port Saïd – my favorite: minute steak and tehina (the best tehina in town)
  3. Brasserie – timeless and tasteful
  4. Makom shel Bassar – the best meat in town
  5. Fleamarket – my favorite: shoarma shel ossobucco

Top 5 “desserts”

pancake

  1. Benedict – 24 hour breakfast service, my favorite: pancakes
  2. Stefan Braun – chocolate fudge with vanilla ice cream
  3. Delicatessen – apple pie mmmmm
  4. Port Said – French toast
  5. Anita – coconut ice cream
 
Antwerp · Food · Restaurants · Travel guide

Josephine’s Treasure Map to Antwerp (2)

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” It was Luciano Pavarotti who once said these words, and he is a wise man. For most of you it might not come as a big surprise, but I love food. I love it so much, I’ve dedicated more than one blog post to it. That’s why the second part of my Antwerp Treasure map is all about: food.

FROM BRUNCH TO DINNER AND BACK AGAIN – Lately I enjoy waking up early on a Saturday morning (i still have to get used to saying that, as my former hobby was sleeping in) and assembling friends and family to go for breakfast in one of the many coffee bars Antwerp has to offer. I remember when I moved to Antwerp about 10 years ago, there weren’t many nice and cosy (and free WiFi-ed) coffee bars as there are now. Or maybe I didn’t know they existed, since I was mostly busy with my other hobby back then (sleeping in, followed by my anti-hobby: running to class). Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but it seems to me that going for breakfast (or brunch) is becoming a bigger thing than going out all night.

On a Saturday morning it’s always nice to visit the open air market. Since shopping for food on an empty stomach might hurt your wallet (as my mom says), get some breakfast first at Perruche (1). This small restaurant offers a very good breakfast and an even better service. Sweet Laura, that girl knows the drill of running a place! Adding up to the feeling of being at home: her mom occasionally pops in (actually she popped in once and never left) to provide happy customers with toast, special sandwiches, provincial spreads, spaghetti, soup and cake. Fun fact: Perruche, which is the French word for parakeet, used to be a small store which sold – you guessed it – parakeets (and other tiny, noisy birds). If you are a bagel lover I recommend Barnini (2),which is also in the same area (maybe you can try both, who cares about the market, right?!). No parakeets here, only owls. By the way, they have great coffee (in every size and color, with m&m’s on top or a good splash of chocolate sauce). I know because owner Annick used to train me in how to make the perfect coffee.

(c) Sien Josephine(1) Perruche – Oude Vaartplaats 60 – 2000 Antwerp (pope-approved)(c) Sien Josephine(2) Barnini – Oude Vaartplaats 10 – 2000 Antwerp

Time for lunch! Probably the most well-known place in Antwerp to go for lunch is Lombardia (3). Everybody knows this place, including Sting, Moby and Steve-O! Yes, big artists have fallen in love with Alain Indria’s gluten-free veggie health food love-temple. The interior looks like a huge container filled with pictures, colors, a giant golden bull, more color, graffiti and plants. You always feel sunny California in here and you would almost expect some half naked surfer dude walking in, straight from the beach, board still under his arm (if he ever does, ladies: I saw him first!). I love this place. Alain’s mom, Odette, opened Lombardia in 1972. Back then it was only a health-food shop. The most famous product Alain is serving is without doubt the Ginger Love tea (supposedly Alain came up with Ginger Love at table nr 18 in the back – so for any creative inspiration i suggest you take your lunch at table 18). It’s so good even Starbucks wanted to buy the recipe and the Wall Street Journal tipped Alain’s Ginger Love tea as a must when visiting Antwerp. Other good stuff I think you should try: Beasty Boy sandwich, Hot Mexican Tuna, the Magic Mushroom and Moby’s own Moby Juice.

Lombardia

(3) Lombardia – Lombardenvest 78 – 2000 Antwerp

Check out what Sting has to say about Lombardia:

For the real treasure hunters there is RA Kitchen (4). Located right in between antique shops, you will find this very cool restaurant (which in fact is part of a whole concept fashion store). The dining area alone is worth a visit: a mix between vintage tables, an informal living room lounge area, a mezzanine daybed and (on sunny days) a summer terrace. Ra Kitchen is all about fresh ingredients, a seasonal and eclectic menu, traditional flavours, unconventional methods and a touch of the past. As the Word magazine describes it, it’s a “quiet culinary universe of coolness”. Fun fact: every month, Ra Kitchen invites a special friend or talented individual for an event open to all! Take a look at their Facebook page to stay updated on upcoming events.

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(4) RA Kitchen – Kloosterstraat 13 – 2000 Antwerp

Other great places to get your food-groove on:

  • ULTIMATUM, Grote Markt 8: food, drinks and an occasional GREAT party
  • CHEZ FRED, Kloosterstraat 83: the best “stoofvlees met frietjes” in town
  • POTTEKIJKER, Kaasrui 5: for the romantic and nostalgic hearted people
  • FISKEBAR, Marnixplaats 12: it’s all Fish and all Scandinavian

Special thanks to

Alain Indria (just for being you), Steven Neuman (for countless breakfasts), Romain Brau (for inspiration) and Laura (for two eggs instead of one).

Next episode:

Dance the night away in Antwerp’s nightlife + SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR OUR READERS!

All pictures are under copyright protection

(c) Sien Josephine 2013

Antwerp · Travel guide

Josephine’s Treasure Map to Antwerp (1)

When you travel and you don’t really have a clue what to expect or where to go (or you only have a copy of just another typical travel guide), you can easily get stuck in tourist traps and mainstream shops. But all we really want is to get to know and experience a city like a local. That’s why i thought it was a good idea to share my Treasure Map: some of the shops and bars/restaurants in Antwerp i like to spend time at. Since there are a lot of these places and so little space to write about them in one article, I’ve decided to go all Peter Jackson on my script and turn it into a Travel Trilogy. This is the first part.

A SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN ANTWERPNo one ever started a successful treasure hunt on an empty stomach!” (I’m pretty sure some pirate somewhere must have said this a long time ago), so let’s start with brunch. I must admit I like to eat a lot of junk and take-away, but my Saturday/Sunday-brunch has to be healthy. That’s why I prefer going to De Biologisch-Dynamische Bakkerij (1). The menu offers organic and vegetarian (sorry meat-freaks) salads, burgers, granola, walnut cake, speculoos, homemade lasagna and everyday another fresh homemade soup. These are but a few things the Biologische Bakkerij has to offer. Want more? Take home one the many sorts of bread (made of sunflower seeds, Tibetan barley, whole-wheat bread, …) or one of the many varieties of artisan cakes.

(c) Sien Josephine(1) De Biologisch Dynamische Bakkerij – Volkstraat 17 – 2000 Antwerp

Onward to the shopping streets, even though winter sales are still on display. When I was in University i used to work in a store for years; I must have created an aversion for anything that has to do with the word “Sale”. Still, there are some boutiques in Antwerp that don’t attract sales-crazy people and in which I can look around and try on things without putting my life in danger. At Fresh15 (2) for example, you can find the beautiful brands of Sessun, IRO, Humanoid and on some Saturdays you can also find the beautiful Merrymaker Ruth van Soom in this store. (By the way Fresh15 has another store Fresh34 which you can find across the street from De Biologisch Dynamische Bakkerij.) Another store I like a lot is Step by Step (3). The window filled with barbie-dolls is a real attention grabber, even more so is the range of brands they sell here: Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang, Band of Outsiders, Current Eliott, Joseph and (yes thank you Lord) my personal favorite: GGDB sneakers (Golden Goose Deluxe Brand). If you’re looking for something more different, exclusive and most of all graphic, you really should consider visiting concept store The Public Image (4 & 5). Get Glam Rock and Roll on a Skateboard (I can’t find a better way to describe the collection): Your Eyes Lie, Kid Vanilla, MinkPink, Staff By Maff, Actual Pain, Andrea Crews, Pantheone, Blood is the New Black, Jeffrey Campbell shoes and jewelry by Melody Ehsani (to name a few), TPI introduces brands as if it was presenting breakfast. Yes, TPI owner Nele Moens is on a (rock ‘n) roll (or as they say in Antwerp: ‘goe bezig’).

Fresh15

(2) Fresh15 – Lombardenvest 15 – 2000 Antwerp

StepbyStep(3) Step by Step – Lombardenvest 18 – 2000 Antwerp

TPI2(4 & 5) The Public Image – Wijngaardstraat 16 – 2000 Antwerp

TPI1

Legs all tired from shopping? Need some caffeine? Wanna listen to some records while enjoying your coffee? Go to Coffee & Vinyl (6). What’s in a name? Owner Lars Cosemans, never shy for a joke, moved his old record-store (called Vinyl) and added a little coffee bar, so people could sit down, relax and listen to their favorite records. It doesn’t stop there though: the bar is also a gallery. Now on display is art by Frederik Schnieders. Free WiFi, great coffee, cool art and good music. What else?

(c) Sien Josephine(6) Coffee & Vinyl – Volkstraat 45 – 2000 Antwerp

For something decorative or something to read i recommend two places! (Studio) Helder (7) offers the most original and practical design. The shop oozes creativity. That’s probably because the team behind this store (an accessories designer and an interior architect who both worked with renowned fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester) use their talent as a platform for presenting their own creations. You can buy a Crying Candle here, which cries tears as the wax burns, or Y-shaped tabletops as a multi-employable base for a coffee table, cabinet legs or even a book shelf. There’s so much to explore in this shop, it’s like a little adventure. If you want to feed your intellectuality some more go to ‘t Stad Leest (8). It’s a huge bookstore which offers you a look inside the favorite books from the owners themselves! Nice personal touch. And open on a Sunday.

helder(7) Studio Helder – Vrijdagmarkt 13 – 2000 Antwerptstad leest(8) t Stad Leest – Steenhouwersvest 16 – 2000 Antwerp

Upcoming things to do in Antwerp:

  • January 22nd – January 27th: FOMU BOOKSALE – the Antwerp Museum of Photography is selling it’s stock for ridiculous prices (Waalsekaai 47 – 2000 Antwerp).
  • January 24th: N8N PRESENTS THE RUS NERWICH QUARTET at (the bar/restaurant with the most beautiful name) Josephine’s – this is one live show you don’t want to miss. They’ll bring their new live show ‘The Wondering Who’, followed with an aftershow DJ set by N8N remixed. Reserve your tables now or just join in for good music and drinks (Gentplaats 1 – 2000 Antwerp).
  • January 26th: DOUBLE TROUBLE X GUS & SENSE X MAGIC at Magic Club – dance the night away on the best dance-classics, brought to you by Gus & Sense (Desguinlei 94 – 2018 Antwerp).

Special thanks to

Ruth Van Soom (just for being you), Brecht Baert (for coffee in golden cups), Nele Moens (also for coffee but most of all for being an inspiration), Lars Cosemans (great apple-pie) and Bart Deweer (for holding his pose while choking on a cookie).

Next episode:

about Food & Drinks. A BYOB-free invitation to Antwerp’s bars and restaurants.

All pictures are under copyright protection

(c) Sien Josephine 2013

Food · Lifestyle · Tel Aviv · Uncategorized

Ottolenghi – food for thought

In Flemish they say ‘Liefde gaat door de maag’ – literally translated  ‘Love goes through the stomach’ – and yes you can cook your way into capturing love. Wintertime is cocooning time and that means time for new culinary challenges. As Israel’s population consists of 76% Jewish people, Christmas is not as widely celebrated as in the rest of the world. While recently traveling to New York and London, I kept seeing that same cookbook in shops and homes called Jerusalem, without giving it too much attention; until I got my own copy as a Christmas gift.

Yotam Ottolenghi is a culinary star in London, overseeing four restaurants, writing vegetarian columns for The Guardian and a familiar face on BBC tv. Born in Israel not long after the 1967 war, Ottolenghi grew up in Jewish West Jerusalem. After some time in Tel Aviv, he moved to London, took a cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu without any intention for professional cooking; and there he met his later-to-be business partner and co-chef Sami Tamimi. Tamimi grew up in the Muslim neighborhoods of East Jerusalem around the same time. What are the odds: a Jewish Israeli from West Jerusalem, an Israeli Arab from East Jerusalem, meeting in the UK, sharing a passion for the same food despite cultural dissimilarities and together manage to successfully create their own brand of Meditteranean based cuisine. Ottolenghi and Tamimi’s story is inspiring; a sign of hope and a symbol for peace.

Jerusalem: A Cookbook is their third book and was already a bestseller before it even came out. I wanted to prepare diner with a few typical Middle Eastern for my Belgian guests. So we started the preparations: it can begin with sewing your own apron first (yes maybe I’ll post a tutorial for it one day) but let’s stick to shopping for this one. We went out to the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, where they have the best fruit & vegetables at the best prices. We also got some spices, tea and herbs like Za’atar (Hyssup), Cinnamon, Cumin and Curcuma (Turmeric). In the little streets of the Shuk (market in Hebrew) one can find great food spots for authentic Hummus, Tehina & Shakshuka like at Shlomo & Doron, to cement the stomach. And then it was time to cook; out of 120 recipes in the book I picked a few: I made roasted cauliflower & hazelnut salad (replacing some of the ingredients to my own taste). Then we had stuffed aubergines with lamb & pine nuts (I used minced beef meat instead) with Mejadra (ancient dish with rice, lentils and fried onion). I also added a plain sweet potato puree and some avocado salad. And some fruit for dessert.  בתאבון – شهية طيبة

Maybe one day, peace in the world will come through the stomach too…

ottlenghihumus ottolenghibuyspice ottolenghibuyspice1 ottolenghimarsbuyspice ottolenghispicesmaybe ottolenghiteaottolenghidiner

ottolenghia

Food · History · Judaism · Tel Aviv

Hanukkah, a festival of lights

Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Every night, we light the candles of the Hanukiah to commemorate and celebrate the miracle of Light: the Jews only had enough oil to create light for one night, but the miracle made it last for 8 days…

 photo 2-1Jewish family spirit, Tel Aviv December 2012 – photo by Sharon Erde www.twitter.com/sharonerde

Being a secular Jew doesn’t mean I don’t honor values and follow rituals of the Jewish holidays. Families always gather around a big food table.  Family & food. Celebrating the miracle of oil also means eating fried food. While some of us yearn for Sufganyot (they’re like doughnuts and come in various shapes, colors and with many different fillings); some rather eat Latkes (Yiddish word) or Levivot (Hebrew word) which are a kind of potato pancake.  Here’s my favorite recipe for you to try at home – thank you Ameloush and thank you Doda Anny from Belgium…

Ingredients:photo 1

  • 5 potatoes (big red ones preferably)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons self-rising flour
  • salt, pepper and white pepper
  • canola oil to fry in

Preparation:

1. Heat +/- 1 to 2 cm of canola oil until boiling and ready to fry
2. Meanwhile, start peeling and grating the potatoes (feel your muscles?)
3. With your hands, squeeze out all the water from the potatoes (very important!)
4. Add the shredded onion, eggs, flour, salt&pepper and mix with a spoon or  photo 2with your hands
5. Make flat round shapes with your hand/spoon and fry till golden brown 6.Before serving, make sure you use a lot of paper roll to remove as much oil as possible.
7. Bete’avon, you can eat your latkes with sugar, mustard or whatever other weird family ritual you have.

Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song, part. 1; there’s also part 2 & 3 if you want more…

Lyrics:

“Put on your Yamakkah, here comes Hanukkah… so much fun-Hakka to celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the festival of lights… instead of one day of presents, we get eight crazy nights. When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree, here’s a list of people who are Jewish, just like you and me.

David Lee Roth lights the Menorah, So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah. Guess who eats together at the Carnegie deli, Bowzer from Sha-na-na, and Arthur Fonzerrelli. Paul Newman’s half Jewish; Goldie Hawn’ss half too, Put them together–what a fine lookin’ Jew. You don’t need deck the halls or jingle bell rock, cause you can spin the dreidl with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock-both Jewish!

Put on your Yamakkah, it’s time for Hanukkah… The owner of the Seattle Super Sonic-ahs celebrates Hanukkah. O.j. Simpson- not a Jew… But guess who is…hall of famer Rod Carew-he converted! We got Ann Landers and her sister dear Abby, Harrison fords a quarter Jewish-not too shabby! Some people think that Ebenezer Scrooge is, Well, he’s not, but guess who is: all three Stooges.

So many Jews are in show business… Tom cruise isn’t,but I heard his agent is. Tell your friend veronica, it’s time you celebrate Hanukkah…I hope I get a harmonica, on this lovely, lovely Hanukkah. So drink your gin-and-tonic-ah, and smoke your mara-juanic-ah… If you really, really wanna-kah, have a happy, happy, happy, happy
Hanukkah! Happy Hanukkah!”

Happy Hanukkah…may the light shine… in and around you….

Antwerp · Food

Israeli food night in Belgium

To celebrate Marilyn’s visit to her hometown Antwerp, we decided to make a Middle-Eastern dinner for our friends and family.

An ideal dip for pita bread: a big plate of Hummus and green Tehina, hard boiled eggs, grilled pine nuts with some cumin and sweet paprika powder. Hummus is a food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas. Tehina is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds.

This is the home made “Shakshuka” and probably Israel’s most famous dish after Falafel and Hummus. Shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Sometimes with garlic. You can spice it up with some chili peppers. Most Israelis eat it for breakfast with a salad. Contemporary Israeli restaurants play with it and often offer a Green Shakshuka (with spinach, chard, aubergines and feta cheese). This dish knows many stories, recipes and myths. I like this description and recipe by “the Shiksa in the Kitchen” website if you want to try it at home.

I realize that even when describing food it’s hard to avoid politics: this is a chopped “Arab Salad”. The basic recipe includes tomato, cucumber and onion. Often mixed with parsley and combined with the juice of freshly squeezed lemon and olive oil, unlike many Western salads, Arabic salad contains no lettuce. In summer we add fresh mint leaves.

Another important spice in Mediterranean cuisine is called Za’atar. It’s a mixture of sumac, sesame seed and herbs.

And of course: Falafel. Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is usually served in a pita, topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tehina-based sauces. You can make them yourself or buy them at your local supermarket

בתאבון – Beteavon – Bon appétit – Smakelijk

Antwerp · Food · Lifestyle

What’s on the grocery list?

Becoming a desperate housewife – Stage 1: wake up at 6.30 am on a Saturday to go to the food market with my gluten-free and food market-expert friend Emma. Thankfully, the sun woke up as early as we did and greeted us while having coffee and discussing our market game plan.

The objective: fresh fruit and vegetables (I recently bought a blender, yes, all my friends know cause i can’t stop talking about it – what a useful kitchen tool – and i wanted to buy everything you can possibly blend into a juice or a smoothie), sunflower and pumpkin seeds, olives, etc. Eventually we e spent hours walking around. I get so excited when I see food, I go crazy!

Some pictures:

Exotic Food Market – Antwerp

Oudevaartplaats, Theaterplein and surroundings

Every Saturday from 8am till 4pm (except official holidays)

Antwerp · Entertainment · Fashion · Shopping

COMMA, the first Belgian edition.

Last thursday I was invited to go and take pictures at the new Comma store opening in Antwerp. Comma is a German brand that decided to open their first Belgian store on the Meir in Antwerp. Spoiled with finger food and luscious cocktails, free make up corner (mmmm so nice after a long day of work, thanks Sabine!) and live music, Comma presents to you: the first Belgian edition.

P.S.: These pictures also got published on the website of a Belgian newspaper (yaay!). Read the article here.

COMMA, Meir 32-36, 2000 Antwerp.

Food · Tel Aviv

Delicatessen


My ambition in this blog is not necessarily to share every TLV hotspot, neither to be the coolest chick in town. But when it comes to aesthetics, taste and lifestyle, it’s my duty to share. Especially keeping in mind the motivation behind my posts: show you how and why Tel Aviv is such a great city, as opposed to what most prejudiced minds might think. Most of you who haven’t been here wouldn’t believe this is daily life. So here it is, another proof of how hip, hot and happening this city is. It’s called “Delicatessen” and it’s the latest food concept and more by the R2M cooperation. They already have top restaurants (Brasserie, Coffee Bar), hip bars (Rothschild 12), the Bakery, an exclusive catering business and the boutique hotel “Hotel Montefiore”. Every spot they open always excels in style, design, music and smell. These places are here to stay, which is not an evidence here. “Delicatessen”, combines food and wine, groceries and bakery, breakfast and lunch, wine and spirits and all this with the R2M quality label. Enjoy an Italian cafe on the street terrace, buy some Spanish meat and Dutch cheese in the ‘deli’, eat an Israeli shakshuka in the sun; it’s all part of the experience. Enjoy…

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More info: http://delitlv.co.il/

Antwerp

Sweets for my sweet and sugar for my tummy

You know that story of the little girl who got an Easy-bake Oven for Christmas and loved baking cakes ever since? Well, that’s not me. First of all, I never got an Easy-bake Oven for Christmas (never asked for one either) and I baked my first cake not so long ago. However, when it comes to eating cakes and pies, I can go all “story of my life” on you.

That’s why I was very happy (being the understatement of the century) when my good friends (and fellow bloggers) Ruth and Babs invited me for the opening of the new “Les Tartes de Françoise” store in Antwerp. Oh dear Lord, was I doing a small victory dance when I found out the store was in fact located on MY side of town (somewhere in the South area – the dodgy part). Arriving at the scene, all I could see was the abundance of pie. No wonder “Share happiness” is their message (or as I like to say: “sharing is caring”).

The story behind Les Tartes de Françoise is rather unique. Françoise and Olivier brought a homemade lemon merengue pie to a dinner with friends somewhere in the good old nineties. Their friends were so impressed they told their friends, who told their friends and so on. After a while Françoise and Olivier got orders from restaurants on the lookout for homemade products. Weddings and birthday parties followed quickly. Keyword of this family business is craftmanship. And boy, do they craft good!

What’s on the menu? Did I mention the pies? Les Tartes de Françoise offers a selection of sweet and savoury pies and quiches, (home)made with fresh ingredients depending on the season (pumpkin pie,  almond and pear pie, carrots and goat cheese quiche, …) and of course a wide range of classics (“Hello gourmand au chocolat, how you look lovely today“). Absolute favorite however is the cheesecake made out of curd cheese with a speculoos crust. Françoise’s cheesecake is so popular it even has its own Facebook fan page.

Does this got you all drooling too? Check out the menu on www.tartes.be and order your cake online.

I will gladly come over for a piece.

Huge thanks and bloggerly love goes out to Ruth Van Soom and Babs Jacops.

Les Tartes de Françoise Antwerp opened in December 2011: Ieperstraat 20-22, 2018 Antwerpen. To add even more plaisir du goût, it’s open every Sunday from 9 am till 2 pm.