Israel Trip: Dining in Tel Aviv

The only words I can describe dining in Tel Aviv - healthy, bland and expensive.  This is not the place for my gastronomic treat.  I think I lost some pounds during my stay here (but doubled when I returned home...or maybe I'm just dreaming...haist!).  Most of their foods are either grilled or eaten raw.  Another thing I noticed, they are served in huge proportions; to think that Israelis have great bodies.  Where do they put them????

-Day 1 Dinner-

We dined in a hamburger joint along the shore.  I'm overwhelmed with the servings.  The burger looked small in the picture though.


I was able to finish only half on this plate...

The shakes and drinks are huge as well.  The shake is more than enough to fill my hungry stomach.  This humburger meal alone costs around 100NIS, that is Php 1,300.00.  Fortunately, all our meals were shouldered by our host company.

Due to our amazement with the food servings; the owner of the restaurant noticed and was amused with us.  He added insult to injury by giving us free ice cream.  We were not able to finish it no matter how yummy it looked. 



pistachio flavored ice cream with caramelized banana..sooo yummy...wish we have this here

-Lunch in ECI Tel Aviv -

Since this is a 5-day-training course; we had our lunch in the training venue.  They have a canteen that provides a variety of Mediterranean cuisine.  During the training course, snacks consisting of breads and fruits plus bottomless tea and coffee are being provided.  With the heat in Israel, we're very thankful that we don't need to go out for lunch.

an array of vegetables for salad

the fish is too spicy for me..but this is the only viand that i can eat

the famous cuscus

their famous dipping..made of ground nuts

another lunch with chicken and beef sausage..no pork being served in Israel

-Joe's Coffee Shop in ECI-

We were also treated to a coffee shop inside the bldg.  We were told that this coffee shop is the reason why Starbucks' six shops has closed permanently and we learned the reason why.  That's why no Starbucks souvenir from Israel.

that's barry treating us for coffee



I swear! this is really far better than starbucks...

 -Freebies in our Hotel-

No money, no problem!  We are so glad that there is a business room in our hotel that provides overflowing drinks and snacks aside from the free internet use.  I frequented this place after our training and dinners to use the net (no wi-fi signal in my room).  I took the opportunity to eat the fruits being served (these are expensive here in PI).

a variety of breads, nuts, fruits and sashimi



my healthy late night snacks

-2C Restaurant (Fine Dining)-


On our 3rd night, we were treated with a fine dining experience in one of the most famous restaurants in Tel Aviv - the 2C restaurant.  The restaurant is located inside Azreili Mall (the tallest building in the city).  At first, I was wondering what's behind the name until we reached it.  2C is "to see" since it is located at the rooftop with glass walls where you can see the whole Tel Aviv and beyond.

the view from the top

our dinner...with wine

the best sherbet in town...

-Maganda Restaurant (Semi-Fine Dining)-

Another famous restaurant is the Maganda Restaurant (Hey that's a Pinoy term!).  Imagine my astonishment upon learning this restaurant. The story behind the name is even more interesting.  This was named after a little girl (granddaughter of the owner?) which is often called "maganda" by a Pinay wife.  That was in 1950s.  So during those conservative times, there is already a wandering Pinay.  

it's really maganda...

the appetizer...

pita bread is so fresh and made the old way

with the owner

-Last Night Dinner-

Like with our first night, our last night ended in a burger joint again.  We were looking for a cheaper dinner so we ended here.  The crews here are handsome so it was worth it, hehehehhe.

a small burger joint

P is for plate and S is for sandwich...we thought plural and single servings...hehehe

Unlike here in the Phils., the food in Israel are mostly Mediterranean cuisines only.  The only western restaurant I saw is McDonald's but still the burger is with spices which I'm not fond of.

We also had pizza and Mexican food on other nights. I never tried fried chicken here since chickens taste different here.  Maybe it's just my taste buds.