Shalom Aleichem (שלום עליכם).
During my 3 year stay in Tel Aviv, a Jewish song ‘Shalom Aleichem (שלום עליכם)’ sung by an unknown mature male singer was the tune to kick off my weekend: The song was played from nowhere every Friday evening and I could hear in my room. Rumor has it that the song came from The Great Synagogue of Tel Aviv which I thought was a street party when I first saw the venue from my street. Later it turned out that the party I saw was just everyday Tel Avivians dining at a trendy, chef-driven restaurant Port Sa’id produced by Israel’s superstar chef Eyal Shani.
A poster of Eyal Shani at an IKEA in Israel.
Tahini at Port Sa’id. 19 NIS (Israeli new shekel) / $5.10.
Baked potato. 20 NIS / $5.40.
Chicken sandwich. 42 NIS / $11.30.
Beef stew (says “Butcher’s Cut” on the menu). 58 NIS / $15.70.
Port Sa’id is obviously non-kosher and louder than any other Hebrew cantillation I’ve ever heard. Their food looked robust but tasted refined. It was like a nonchalant brush stroke casually executed by a shodo (Japanese calligraphy) master. I guess paper sheets that functioned as plates at Port Sa’id did a great job too. I swallowed the food and the fact that Port Sa’id is considered one of the best restaurants that serve modern Israeli cuisine.
An iconic, Farid Al-Atrash wall art at Port Sa’id.
Port Sa’id | Har Sinai St 5, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
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