“Then we munched down some salad. Yeah, you know…salad. Only this was no ordinary salad, it was a “Gidi salad.” It had feta cheese, nuts, lettuce, baby leaves, beets, sprouts, and the entire richness was covered in a red vinaigrette sauce…” Eyna Gal discovered “Beit HaCafe Shel Gidi” (Gidi’s Coffee Shop), a true wonder of a caf? in Ramat Gan.
It was a horrendously stormy day and Ofer and I sought shelter from the rain. As though a godsend, we found ourselves in front of a small and inviting caf?. We walked in with trepidation, as this was not in one of the areas in town which are filled with famous eateries. We decided to go for it – something about the simplicity, the pleasant atmosphere of Gidi’s Coffee Shop, won our hearts over and made us want to stay, not just because of the rain, and order a meal.
Even before the food arrived, we noticed b perusing the menu that the food is far from standard caf? fare. The dishes looked special and original – the spinach shakshuka for example. Who ever heard of spinach shakshuka?! We instantly knew we wanted to try it and so we did. Ofer was happy with the 2 yolks staring up at him from the center of the green dish, and soaked some tasty bread into them. The spinach and eggs combined marvelously and we did not miss the traditional tomato sauce.
Then we munched down some salad. Yeah, you know…salad. Only this was no ordinary salad, it was a “Gidi salad.” It had feta cheese, nuts, lettuce, baby leaves, beets, sprouts, and the entire richness was covered in a red vinaigrette sauce. The salad was set off to the side of the table, and although the meal progressed on to other things, I always stayed with it. I grew addicted to its crispness, freshness, and the combination of the two. Ofer thoroughly enjoyed his first course which was a sort of yam pastry served over mushrooms and eggplants – a special and unconventional dish, which he could not set aside. We then welcomed our main dishes: Ofer ordered the penne pomodoro, and I selected the quiche. We were both quite happy with our choices, and we both remained loyal to our first courses – yam pastry for him, and salad for me.
The menu featured a nice story about a family who had a successful chandelier factory, which in time became the very coffee shop in which we were sitting. On my way to the ladies’ room I found a remnant of those days long gone – under the glass floor was a chandelier, a link to Gidi’s family history.
Sipping steaming cups of coffee, we waited for the rain to subside. We were happy to discover in Ramat Gan, a simple place, pleasant and special, which does not try too hard to impress or stand out, and yet succeeds marvelously at doing just those things.
Beit HaCafe Shel Gidi
108 Ben Gurion, Ramat Gan
03-6722172
