"With the cocktails we had some appetizers – small pastries with Caciocavallo cheese and Tzatziki, roasted peppers with Balkan cheese and thyme, all went great with fresh hot focaccia, which we dipped in olive oil and tomato sauce" Adam Bar enjoys a night out at SALT
At the age of innocence, we used to get together at the Terminal pub that was located at the corner of HaYarkon and Gordon streets, to rub in against backpackers (hopefully there would be ladies in the crowd) who were staying at the hostel on the second floor of the building. We used to drink cool beer on the balcony overlooking at the sunset over the sea, enjoying a backpacking illusion.
The Terminal was closed a few years ago, the old hostel now resides in a Ben Yehuda building, and we know now no one is innocent any more. Still, the sunset over the sea are still here, waiting next to the beautiful balcony where SALT now resides.
We decided to check out the place. It was still a little cold outside on the night we came for a visit, so we went inside. The atmosphere was warm, family like, and the decoration fitted: wooden windows and ceiling covers, exposed breaks, shelves packed with Ouzo and Arak bottles, and we felt right at home.
We sat next to the bar, and ordered a Julia cocktail. SALT's cocktails are named after workers' friends and relatives, and are served in beautiful big jugs. Our Julia was a fine mixture of Arak, guava juice and mint.
With the cocktails we had some appetizers – small pastries with Caciocavallo cheese and Tzatziki, roasted peppers with Balkan cheese and thyme, all went great with fresh hot focaccia, which we dipped in olive oil and tomato sauce.
At this point we switched to white wine and received a selection of first courses: beet Carpaccio with pistachio chips and Caciocavallo and orange portions, which created a celebration of textures and flavors. We then had scallops on a cauliflower cream, Carpaccio with tuna fish and cashew chips, and radishes and herbs salad. The chef was brave enough to avoid using lemon, and his choice allowed us to enjoy it fresh and raw.
Our main courses included drum fish and shrimps gnocchi. The drum fish was surprising, as it combined a juicy roasted fish portion and a wonderful stew of Jerusalem artichoke, artichokes, capers and roasted almonds. The gnocchi were small, just as I like them, so that the wide surface allowed us to enjoy the butter-garlic-parmesan sauce, as the shrimps joined the party.
The desserts turned out to be utterly uncommon: date and pecan mousse covered by white chocolate, and a mango sorbet with vanilla cream, pears in wine, basil foam and crumble – in spite of the abundance of components, they all combined harmonically. How ironic, we loved the sweet desserts of a restaurant called well… SALT.
