Tel Aviv may be one of the world’s great food cities, but according to Brisbane-based Israeli chef Roy Ner, it’s also a dynamic town that doesn’t rest.
“When I visit Tel Aviv on a classic summer day, I like to start at the beach in the morning, then go through the markets,” Ner says.
“In the early the evening the city shifts gear.”
A summer’s day at the beach will start at 10am, but end in massive beach parties and in bars, he says.
“It goes all the way to 6 o’clock in the morning. You can eat any time of the day. Tel Aviv doesn’t stop.”
The seaside Israeli city is the inspiration behind the restaurant Ner helms, ZA ZA TA. It is tucked to the side of Ovolo The Valley in Brisbane’s revitalised Fortitude Valley.
The menu is Middle Eastern and Mediterranean, but if you’re willing to travel a little further, and venture to the country that inspired the venue, the 37-year-old Israeli-born executive chef offers his top tips for making the most of a trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – from where to get the best falafel to what exactly makes Israel so special.
The first thing to know is that the two cities are “completely different”: “It’s like asking in Italy, what’s the difference between Milan and Rome?” Ner says.
“Tel Aviv is very forward, very loose …It’s a city that doesn’t stop.”
Read the article by Sangeeta Kocharekar in The New Daily.