Zahav- Modern Israeli Cuisine

Getting fancy at Zahav (237 St. James Pl, Philadelphia, PA 19106). Zahav is an Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia. When we visited Zahav, we did the taste of Zahav. With that you get a salatim (daily selection of salads) and hummus with laffa to share. The each person gets to choose 2 mezzes (appetizers), 1 al ha'esh (entree), and 1 dessert.  May I say this was actually quite alot of food. Below are some of the foods we got. The menu changes seasonally/ periodically so some of the things I ate might not be on the menu anymore. 

Salatim

For the salatim, it was interesting. It came in 6 small bowls. I was expecting more of a big bowl with lettuce and other mixed greens. However, the Israeli salad was more of pickled vegetables than fresh/raw veggies. Above is a picture of some of each salad placed neatly on my plate. From right to left, there was eggplant, string beans, red pepper with onions, carrots, cabbage, and beets. The eggplant was tendered and tasty. It tasted like eggplant spreads they are offered as appetizers at Mediterranean restaurants. The string beans and the carrots had a similar pickled favor and had some kind of red oil on it. They were tangy sour. The red pepper with onions has a nice sweetness to it. The cabbage was sour tangy, too. The beets which were actually my favorite were tangy and creamy. Not sure, if it was because I am not used to these tastes, but I could not eat too much of any of the salads.

Hummus with Laffa

The hummus with laffa was very fresh. How the hummus was plated gave an illusion that there was more than there actually was. They basically creativity swirl some of the hummus around a flat plate and pour some oil over it. The hummus was very creamy and delicious. The oil on top really complement it. The laffa was warm, soft, and chewy. There were dried herbs sprinkled in the laffa which definitely added favor to it.

Roasted Carrot

The Roasted Carrots were caramelized and sweet. It came with this lemony yogurt sauce and crushed pistachio. I actually prefer the carrots by itself. I didn't think the yogurt sauce or crush pistachio go well with the carrots. I thought the carrots were very good on its own.

Zucchini

The zucchini was breaded and fried. It came with spicy marinara sauce and shaved goat cheese. It was quite tasty. I think everything in the place went well with each other. We actually finished this dish quite fast but then again there was only four pieces. 

House Smoked Sable

For the House Smoked Sable, there were shredded sable topped on a toasted challah. Inside the challah was a runny fried egg. When the waitress delivered the dish, she cutted the challah in half and the egg yolk came running out. The toasted challah was somewhat crispy and greasy. The challah as well as the egg yolk complemented the well seasoned sable. I would definitely recommend this dish if you like fish.

Eggplants

The Grilled Eggplants came with capers sauce on the bottom as well as some kind of green sauce on top. I am actually not a fan of capers and thought the eggplants were way to salty for me. Also, I didn't think the green sauce, which might have been pureed cilantro or parsley, add value to the dish. However, the texture of the eggplant was nice and tender, but because of the salty capers I really couldn't finish the eggplants. I wish it was seasoned some other way. I would have actually been happy if it was just lightly salted and grilled. 

Pineapple Sorbet

The pineapple sorbet was refreshing and light. It reminded me of breakfast. The pineapple sorbet was rich in pineapple flavor. It tasted somewhat like a creamy pureed pineapple. It came with yogurt, blueberries, and toasted shredded coconut. Everything well together. I can definitely see myself eating something like this for breakfast.

Coffee Custard

I got to taste my friend's coffee custard. It tasted like a coffee mousse. The coffee tasted really strong which I liked. Also, the blueberries sauce tasted went surprisingly well with the coffee custard. I actually prefer this even more than my already delicious pineapple sorbet. I would gave this dessert an A+. 

Overall, I really like the customer service and ambiance of the place; however, I thought there food was okay.  Some things I thought were spectacular, but then there were some that I thought was okay or just not for me.