Aladin - Romance, Fine Food Among Tel Aviv Jaffa Israel Restaurants

By Rose Katzman
Israel News Agency

Tel Aviv ---- March 22, 2007..... Israel and it's ancient sea port cities of Tel Aviv and Old Jaffa have been known for their romantic charm throughout the ages. The long, lazy, white sandy beaches of Tel Aviv seduce tourists from New York and London to Tokyo and Paris. But at the end of a long day of sight seeing in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem or Masada, one would search for an oasis to relax upon and enjoy a fine feast of Israel food. In Tel Aviv, that would be a restaurant mystically named Aladin.

Aladin Restaurant sits perched upon an ancient hilltop overlooking the modern skyline of Tel Aviv, Israel.

As one approaches the tan brick, blue domed, arched doorway of Aladdin, one can not escape the beauty and history for which this restaurant of Tel Aviv restaurants is located.
Just a few meters to the north is St. Peter's Church of Old Jaffa, where it is said that Paul the Apostle took refuge. With its tall brick facade and towering belfry, St. Peter's Church and Monastery is the single largest and most distinctive building in the charming Old Jaffa area of Israel. The building was built over a medieval citadel; Napoleon is said to have visited the monastery. It was most recently renovated in 1903. The interior of the church itself is awesome, reminiscent of cathedrals in Europe, with a high vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows, and marble walls. Masses are conducted in English, Italian, Spanish, Polish and German. A schedule is available at the church and it is open to the public everyday.

A few hundred meters to the east is the Old Clock Tower of Jaffa. The clock tower was erected in the plaza between the "saraya" palace and the "kishleh" prison, next to the Great Mosque, the Mosque of Mahmudiyyeh. The cornerstone was laid on January 9,1900 on the occasion of the 25th year of the Sultan's rule. Two stories were completed by 1901, and the Old Clock Tower of Jaffa was dedicated in late 1903 - early 1904.

But there is no site, no restaurants in Tel Aviv that matche the splendid beauty for which one can witness from Aladin. This middle-east fish and seafood restaurant watches over the most ancient port in the world - Jaffa. The site was used by the Romans, the Turks and the French to control passage into this part of what was once called Palestine.

"The building for which Aladin sits is over 600 years old," says Tel Aviv restaurant owner Avraham Forer.
Forer and his partner Meir Pinchas bought the restaurant 20 years ago. "In 1828, Jews from Kushta Turkey, came to Jaffa and one by the name of Benjamin Adjeeman, bought part of the building and made a small synagogue for Jewish sailors that arrived from North Africa. New immigrants would sleep over here as in a hostel, and on the patio, horses with carts were parked waiting for morning when they would form a caravan heading for Jerusalem. Later on in time, the building became a customs house."

Forer says that in 1960, a company was created and called, "Hevra HaPituach Yafo Atiqua", whose decision was to renovate Old Jaffa and have its houses in the entire area, be occupied exclusively by artisans. In 1967, an actor by the name of Zeev Belinsky, bought this place and built a tea house called Aladin from the rubble. In time, he leased the premises to others who made it into a restaurant.

The kippa domed portion of this ancient Tel Aviv restaurant and its terrace floors are original and built upon 2 lower floors where the kitchen and storage rooms are located. Two sections of the terrace were eventually enclosed for indoor dining during the winter and one portion was left open for those that prefer outdoor dining where smoking is permitted.

Avraham Forer and Meir Pinchas had been partners in a food distribution business out of Rehovot, Israel where they lived, and dealt with various products such as olive oil, supplying restaurants all over the south of the country up until Rishon-le-Zion, for many years. They had often traveled to Tel Aviv as friends, together with their wives, for dining and night life. Avraham said that they had often dined at Aladin and one day back in 1987, they decided to dine at a Jaffa Port fish restaurant called Baba. It was there that they ran into a waiter they knew very well from Aladin who informed them that Belinsky didn't want to renew his lease for the Aladin premises and was closing the restaurant. The waiter gave Avraham Belinsky's phone number and within two weeks, he and Meir were Aladin's new owners.

Avraham was always a good cook as he grew up in a religious home where he learned his skills from his mother. Today, his culinary talents passed down to both his sons who are also managing a popular restaurant and catering hall along the route entering Rehovot, Israel called Tarazina.

"Business is always good and the only time it wasn't was during the Intafada or when the scud missiles were falling during the Gulf War," says Forer. "In general, it is less busy during the winter months when there are less tourists of course, but Aladin has its loyal and steady local clientele. After all, when two out of 10 new restaurants close down, Aladin's 20 years has earned it "landmark status" and whoever decides to explore Tel Aviv and Old Jaffa with its culture and history, will inevitably stumble upon the Aladin restaurant with its breathtaking views.

This Tel Aviv Jaffa Israel restaurant comes highly recommended and has been frequented by such nobles as Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Bibi Netanyahu and various, government ministers, foreign diplomats and foreign dignitaries.

Today, Aladin hosts businessmen from here and abroad related to various sectors in the economy such as hi tech, in addition to tourists and its local clientele.

Avraham prides himself on his homemade soups consisting of fresh tomato basil, rich lentil and exotic seafood, all recommended to first time diners. Of course, the Aladin restaurant is known as one of Israel's best fish restaurants and again, Avraham assures his customers dine on only the freshest fish prepared to perfection. All the salads are home made and entrees are prepared fresh per order, delivered by a small 40-year old drolly (large enough to hold but two platters), from the kitchen two floors below, up to the restaurant on the third level. Avraham states that all the work he puts into the restaurant is truly a labor of love for him and when asked how he sees the future, his response is that it should be like the past.

Avraham feels lucky that his restaurant business is a 20-year success story and that if the situation remains quiet, tourists will continue to come to Israel from all over and the number of new immigrants will also rise. Old Jaffa will always be on a visitor's list of places to visit, rich in culture, history, museums, churches, mosques, hundreds of years old and the city itself, thousands of years old!

Avraham would ideally like to open more restaurants in Israel and extend his management abilities. He takes pride in knowing that Aladin is the most romantic restaurant in Tel Aviv because one can see the lights of Tel Aviv reflected in the water at night coupled with the Tel Aviv skyline, views unparalleled day or night by any other restaurant. He claims that people get marriage proposals there every day and that thousands of children were born because of Aladin's existence. It is Avraham's opinion that due to the romantic hideaway atmosphere of the restaurant, it tends to attract more unmarried couples rather than "legal ones" they find it a great place to bring a date.

Capacity for this Tel Aviv Jaffa restaurant is 150 people maximum. He overseas all the process from food purchase and preparation to customer satisfaction and will not be happy with less than 100 percent in performance and perfection.

The Aladin Website describes the adventure that one enjoys when they arrive to Aladin.

"Perhaps everyone has dreamed to spend at least one day in a fairy-tale - to relax from the buzz of Tel Aviv. So let's try to close your eyes and imagine the shore of a warm and caressing sea, a small gulf and an ancient port - Jaffa - with fishermen's boats. And then, on a small hill, a small and comfortable quiet area overlooking Tel Aviv, which is surrounded in the vibrance of southern green plants. It's a place with narrow, winding streets, in which a dozens of workshops and galleries are situated. This is the fairy-tale of Old Jaffa, one of the most beautiful and picturesque corners of Israel. And here you will find Tel Aviv, Israel most romantic restaurant - Aladin. According to the legends, Jaffa was founded in the time of Nosh. It is supposed that here exactly he had built his ship."

"Ancient Jaffa, which has existed for about 6,500 years as a sea port is the most ancient port in the world. It is situated in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea on the gulf coast, which played a very important role in its rich and stormy history, full of troubles and wars. There is no need in numerating all the regimes of Jaffa and what is today Tel Aviv. This list includes Egyptians, Rome rulers, crusaders, Frenchmen and Turks. Who else didn't leave his footprints on this ground? And this continued until our days, when the world started coming to Erets Israel, bringing their own traditions their culture and their kitchen. After wandering on the picturesque streets of ancient Jaffa Tel Aviv with houses in the eastern style, enjoying its sea landscape, going down to the port, where black stones - Rock Andromeda, are seen, you won't wish to part with this Tel Aviv - Jaffa fairy-tale."

"To continue the charm of this fantastical and surprising place you wander into the Tel Aviv Jaffa restaurant Aladin. The combinations of the coziness of interior with delicious kitchen, mild illumination of old lamps, coolness of the sea cave make a quiet and pleasant atmosphere. And for the sea breeze lovers there are two open verandas, where you can enjoy Tel-Aviv skyscrapers and its coast. After enjoying a variety of fish, seafood and middle eastern meals, being cooked in this Tel Aviv restaurant according to old and tasty recipes, you will find yourself absorbed in the atmosphere of the far past.
One will feel like a traveler, a tourist who has found their relaxation and coolness in this Middle East Tel Aviv restaurant oasis, like an immigrant, who walked off a ship in the Holy Land and like a simple visitor in the far fairy country.

The intimate atmosphere of Aladin is not just a result of its holy land location. Both Forer and Pinchas have decided not to allow bus tours to stop at the restaurant, actually turning away thousands of dollars of business.

"First, we are not large enough to accommodate many buses, but more important we try to preserve the romantic charm and atmosphere of Old Jaffa. We want our customers to know that we are not a fast food chain but rather a unique cuisine gem among Tel Aviv restaurants. Where else will you find food being cooked in a 600 hundred year-old basement and making its way to candle lit tables above by trolley?"

"Not many weddings take place here, but many engagements do," says Forer. "We are responsible for making much humous and many children from this restaurant."

Aladin - truly one of the most beautiful and romantic restaurants one can ever wish to enjoy in Tel Aviv, Israel. Aladin Restaurant, is located at 5 Mifratz Shlomoh Street in Old Jaffa, next to the clock tower.

Next week, the Israel News Agency will review the most romantic restaurant in Jerusalem - the Jerusalem View Restaurant or Mul Hahar which over looks the Holy and Old City of Jerusalem .

.