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
.
.