If you haven’t discovered Mojosan, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s an Asian restaurant situated in the very attractive open-air Piano mall in Netanya, large and airy, with a covered garden where you can sit and enjoy an avenue of trees running the whole of its length.
One of the most attractive aspects of the restaurant is that you can choose your dinner at the entrance from the very extensive English menu, and give your order direct – no sitting around and trying to catch the waiter’s eye, which can be a very frustrating experience, although, having said that, my dining (and life) companion is very good at it and never fails when it comes to getting the waiter’s attention. (Also a champion at hailing taxis when in London.)
We made our choices and sat down at a table near the trees, drinking some yuzu and soda to pass the time. The alcohol content of this oriental drink is about 10%, enough to give a good high, with no descent into a drunken stupor.
Eating delicious Asian food in Netanya
The food arrived very quickly. We had chosen a sushi opener, and after having admired the artistic beauty of these little creations, we tucked in with abandon.
I love sushi but find it a little bland unless helped out with soy sauce. We discovered you have to help yourself to soya, plates, chopsticks and anything else you might need on the way to your table. Once fully equipped we savored the sushi, while eying the next dishes which were arriving at our table with unseemly speed.
The first dish we tried was something that looked like a half-baguette full of salmon cubes and shredded lettuce and red cabbage. In fact, there was no bread at all; the whole “sandwich” thing was an illusion. The outer wrapping paper, once removed, revealed a “baguette” held together with fine edible rice paper – definitely a reduction in calories, apart from the fact that it was delicious.
Another dish to arrive was chicken lemon noodles. The chicken was tempura (i.e., breaded and deep-fried), and the noodles looked like spaghetti. It was a good dish, though I would have liked a stronger lemon flavor (NIS 69).
Yet another dish, which we both thought the best, was called spicy popcorn. It was chicken breast chunks in a sweet sticky chili sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds. It disappeared quickly, attesting to its tastiness (NIS 49).
I had ordered a “bun” called Portobello Burger (NIS 28). The Chinese steamed buns are very special, pure white and soft. The filling was a kind of mushroom paste. Very recommended.
Itai, the duty manager, had promised – threatened – that he would send over other dishes we had not ordered.
One of these was Nams, which came in a bamboo container and consisted of two crispy chicken rolls with lettuce leaves and chili pepper. We were instructed how to eat them, wrapping the lettuce around the chicken with the chili added. It was yet another mouthwatering way to get your Asian fix.
Finally, two wontons filled with mushroom and leek mixture arrived, and we somehow managed to taste these, too (NIS 42).
No desserts were offered, so we said our goodbyes, having formed a very positive opinion of Mojosan.
- Mojosan
- 10 Shoshana Damari Street, Netanya
- Tel: (09) 741-5555
- Open: Sun.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sat. night, one hour after Shabbat until 11 p.m.
- Kashrut: Netanya Rabbinate
- Wheelchair accessible
- The restaurant will be open on Passover, menu adjusted.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.