Darya is a very special restaurant situated in the lower level of Tel Aviv’s Hilton Hotel. The chef, Hillel Tavakuli, who has years of experience behind him, has created a menu that takes its inspiration from the Silk Road, the ancient network of trade routes connecting Europe to Asia.
Settling down to a cozy table with a great view of the sea, we perused the menu and made our choices, helped by our wonderful waitress, Shahar – who it turned out is a full-fledged doctor, no less. Only in Israel!
While waiting to arrange her first training program (stage) she is working waiting tables and proves to be very competent and helpful.
What's on the menu at Darya?
A plate of pickles arrives at our table. Turpan are sweet Chinese pickled vegetables (cabbage, carrot, kohlrabi) with lemongrass and raisins. They have a powerful kick – just the job to waken up the taste buds for the task ahead (NIS19).
The second appetizer was Istanbul Tabbouleh (NIS 58) with lettuce served on a bowl of crushed ice. It was faintly sweet and I found it rather stodgy.
The menu offers small plates and large plates, as opposed to hors d’oeuvres and main courses.
The first starter was Polenta Fricassee. This was grilled pickled tongue with zatar and other herbs. It was served on a super-crunchy roll covered in rough cornmeal – rather an original idea. The meat was smoked and covered in green leaves. It proved to be an excellent starter (NIS 74).
The other starter was raw chopped fish (ceviche) in lemon sauce with fried onions, served on shell-like dishes, also on ice. It was very aesthetic and fresh.
For his main course, my companion was drawn inevitably to lamb short ribs – tender, juicy, rich and soft, the meat falling off the bone. All conversation was suspended as my partner immersed himself in this dish (NIS 163).
It also came with what looked like a slice of toast but was, in fact, made from rice. Very creative.
I chose fish (sea bass) and received two fillets, rather spicy with a chutney sauce. On the side was a small lachouch – Yemenite bread that is the same as our English crumpet (NIS 148). I once told a Yemenite friend that we toast them and eat them with butter and jam and she was horrified.
There were three desserts to choose from and we, of course, chose the chocolate one which was a fluffy mousse, drowned in cocoa and hazelnut ice cream. It sounds sinful but tasted great.
We drank a rich fruity Chardonnay from the Tsora Winery in the Judean Hills, which accommodated itself to all the different tastes (NIS 62 a glass).
After this incredible meal, there was nothing left to do but stagger to our car and wend our way home, both of us reflecting on the very pleasant outing we had shared.
- Darya Restaurant
- HaYarkon St, 205, Tel Aviv
- (03) 520-2127
- Open: Sun.-Thurs. 6:30-11 p.m.
- Kashrut – Tel-Aviv Rabbinate
- Wheelchair accessible
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.