Merhavia 7 is a new restaurant serving fresh and delicious new Israeli cuisine featuring chef Rotem Levy’s dishes. It opened at the beginning of July in Levinsky Market, Tel Aviv.
A Levy family business, the restaurant is decorated by Shenkar Design School-trained Bosmat Levy, the chef’s sister. The walls are hand-painted with yellow flowers and large green leaves. The wooden tables were built out of wood from the workshop of Levy’s father. The brown counter is covered with plants and succulents and is instantly inviting and calming.
Difficult times amid the war did not stop Levy from opening the restaurant. “When you’re good, even in bad times you can make things work,” she told the Magazine.
Levy said that the best part of owning the restaurant is when customers enjoy the food she makes and her food makes them happy.
She wanted her own restaurant her whole life, and had trained under several Israeli chefs prior to opening one. Before Merhavia 7, she worked at Bicicletta in Nahalat Binyamin, as well as at Ouzeria. Levy has lived in Tel Aviv all her life and loves the vibrancy of the city, particularly this artsy South Tel Aviv neighborhood.
From each of her mentors, she has picked up a few tricks. In particular, the restaurateur mentioned that she was inspired by Roy Soffer’s pepper sauce; and because of Avivit Priel, she uses a lot of vine leaves in her dishes.
Fresh Israeli cuisine in Tel Aviv
When my dining companion and I sat down at Merhavia 7, we were served a cold pink hibiscus beverage. A hibiscus flower was frozen inside the ice in the drink for added presentation. The drink was delicious and refreshing, not too sweet, and just what was needed after stepping out of the blazing summer Tel Aviv heat.
The first dish we received was a greens and quinoa salad with herbs, grapes, cucumbers, and fennel, topped with chicken. The ingredients were delicious and tasted fresh; the chicken was moist and flavorful as well. The salad was light, and the different textures and flavors somewhat addictive, balanced, and tasty.
When the Magazine spoke with Levy, she said that the key to her cooking is using the best, freshest ingredients, and that was certainly evident in this dish. She always buys the freshest ingredients from the best sources. The salad could have been bottomless, and we would not have gotten tired of eating it.
THE NEXT dish was bread with tahini and green and red schug. The green schug in particular was the tastiest. Levy said it is her favorite part of the menu and her favorite to make. Her schug recipe is inspired by her grandmother’s. It doesn’t get more authentic than that.
The best dish, however, was the Moroccan chraime, topped with coriander. The fish was fresh and light, and the sauce tasted delightful, with a perfect balance of flavors. The sauce was not spicy at all, but if you want a kick, the green or red schug can be added to the dish. Even after the fish was eaten, my companion and I continued to dip bread in the sauce until the plate was squeaky clean.
At the end of the meal, we were served an olive oil cake with plum. Levy said that the cake is a “perfect solution” for those who are kosher, as it contains no butter. She uses the best olive oil, which we could taste in its quality. The sweetness of the plum combined harmoniously with the taste of the oil. The restaurant owner said that she also uses salt, lime, thyme, and lemon zest to complement the flavors of the olive oil cake. All the ingredients combined in perfect harmony for a delicious dessert that did not have an overpowering olive oil flavor.
The portions at Merhavia 7 are small, and so ordering more is better than ordering less. The presentation of all the dishes was beautiful, and it was evident that each dish was put together with immense care.
All the recipes at Merhavia 7 are Levy’s. She told the Magazine that it can take anywhere from five minutes to five hours to create one. When she wants to get inspired, she goes out of Tel Aviv, into nature.
Growing up, Levy always spent time in the kitchen with her mother, neighbor, and grandmother. She said that she decided to become a chef when she was 22, after she realized that she was good at cooking.
After our meal, my companion and I agreed.
- Merhavia 7
- 7 Merhavia Street, Florentin, South Tel Aviv
- Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Friday 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
- Kashrut: Hashgacha Pratit ■
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.