Hayekev was established 16 years ago and is still one of the most popular dining out experiences in Netanya.
The original owner, Assaf Levi, was joined by his partner, Andre Hadas, eight years ago, and the pair are hands-on proprietors, overseeing the smooth workings of the place and the satisfaction of the clients.
Very popular as a restaurant for family outings, friendly gatherings or just, and especially, a couple on a romantic date, the setting is one of the restaurant’s best selling points. Set on a quiet road with an uninterrupted view of the sea glinting in the moonlight, palms waving in the gentle sea breeze, Hayekev offers something for everyone.
It’s a spacious place with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. While many customers opted to sit outside with the incomparable view, we decided to take a table in the air-conditioned interior, the better to be able to report on the quality of the food.
Not wanting to overeat with the New Year feasting only a week away, we skipped the starters and went straight for the main course. But as my companion had chosen grilled sea bream, we got the starter anyway in the form of a home-baked focaccia loaf, accompanied by seven different dips, which automatically came with the fish.
The fresh loaf was a treat in itself, but the dips were all very fresh and different. They included aubergine with tehina, egg in mayonnaise, beetroot laden with cumin, sweet and spicy carrot, pickled vegetables, peppery eggplant and homemade hummus, which was especially good.
With a view to fitting into some of my nicest but rather tight clothes for Rosh Hashanah, I opted for a salad, this one being a home-pickled salmon one with cream cheese and coleslaw.
My husband‘s sea bream (Denis) had been lightly coated with bread crumbs and baked for the perfect time, with the fresh white fish just coming off the bone as he likes it. It was seasoned with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper and needed nothing else except a squeeze from the accompanying lemon segment (NIS 118).
My dish consisted of a generous helping of sliced salmon which had been pickled rather than smoked. This gave it a rather tougher texture than the traditional delicacy but a mellow flavor. The cream cheese was the very rich variety, and the combination of the two on the rounds of toasted baguette created a taste revelation. The dish also included a colorful coleslaw (NIS 52).
We told our helpful waitress, Tamar (an 11th-grade student), that we would share a dessert, and chose the cheesecake with a topping of fruits of the forest and cream. This came on a stodgy base, which I ignored, but the cheese part was good and not oversweet. The small mountain of Chantilly cream on the side made the whole dish worthwhile (NIS 41).
Since no Chardonnay was available (which is strange for a place called The Winery), we did our old trick of a shared beer and Sprite Zero so I could enjoy a shandy as liquid refreshment.
My partner ended his meal with a good cappuccino, but as no decaf was available, I had to pass. Perhaps on our next visit, this one small defect will have been rectified.
Hayekev6 Gad Machnes Street, NetanyaOpen: Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday night, from one hour after Shabbat.Kashrut – Badatz.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.