Unlike my husband, some of my readers may have forgotten the recent holiday of Tu B’av, a holiday mentioned in the Mishna that has become Israel’s version of Valentine’s Day. If you did, the best way to make it up to your partner is to take them to Sphera Kitchen and Bar in Rehovot. After one bite, they won’t be able to stay angry with you.
Sphera has periodically showed up on my foodie Facebook page since it opened three years ago. So when I got a chance to try it, I agreed to leave my Jerusalem air-conditioned bubble and make the trek to Rehovot, along with said husband, who only needed a few reminders this year about Tu B’av.
“People thought we were crazy to open a chef restaurant in Rehovot,” Chef Beni Madar told me. “But we knew we could do it. You should see our wait list – we have hundreds of people who can’t get in.”
The restaurant is very large, with both indoor and outdoor seating; there is even a private gazebo for VIPs. Inside, the design is lovely, with the tables spaced far apart, dark walls, and comfortable armchairs. Chef Beni told me that the plates are made in a factory in Portugal according to a design that he came up with and that he is personally involved in all of the aesthetic decisions.
“We like to think out of the box,” he said. “We offer fine dining with Mizrahi flavors.”
Before we even looked at the menu, Liran – the man in charge of the wine program, himself a winemaker – came over and offered us (and all customers) a taste of two wines they were pouring that night – the Tura Rose and the Yarden Syrah. As an aspiring wine geek, I know both of these wines but didn’t say no to a taste of the latter, which is lovely.
The restaurant also holds wine tasting evenings every few weeks, and the wine list is one that would make wine geeks proud.
HOWEVER, both my husband and I chose to go with cocktails instead of wine, as somehow a cocktail makes the whole evening feel special. As it was still the week of Tu B’av, they had two special cocktails that came with a small appetizer (NIS 85).
The restaurant also has a collaboration with Beluga vodka so my drink was a little bit sweet and served with a chaser of Beluga on the side so you could make it as strong as you wanted. The small appetizer was also quite nice: a large cracker with tuna tartare. My husband went with the house mojito (NIS 72) and said it was delicious. Definitely a promising start to the meal.
For appetizers, he chose tuna sashimi (NIS 88), and I went with the liver pate (NIS 82). Both plates looked like paintings, and it was almost a shame to dig into them. The sashimi was incredibly fresh and came with a homemade cashew cream that was hard to believe was non-dairy, and the smooth pate was served with cherries and nuts, and toasted brioche was just lovely.
Chef Beni took me outside to see the beautiful outdoor space, and when we returned, several other appetizers had mysteriously appeared on the table. They included one of my favorites – sweetbreads (NIS 172) served on a bed of polenta with king forest mushrooms. The sweetbreads themselves were chewy, salty and delicious.
There was also a unique appetizer of tuna tartare rolled in kohlrabi and topped with kosher caviar. Cliff got that one all for himself as my one food aversion is raw onions and this dish had a lot of them. But overall, the appetizers were unique and delicious.
There are several salads and vegan options as well.
FOR THE main course, Cliff ordered lamb chops (NIS 269), which had a nice serving of four of them – and he even agreed to share the smallest one with me!! They were perfectly cooked and came with a side dish of mangold rolled with lamb and rice that was unlike anything I’ve tried before.
There is prime rib on the bone (NIS 75 per 100 grams) but most cuts are about 900 grams so it is clearly for sharing among two or three people, and Cliff had his heart set on lamb chops. I chose the 300-gram entrecote aged for 40 days (NIS 246) and it was one of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time.
When you go, make sure you leave room for dessert
I was too full for dessert, but Cliff loved his warm chocolate pie (NIS 71).
The service was simply outstanding. I often get very good service as the restaurant knows I am writing for The Jerusalem Post, but I watched other tables getting the same service we did. Our server Tal knew the menu well and helped us make our choices. She checked on us frequently without being too intrusive. There were a lot of staff, all walking around purposefully with tablets and earpieces. They were all checking on guests, making sure that everything was going well. Chef Beni said they stagger the guests, allowing only 40 people in every half hour so it never feels too crowded.
I saw a lot of family groups celebrating birthdays or other events. There were also plenty of couples out on a date night. Overall, Sphera will give you a special night out and is highly recommended for a special occasion.
Sphera Kitchen and Bar
Hamada 18, Rehovot
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 6:30–10:30 p.m.
Phone: 072-392-2755 (reservations required)
Kashrut: Rabbanut Rehovot
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.