Great news for kosher Indian food lovers – a new restaurant has just opened in Tel Aviv, so we will no longer have to travel north and south to get our curry fix.
And it’s in precisely the same place where Reena Pushkarna, the doyenne of Indian food, opened her first kosher Indian restaurant in the 70’s. We were new immigrants, as she was, and thrilled to be able to eat authentic Indian food in Israel.
So that is certainly a good omen for Gandhi.
The restaurant, if one can dignify it with that title, is really a food stand, and this is probably intentional to try and recreate the feel of a street stall in Mumbai.
But there are plenty of tables and chairs available in the space outside the stall that can accommodate many diners.
One laminated menu contains all the information you need – main courses, of which there is quite a selection, side dishes, soups and drinks.
The lentil soup was bright yellow, hot and spicy, flavored with a variety of tastes, all of which turned the dish into a gourmet opening for our meal (NIS 25).
We also received a chapatti each, Indian bread resembling our lafa, which served to enhance the soup. (NIS 10).
For main courses, I chose chicken curry, my husband beef.
A generous amount of chicken breast in a rich red curry sauce arrived, together with a separate bowl of basmati rice. (NIS 23). I thought it a bit over the top to charge for the rice at all, and certainly the price was excessive by any standards.
However, it all tasted great and I very much enjoyed my meal.
We asked for chutney and two different types appeared – very unlike the supermarket variety, so I assume they were the real (Indian) McCoy.
My companion had a beef curry, very soft chunks of lean meat in a nicely hot sauce. (NIS 60).
The waiter was new to Israel, straight from Mumbai
Our waiter, Anush from Mumbai, had been in the country all of six weeks and was pleasant and helpful. Eli, the chef, also came over to say hello. He had worked in Tandoori restaurants and liked being in a kosher place.
Anush (whose name means beautiful in Hebrew) insisted on bringing us another dish to try – panipurri. These are very thin hollow dough balls, fried and filled with chick peas in a spiced sauce. Delicious. (NIS 35 for 6).
We asked about dessert and Anush brought us mango ice cream which was sweet and refreshing.
We drank beer (NIS 18) and Diet Sprite (NIS 10) as usual. Wine is NIS 40 a glass.
Gandhi also offers vegan options. There is quiet Indian music playing in the background and you get the feeling that you have experienced a genuine evening out in Mumbai.
But please, out of respect for the great man who believed in non-violent resistance, spell his name right on the stall. It’s Gandhi, not Gandi!
Gandhi
30 Ibn Gvirol, Tel-Aviv
077-804-4990
Hours: Sunday–Thursday, – 11-4 and 6-10.
Kashrut: Tel-Aviv Rabbinate
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
