Tag: tel aviv

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Old Union Yard Arches + Bala Baya Restaurant Southwark London

Behind The Music Box

It’s a long time since Gilbert and George sang Under the Arches (1969) and an even longer time since Flanaghan and Allen did too (1941). These days, railway arches are – like every square metre in London – hot property. The Low Line. Theatres, restaurants, bars and community hubs fill the stretch from Union Street to Surrey Row known as Old Union Yard Arches.

But before the arches were redeveloped, there was, and very much still is, The Music Box. The capital’s most exciting apartments and music college scheme. Developer Taylor Wimpey Central London had the vision to commission the exciting young architecture practice Spparc (now in full bloom) to design a building that entwines architecture and music in a standout standalone standing ovation on Union Street.

A mezzanine divides the archway of Bala Baya into two levels. The ground floor is achromatic in deference to the White City of Tel Aviv. Upstairs, the exposed brick vault lends a more rustic allure. Owner Chef Eran Tibi – you guessed it – is Televivian. Interior designer Afroditi Krassa added bright terrazzo slabs from a Haifa factory. Eran says, “I wanted to walk on floors that remind me of home.” Tableware comes from one of Jaffa’s famous flea markets. The rear wall of the mezzanine is built up in perforated breeze blocks of the type you see just about everywhere in gardens in Israel. But the biggest import is the custom built pitta oven from Israeli manufacturer Jagum.

The rumble of trains overhead provides an accompaniment to dancey music. Six years old, Bala Baya still strikes the right chord with a cacophony free lunch. Putting that oven to good use, pitta is served with mezze: Pink Tamara (smoked roe, extra virgin olive oil, chives). Fish Clouds (smoked haddock fish cakes, pita crumbs, poached egg, white taramasalata, apple, fennel) are a reminder of Tel Aviv’s western coast. ‘Bala Baya’ means ‘mistress of the house’ and the pudding Lady Baharat (pink lady, salted caramel, Baharat cream, wonton) proves to be a woo worthy sweet symphony. Israeli wines are labelled “from home”. Pale straw coloured Carmel Selected Sauvignon Blanc 2020 carries aromas of tropical fruit notes against a backdrop of cut grass. Like The Music Box, the wine is aging well.

Unsurprisingly Eran is a protégé of Yotam Ottolenghi. Michael Kaminer explained in his 2017 review of Bala Baya for The New York Times, “Before he became a global brand, Yotam Ottolenghi introduced Londoners to modern Israeli food – a minor trend that has become a phenomenon.” Bala Baya is part of this movement from minor to major, taking it up another octave. Encore! Encore!

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Luxury People Restaurants

Bubala Spitalfields London + Televivian Journal

Shake the Shakshuka

“Vegans make better lovers,” tweeted Californian Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson who has just celebrated tying the knot for the fifth time. “The cholesterol in meat, eggs and dairy causes hardening of the arteries (and not much else). It slows blood flow to all the body’s organs, not just the heart. You can improve your overall health and increase stamina in the bedroom by going vegan.” As an active vegan, the animal rights star has been researching her hypothesis for the last 30 years.

“I’m fairly confident in this statement,” she later tweets. “Although I think I’ve always had a lot of fun in that department. It’s a romantic way of caring about the world, about life and the environment. It’s another little perk to being vegan!” Not to be taken with a pinch of salt, while red meat eaters clearly don’t make for red hot lovers, vegetarians must surely pass the mustard in the sack, knowing their quixotic onions so to speak. Certainly food for thought.

Which brings us nicely onto Bubala, the little Middle Eastern restaurant with the big international agenda in East London’s Spitalfields. As we await Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv comes to us. Best served on wheat straw plates, hardcore meze has never tasted this good. ‘Bubala’ is roughly the Yiddish for sweetheart or darling. Yiddish is the language of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe.

Founder Marc Summers explains, “We’ve been inspired by our backgrounds and heritage. There are a couple of Jewish things on the menu which reflects the area we’re in – a century ago Spitalfields was very Jewish. My grandfather was born here, as was Helen’s grandmother, so the location means a lot to us. It took a long time to find the right location for Bubala, but when we found this place we knew we had to go for it.” The restaurant is a falafel’s throw from Christ Church Spitalfields.

“We’d had enough of dealing with meat on a daily basis,” Marc continues. “Sticking to vegetarian dishes means everything feels a lot more hygienic in the kitchen and it’s a nicer environment to work in. Our Head Chef Helen Graham was also getting a bit tired of seeing the amount of waste that can come from cooking meat in a restaurant so it was something we were both keen to focus on.”

“Meze has many iterations across the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa,” explains Helen. “Spanning such a broad region, it’s no surprise that the word brings conflict. ‘Meze’ is of Turkish origin, borrowed from the Persian ‘mazze’ meaning ‘snack’ or ‘taste’. Indeed, many cultures enjoy meze as an appetiser. Where the concept of opening your appetite is foreign, meze refers to the entire thing from the first scoop of hummus to the final button undoing bite.”

Televivian Journal is the magazine of choice for every cosmopolitan citizen of Israel’s party capital and a few savvy London subscribers too. Shalom! Lehitraot? What does Ruthie Rousso, food critic and contributor to the latest hard hitting hard copy edition of Televivian Journal, think of Tel Aviv cuisine and its emergence on the world stage? Or should that be world table?

“The complex Israeli identity is contained on every plate: in every tiny heirloom Palestinian bamya served with preserved lemon and brown butter served in ‘haBasta’, and in every steaming pita stuffed with roasted cauliflower, crème fraîche and local hot pepper at Eyal Shani’s Miznon… The Israeli chefs and restaurateurs continue to dare, insist on trying, are driven to create. If I had to put a finger on one characteristic of Israeli identity and cuisine, it would be this: it is a turbine, refusing to stop, pushing forward against all odds.”

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Hotels Luxury People Restaurants

Akiva Reich + Tamar Madmoni Reich + Hasbrouck House New York

Estate of the Arts

New York couple Akiva and Tamar Madmoni Reich recently graced Nobu Hotel London with their glamorous presence. They’re no strangers to gorgeous hospitality. It’s two years since they opened their own upscale hotel in Hudson Valley, upstate New York. When Akiva first viewed the colonial mansion, he envisaged it becoming a serene sanctuary less than two hours away from the city. His business partner Eitan Baron fully agreed. That vision is now reality.

“With a property like Hasbrouck House which was built in 1757,” explains Akiva, “the two important components were to pay homage to the history of the buildings and simultaneously being aware we’re living in a time when people admire the past while needing modern living.” His own property development company, Akiva Reich + Co, was responsible for the sensitive restoration. He is also the powerhouse behind Gowanus Hospitality Group which covers stylish venues and prestigious event planning. The hotel has 20 individually designed bedrooms and suites across four buildings plus a “farm to table” restaurant called Butterfield, all surrounded by 50 acres of parkland.

“From a design perspective,” Akiva continues, “the idea was to have a lot of classic elements but also bring in contemporary additions. The rooms, from the furniture to the colours, are very subtle and light and when you’re in them you feel a sense of tranquillity.” Tamar adds, “Hasbrouck House has a chilled laidback vibe. We liked the Shoreditch hipster feel to Nobu Hotel.”

“I am actually currently developing my own music, writing and composing songs,” says Tamar. Mind and soul are clearly important to her. And body too: “The arts are in my blood.” A certified holistic health coach and wellness advocate, she has started hosting exclusive and intimate plant based workshops to encourage more organic conscious eating habits as well as holistic living and healing. Other wellness services at Hasbrouck House include private yoga and Swedish massages. Both husband and wife are committed philanthropists.

Tamar grew up in Israel. She served as a Krav Maga instructor in the Israeli army. “As a dancer,” she explains, “I was already trained to pay attention to my body and react instinctively. I would train male soldiers in Krav Maga as well as at risk youths, because my body was already primed for that kind of mind-body discipline.” Tamar recommends visiting, other than Tel Aviv and Jerusalem of course, the Golan Heights and Makhtesh Ramon in the desert. “You want to go to Masada, catch the sunrise. It’s an ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea.” But first, there’s a vegan lunch in New York to be had.