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Lifestyle I Food & Drink

5 restaurants that blend tradition with culinary inventiveness and a passion for food – from knaffeh on a skewer to the shawarma sandwich, discover the joys of the infinitely rich Arab and Druze food scene / By Sharon Ben-David A taste of the Arab and Druze table

Photo: Anatoly Michaello

Captain Hook I Jaffa Jaffa’s flea market is home to this charming little eatery. Fish and seafood are the stars of the show here, as owner Bilal Abu Ria and Chef Omar Ilwan joined forces to create a menu that reflects the hybrid nature of Jaffa, deeply steeped in history but also one of the country’s most vibrant modern day nightlife hubs. Wonderful dishes are served in a relaxed flea-market-imbued atmosphere, dishes such as okra tempura with tahini, watermelon salad with burrata cheese, shrimps fried in falafel batter, whitefish tartare, kebab siniya, fish with cherries, and more. There are dishes for gluten avoidants, as well as a top cocktails’ menu. Dishes are also available for takeout. captainhook.co.il

Photo: Gilad Har Sheleg

Noor I Galilee Basma Hinu, former participant in an Israeli reality TV cooking show, decided to open her own café in the Galilee after her success on the show. She named it “Noor”, after her son currently serving in the IDF. The café was a success from the get-go and the menu has widely expanded since it first opened, and it now includes classics of the Druze kitchen as well as wedding day dishes. Diners are invited to take part in typical Druze wedding rituals such as hand painting. Dishes served include warm yoghurt soup, kubbeh, stuffed vegetables, meet skewers, slow cooked lamb, hazelnut and pine nut studded rice, etc. noorrestaurantkonditorei

26 ATMOSPHERE OCTOBER 2023