אל על | אטמוספירה

Lifestyle I Food

From a little neighborhood ramen joint to an intimate Osaka-style bar, through Korean street food, fiery Thai, and Japanese fast-food, the flavors of the Far East are taking over Tel Aviv, quenching the White City’s thirst for all things sweet-and-sour. Here are five places to go whenever the umami craving hits / By Sharon Ben-David Flavors of the Far East: 5 new East Asian restaurants to try out in Tel Aviv

Photo: Amir Menahem

JMT Korean street food bursting with color and flavor In recent years, Korean culture has taken the world by storm, what with the global success of Netflix hit show “Squid Game”, K-pop music, and Korean cosmetics. Of course, Korean food has made no exception to the trend, including in Tel Aviv, where a Korean street food eatery has recently opened its doors. Indeed, JMT (short for Jon Mattaeng which means “tasty as hell” in Korean slang) serves up steaming bowls of bibimbap (rice fried in sesame oil, with vegetables, protein of choice, fried egg, and chili sauce), gimbap (Korean sushi), and of course, kimchi, Korea’s iconic spicy pickled cabbage condiment. The JMT menu has been expertly crafted to suit the Western palate, and includes such favorites as Korean pancakes, Korean fries with stringy cheese, and American ice cream with cornflakes and spicy caramel sauce. Consider yourself warned: your taste buds are in for a serious treat. jmtlv.co.il

Photo: Yaakov Blumental Wabi Delicious Japanese fast food

Israeli chef Dean Shoshani has devoted the last years to studying the flavors and techniques of Japanese cuisine, practicing broth-making and soft-egg boiling for months on end in his little Tel Aviv kitchen. At his new Japanese fast-food eatery, Wabi, he shares the result of his extensive training with the many Japanese food fans in Tel Aviv, and the response has been incredible, with people lining up at his door day in day out. Just like in Japan, there’s a digital self-ordering kiosk, and plates of gyozas, soba noodle salads, yakisoba pans (a soba noodle white roll sandwich), and more, glide towards you along a conveyor belt. Wabi’s thrilling success proves once again that umami has definitively entered the Israeli culinary lexicon. wabi_sabi

26 ATMOSPHERE MARCH 2025