12 האחים, אבן גבירול Ha'achim (The Brothers), Tel Aviv: Israel

Date:  samedi 28 janvier 2012

Address:  12 Ibn Gabirol, Tel Aviv

Telephone:  +972 03 691 7171

So this was a typical lazy Sunday (I mean Saturday!) afternoon Soledad brunch, with an eclectic well-traveled international group made up of Israelis, Germans, Danish, an American, and myself - a 100% Taiwanese girlie.  My experience here was evocative of scenes from "L'auberge Espagnol" (The Spanish Apartment) where a bunch of European international exchange students land in Barcelona, share a flat for a year abroad, and experience a deep, rich, cultural interchange ending in lifelong friendship.  However, no Italians, Brits, Spanish, or Portuguese in our version here (maybe the sequel!).  Ours is the Middle Eastern international version in Tel Aviv!  And, none of us are sharing a flat since we are not really in college anymore...

Ha'achim serves tasty mezes.  Comfort food in casual atmosphere, and friendly service.  Order lots and lots of appetizers at this restaurant... try to go with a group of at least four, so you can order and taste more, like Dim Sum!  Plus, it's just fun to see all those different small plates sprawled all over the table, being consumed by an eclectic group of friends and witty conversation.  We sat under the enclosed veranda, which is typical Tel Aviv cafe design.  This is especially nice as you let the sun drench in.  Or, in our case, the winter sun rays came in while the enclosed veranda kept out the intermittent winter rain.

I read somewhere they are known for their skewers... however I personally didn't like the quality of their skewer meat much.  I guess, coming from Asia, I have had my fair share of top quality meats (wagyu, kobe, korean kalbi, etc. meat so good I can eat it bloody raw!).  So for a simple square of meat to be popped into my mouth, I expect quality over fussiness.  I sent back my Filet Mignon Skewer (the taste was odd!).  I must say, however, that I was quite obliged when the Chef gifted me a Wagyu Beef Skewer as a condolence for my not liking the Filet Skewer.  Much appreciated, yet still, something about the quality of these meats were not appealing to me. Stick with the mezes here, instead.

Reservations highly recommended - especially since there are groups like ours who sit and drink bottle after bottle after three bottles of Chablis, order a gazillion small plates of food... and only three to four hours later finally peel ourselves away from the table, stroll back home settling into a semi-siesta/coma-like state.