Mamma Mia! The produce and fish in the market were a sight to behold. Fennel, radicchio, and cauliflower bigger than I’ve ever seen. ….. and the delicious blood oranges! Which is squeezed into a deep red juice!
A huge array of fresh caught fish – from big tuna and swordfish to sardines, prawns, mussels, clams and, of course, octopus.
Our hotel is just one building back from the beautiful sand beach, Mediterranean and a walking/biking path that runs for many miles.
… and an even better ocean view from our second hotel – Hotel Metropolitan.
Tel Aviv is a modern city with many interesting buildings and styles.
Outdoor eateries and cafes abound. On this day, January 11th, the temps were in high 60’s. Electric scooters are everywhere, and special lanes are marked on the streets for bicycles. Bikes and mopeds with the Wolt containers buzz around everywhere delivering food.
Carmel Market offers beautiful fresh produce, sweets, baked goods, wonderful looking food ready to eat, and other merchandise.
We had a late lunch early dinner at Abraxos North which I discovered in a Bloomberg article: “Ottolenghi reckons this may be the best restaurant in Tel Aviv. It’s owned by Eyal Shami, who changes the menu twice a day. You eat the food directly from the sheet of paper that covers the table, without the intervention of a plate. The dishes are colorful, flavorsome and very messy. The menu is eclectic, with everything from Jericho green beans perfumed with garlic, lemon and olive oil to sugar-coated bananas wrapped in dulce de leche.”
There are several street and covered markets and they are all fascinating, lively places to visit.
Locals and tourists alike shop to find the best deals and freshest produce, dried goods, breads, specialty items. Larger markets like Mercado de Abastos and Benito Juarez have a mind boggling array of anything you could ever need.
The markets are the best places to find authentic food. It is the perfect place to sample some of the local cuisine like memelas (Memelas are fried or toasted pancakes of masa topped with different fresh ingredients), tlayudas (are the Oaxaca pizza – a crispy large tortilla topped with cheese or beans and cheese), or one of the seven moles (sauces) originating from Oaxaca. The delicious and delicate fresh Oaxaca cheese is used as toppings, fillings (in squash blossoms or poblanos, for example) or just sliced and served with a mole. Or try the chapulines, which are grasshoppers that are toasted and seasoned with a lime chili seasoning.
And then there is the chocolate!!!
