Restaurant, Reviewed: Yulia's on the TLV Port

It makes total sense to review a restaurant on a fast day, doesn't it?

OK, so it may be poor timing, but I am four weeks into a new school year; anytime for blogging is poor timing.  But I am making it happen, so that's the best timing I can think of, even if it is dripping with a little irony.

Regardless of that, I cannot rave enough about Yulia, a loving little spot along the Tel Aviv Port that I enjoyed one pre-Shabbat brunch. I had walked all the way up to the organic food market, and was all the way back down when my breakfast had worn off and I was in need to rest and replenishment.  As my TripAdvisor review states, this was the greatest place to find both.

Yulia - TLV Port

Dined at on June 20, 2015

Reviewed on September 19, 2014

Dining options around the Tel Aviv Port is not the problem on a Friday at lunch time; finding an empty chair is.  All the way up the shore and all the way down I scanned for an open seat.  When I found one, it was at a little place called Yulia, and  what I found there was a great pre-Shabbat treat.

When I arrived, I was seated instantly and presented with a breakfast menu. It wasn't the largest selection I have seen, but what it lacked in options it made up for in taste. The treat I chose was a Sweet Potato Quiche (54 NIS, $15 USD), which was definitely a wise choice. The cheesy dish had an amazing crust, and was served in the Israeli tradition with a great little salad (not a traditional Israeli salad, but one just as tasty).  This and an iced coffee were enjoyed outside along a boardwalk, and made for a great dining experience.

The only real negative was service; it took longer than I would have expected for an iced coffee, but it was exceedingly busy, so I tried to keep that in mind. Overall it was a pleasant dining experience, so when in the TLV Port area, don't be afraid of Yulia's for a Friday brunch.

One Sweet (Potato) Quiche

Iced Coffee with Simple Syrup

The diner at the other table

The view from Yulia's

Restaurant, Reviewed: Tmol Shloshim

Before my first trip to Israel last August, I was so pinterested in Tmol Shilshom. I saved picture after picture of food, drinks, books, you name it from this restaurant.  Sadly, I never made it--between the hustle and hiking around that town, I wasn't up to it.

This July, however, I was.  Even though I wasn't feeling the best and I was having the hardest time swallowing the softest food, I owed it to myself and my Pinterest board to taste the food I had dreamed off for the last two years.  As my Trip Advisor review will tell you, it was all worth it.

Trip Advisor Review of Tmol Shilshom

By KaylaLeeinTLV

Visited July 2014

Reviewed: September 6, 2014

Not too far from my Jerusalem home of the Harmony Hotel, tucked away from Yoel Solomon Street there is a restaurant. This restaurant, whose name implies "those were the days", keeps today days alive and well-fed with what I can say is the best meal I have ever eaten. Ever.

Iced Coffee with Whipped Cream (23 NIS)

Upon entering, a diner does go back in time; this restaurant calls a beautiful, 100-plus year-old building home. What has been done to this former-dwelling has created an eatery that provides ample amounts of dining options--from eating indoors with a sweeping view of Shammai Street to eating outdoors in a lovely little space that is open to the Old City area atmosphere. 

Three Cheese Lasagna (67 NIS)

This is a great place to just sit and read and enjoy and ice coffee; however, if no moments are to be wasted, enjoying dinner is a must. I read the menu before I dined, so I knew exactly what I was going to get: The Three Cheese Lasagna. I got exactly what I ordered; it was the largest, most beautiful mass of noodles and cheese in culinary creation. The more-than-generous portion was so incredibly filling, but I could not waste a single bite. This, paired with their Iced Coffee with Whipped Cream, perfected an already great day in Jerusalem. 

Let your time in this holy city be perfected, too--enjoy a meal at Tmol Shilshom.