The Whiskey Bar & Museum (Hashgacha Pratit) David Elazar 27, Sarona, Tel Aviv (it is near Sarona Market) Phone: 03-9551105 Opening Hours: Sun – Thurs 17:00- last customer Sat: 1 hr after shabbat ends – last customer

The Whiskey Bar & Museum (Hashgacha Pratit)

David Elazar 27, Sarona, Tel Aviv (it is near Sarona Market)
Phone: 03-9551105
Opening Hours: Sun – Thurs 17:00- last customer
Sat: 1 hr after shabbat ends – last customer
Type: Meat
Price Range: 29nis – Soups
49-58- Blintzes

The Whiskey Bar & Museum is a bar nestled in the cavernous basement of an old Templar building in the charming renovated Sarona compound – formerly a German Templar colony – in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Tel Aviv.

The building that houses the Whiskey Bar & Museum originally served as winery in the 19th century, until it was taken over by the Mossad, before becoming a food and alcohol mecca.

The complex proudly claims the title of the ‘first whiskey bar museum in Israel’, and according to its website, is one of the largest whiskey museums in the world, with over 1002 varieties of whiskey from around the world.

To enter the Whisky Bar you go down some narrow stairs that lead down to the old Templar tunnels. The decor is beautiful with rough walls on one side and bottles of whiskeys in varying shades of gold lining the other side of the wall. There are more whiskeys than one can count.

The tables are spread comfortably apart, so that customers don’t have to sample their whiskeys sitting on top of each other. Lining the walls are couches with tables for people to drink, eat and relax, along with regular chairs and tables and bar stools. The chairs are cushioned and comfortable. There is also an overlooking mezzanine with more tables.

The bathroom has an ultra trendy feel and the monogrammed hand towels are a nice touch. The same tiles that are on the bar are used in black on the bathroom floor and the stalls are clean.

The staff’s knowledge of pairing whiskeys with the food was really good. We had to keep asking for more water and the music was loud in the beginning, but it was turned down when we told them it was a bit too loud.

For entree, I ordered the Smoked Sirloin (48 nis) which came on a wooden board in thin slices with onions and beet cream. The sirloin was medium cooked and had a subtle smokey flavor and was a tiny bit chewy. There was a slight sweetness to the dish which was brought by the the silky smooth beetroot puree and grilled onion.

Some of my eating companions ordered the Beef Fillet Carpaccio (52 nis), served with whiskey aioli, roasted pistachio, sherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar seasoning. It was sliced very thin, but the meat still had texture and was very tender. It was a tiny bit oily, but the balsamic vinegar balanced out the flavor.

Another companion ordered the Mushroom Mix (48 nis), listed as ‘Portobello and Oyster mushrooms stir-fried with garlic, olive oil, parsley, basil and chili’. The sizzling dish came with three varieties of mushrooms cut into different sizes, cooked to perfection and not at all slimy. The artichoke and garlic added some crunch and even though there was a little oil on the base of the pan, nothing was oily. The finely chopped parsley sprinkled on top provided freshness to the dish.

The mains took a bit of time to come out, but it was worth the wait for the charcoal-grilled dry-age- ribeye (147 nis), which was accompanied by charred potatoes, asparagus and green herb aioli. The steak was seasoned well, had a crunchy crust and it was juicy in the inside. The meat juices pooled into crevices of the pan, into which we could then dip slices of meat. The accompanying aioli was very tasty, though because the steak was so divine, I didn’t need to use much of the aoili. There was one asparagus spear served on top of the steak – I was unsure why it was there. The asparagus was very crunchy and the base of it wasn’t prepared well as it was very fibrous, but the top part of the spear was good. The charred potato was served on the side and when you cut it, inside was a green surprise of pesto!

Dessert time came and we ordered four of them!

I ordered the Tropical Dessert (48 nis), a ‘Coconut panna cotta served with mango coulis, coconut coulis, tonka streusel, crispy mango chunks, pineapple salad, mint and passion fruit sorbet’. It had two very light, very wobbly coconut panna cotta that, nevertheless, held its form. The panna cotta was topped with pineapple shards that added some tartness. The passion-fruit ice-cream wasn’t too icy, and was a bit tart. It added coolness to the dish. The streusel had a deep rich flavor, was nice and crunchy and added sweetness to the dish. The pineapple ‘salad’ turned out to be a type of sponge was soft and airy. The mango chunks creamy and smooth. I wasn’t sure if the garnishing flower was edible, so I decided not to risk it. This was a delightfully light dessert and one that I would come back for.

My companion had the Semifredo Brulee (42 nis). The frozen creme brulee was creamy and crunchy, served with a crumble, coconut ice-cream and berry coulis. It was a dessert that my companion said she would eat again- I didn’t taste it, as I was too involved in my dessert

My third companion had the Halva panna cotta (44 nis). The ice-cream on top of the desert was smooth. It also came with crispy nest of kadaif, which was okay, but tasted rather like shredded wheat cereal. The panna cotta underneath was very rich. It was a pity that it was covered with all the other components so you couldn’t really see the panna cotta and enjoy it. My companion didn’t think that she would order this dish again.

The fourth desert we ordered was the Smoked (42 nis) – a chocolate mousse desert with added fudge brownies, and an accompanying dropper of smokey whisky which added a depth of flavor. The mousse was rich with dark chocolate and it wasn’t overly sweet. There were good balance of flavors. The reviews at our table for this desert were mixed – one companion said that she would order it again, but it was not everybody’s cup of tea.

Some of my eating companions tried the whiskeys and enjoyed the types that they received in the different courses.

The Whiskey bar and museum is a place I would definitely recommend. It has a cool vibe and even if you’re not a meat eater, the amount of whiskeys and the desserts are really worth it!

One side note- you really need to book a table – as they get really busy.
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Report this adThis entry was posted in Meat, Tel Aviv and tagged kosher, kosher meat, Kosher Meat Restaurant, tel aviv, Tel Aviv kosher, tel aviv kosher meat restaurant, tel aviv museum, Tel aviv whiskey bar, Whiskey Bar on January 18, 2018.