Whenever I want to go out for dinner, somewhere nice, not too expensive with a relaxed atmosphere and with a guarantee of great food – I head straight to Hachatzer.  It is described as a Mediterranean chef restaurant and I have never had a bad meal there.  What I like the most about such a reliably good restaurant is that you can trust in the quality of the food, to be adventurous and try new things each time.

So, on my parents’ most recent visit here, we spent their first night at Hachatzer.  Getting my parents to agree where to go it not always so easy because my mother does not eat steak and when my father is here, that is all he wants every night – so I play referee!  Luckily, everyone is always happy with going to Hachatzer, so for me, that is a big plus.

I love meat, especially steaks, but living in Israel, I find that I eat meat and chicken far more than I used to and I actually miss good fish.  Having said that, there is no reason why a girl cannot have meat as a starter, is there?

So I started with the Sweetbreads broiled and served with borlotti beans and smoked goose breast (54₪) – the combination of the grill flavor of the sweetbreads and the smoked goose breast which was cut into tiny chunks, was a taste explosion (sorry if that sounds pretentious!).  My father had the Chicken Liver pâté with cherry tomato chutney (54₪) which was a huge portion, so I was obliged to try some and it did not disappoint.  We often order the Meze Plate which is a selection of delicious fresh dips and salads served with fresh homemade Moroccan bread (60₪).

For main course I chose the Sea bream fillet on hash brown potatoes, tomatoes, spinach and gremolata (96₪).  I normally prefer sea bass but the sea bream was perfectly cooked with and the sides were a perfect combination.  My mother enjoyed a delicious Pargit dish (Israelis call it spring chicken but it is really just deboned thighs) so she was happy and my father had a sirloin steak.

The restaurant was full of many large groups, mostly tourists as it was winter break, but despite them being busy, the service was excellent and we left very satisfied once more.I can also highly recommend their business lunch  – it is good value and the restaurant is very popular with local Israeli businesses and tourists alike.

Friends have told me that the tasting menu which is 117₪ per person for a minimum of 4 people is a meat extravaganza where they literally present you with numerous different of an animal.  It sounds wonderful; all I need to do is find 3 other people who want to eat a cow with me!