Israel might not have its own Michelin restaurants but the American Express Round Tables Festival brings a taste of Michelin to Israel for the third time. A total of 60 chefs and restaurateurs from 14 restaurants worldwide will once again take part in the international culinary festival.
Each international restaurant pairs with a leading Israeli restaurant to serve a tasting menu featuring signature dishes of the guest chefs, with a local twist added by the Israeli hosts. Before the festival begins, the Israeli chefs spend a training period in the restaurants abroad and begin the preparations for the event.
Of the 14 international restaurants involved this year, two of them hold two Michelin stars, six hold one Michelin star and three have been listed as the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Among the visiting chefs will be Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura of Maido in Peru, who is ranked number eight in the world and is the highest-ranking chef to ever participate in the festival. He will be cooking at Japanese Bistro Ya Pan in Tel Aviv.
L’Air du Temps from Belgium, led by the Korean-Belgian chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre, will bring its two Michelin stars to Pastel and 7132 Silver, located at a luxury spa hotel in the Swiss Alps (two Michelin stars) will join Chef Shahaf Shabtay in the Nithan Thai kitchen.
This year the festival includes a kosher restaurant where Mallorca’s Andreu Genestra Restaurant (one Michelin star) will partner with Dan Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon 99. For the first time, the festival is not restricted to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem’s Mona will host British restaurant The Elephant (one Michelin star).
The full festival runs October 29 – November 17 but the individual restaurant events last around five days each. Tickets range from 269 to 399 NIS per person for a five-course meal without drinks, with special offers for holders of Israeli American Express cards. Some of the events are already sold out so if you are interested in taking part, book your tickets soon.
All the information about the restaurants involved is on the festival website, https://www.roundtablestour.com/en/.
Based on what I read on the website, even though one of the roundtables is being hosted in a kosher restaurant, the meal itself will NOT be Kosher…
Not sure how that is possible in a kosher hotel but you will have to speak to them directly to confirm