Who said there are no good kosher chef restaurants? The pearl that broke the market
Terrasa at the Botanica Hotel offers a kosher chef experience facing the Bahá'í Gardens, with a creative Mediterranean menu, meticulous service, and dishes that manage to steal the show even from the view.
Haifa has been enjoying a real culinary awakening in recent years. New restaurants are opening, young chefs are bringing a fresh spirit to the city, and the city has long ceased to be just a transit station on the way to the north. But there is one area where the supply is still limited: kosher chef restaurants.
In a mixed city like Haifa, where Jews and Arabs, secular, traditional, religious, ultra-Orthodox, and tourists visiting live, one would expect a wider selection. Perhaps the Terrasa restaurant, operating in the luxury Botanica hotel from the Fattal Limited Edition collection of the Fattal chain, is the first swallow on the way to change. Either way, judging by our meal, it is one of the best dining experiences we have encountered recently in the city.
Even before the first course arrives, it is hard to ignore the location. The terrace overlooks the Bahá'í Gardens and the German Colony, some of the most beautiful views in Israel. But unlike restaurants that rely mainly on the location, here the food manages to stand on its own, and often even steal the show from the view.
Chefs Haim Dayan and Zicho Hijab are in charge of the kitchen, having built a Mediterranean menu with Italian influences and local raw materials. Instead of copying familiar dishes, they give them a personal interpretation of the flavors they grew up on. "We took the Italian kitchen and brought it to our world," says Hijab. "Every dish takes flavors we grew up on and puts them into something new." The result is a creative menu that is not afraid to take risks, but does so with thought and not just for the effect.
We started the meal with focaccia and dips (38 NIS), which arrived hot from the oven alongside tomato salsa, eggplant cream, crème fraîche with balsamic, and pepper jam. It was the pepper jam, with its delicate sweetness and slight tingle, that turned the focaccia from a routine appetizer into one that is hard to stop snacking on.
Immediately after came the tuna kataif (70 NIS), perhaps the most addictive bite of the evening. A crispy kataif leaf wrapped red tuna tartare, avocado mousse, shallot, chili, and cilantro. The combination of the crunch and the freshness of the tuna was precise, and this is exactly the dish that opens the appetite and immediately leaves a desire for more.
The fish cigar (62 NIS) was also excellent. It is stuffed with sea fish, shushka pepper, and herbs and served alongside yogurt, tahini, and pomegranate vinaigrette. The dough was crispy, the filling rich and full of flavor, and the combination between the fish taste and the acidity of the sauce was balanced and successful.
The spinach and herb arancini (68 NIS) was another of the evening's successes. The risotto squares were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with saffron cream and parmesan that gave depth to the dish without overpowering it. This was an excellent example of the kitchen's ability to take an Italian classic and give it an elegant Mediterranean interpretation.
The fish kebab (64 NIS), which was served on a cream of tomato butter and roasted peppers, was different in its character. Instead of trying to impress with techniques or sophisticated presentation, it reminded in its flavors of homemade fish patties, the kind that are prepared with love at home. Sometimes even in a chef restaurant there is a place for a comforting and simple dish, and here it worked well. But with all due respect to the appetizers, the highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the "cloud za'atar gnocchi" (82 NIS). Forget everything you knew about gnocchi.
If usually it is about slightly heavy potato dumplings, here you get small and airy pillows in an almost inconceivable way. The texture was so soft that the first association that came up was a marshmallow melting in the mouth. The cream sauce, the cheeses, the fresh za'atar leaves, and the za'atar crumble wrapped the gnocchi without weighing them down, and the result was one of the best gnocchi dishes we have tasted. This is a dish that justifies a visit on its own.
For dessert came a kadaif cannoli (54 NIS), which continued the restaurant's line, a successful combination between the classic Italian dessert and local flavors. The cream was rich but not heavy, and the kadaif added a crispy texture that closed the meal in an excellent way.
Terrasa's menu is much wider than what we managed to taste in one visit. Alongside the appetizers, you will find pizzas baked on the spot, handmade pastas, and main courses of fresh sea fish, whose price ranges between 132 and 145 NIS. We didn't manage to get to them this time, but if they are executed at the same level as the dishes we tasted, we have an excellent reason to return.
Contributing to the experience was also the service, which was among the best we have encountered recently. The staff was attentive, professional, and kind, and the dishes came out at a precise pace. The restaurant manager, Abed Hussein, walked throughout the evening between the tables, inquired about every diner, ensured that everything was to his satisfaction, and took care of personal attention. This may seem like a small gesture, but it adds to the feeling that someone really wants you to leave here satisfied.
True, Terrasa is not a cheap restaurant. A full couple's meal can easily reach several hundred shekels. But in this case, the feeling is that you are not paying only for it being a restaurant in a hotel, for the view, or for the atmosphere. You are paying for high-quality raw materials, for thought that is evident in almost every plate, and for a kitchen that manages to be creative without becoming pretentious.
Bottom line
Terrasa fills a void that existed in Haifa and proves that even a kosher chef restaurant can offer a high-level culinary experience. The combination of the creative kitchen, the meticulous service, and the spectacular view of the Bahá'í Gardens makes it an address worth knowing. It is also suitable for an elaborate lunch, but if you are looking for a place to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, date, or any other special event, this is one of the best choices today in the Haifa area.
