The veteran fish and meat restaurant Rosemarine on Netanya’s boardwalk has switched effortlessly to take-away
By GLORIA DEUTSCHRosemarine take-out is as enticing as ever(photo credit: MENDY GREENWALD)
Although restaurants are still closed, the more enterprising owners have switched to “take-away,” the corona equivalent of dining out with friends where the social aspect is missing but the food can still be as good as ever.The veteran fish and meat restaurant Rosemarine on Netanya’s boardwalk has switched effortlessly to take-away and I was recently invited to sample the offerings which I went to collect, although delivery is also available.While the sea view, the waving palms and the holiday atmosphere are all lacking, the food maintains the high standards for which Rosemarine is justifiably known. Everything is freshly cooked and prepared with the owner, Yuri Andreyev, also in the role of chef.He made aliyah in 1998 from the Ukraine and worked for 13 years at Rosemarine under the previous management, until he took over seven years ago.We began our meal with a piping hot thick lentil soup – hot because I heated it – which was just the thing for the increasingly cold evening weather. (NIS 25). Made with red lentils and thickened with potatoes, this was the ultimate comfort food – and aren’t we all in need of comfort in these strange times.Although the restaurant serves meat, we opted for fish as our main course, one lavrak (NIS 107) and one salmon (NIS 88.) The fish were wonderfully fresh, not surprisingly as Yuri picks out the day’s catch every morning in the city shuk. It had been lightly grilled and seasoned with black pepper, although salt needed to be added.Rosemarine take-out is as enticing as ever (Mindy Greenwald)Among the selection of salads that came with our meal was a dill dressing, which was clearly destined for the fish.Besides the classic Israeli salad of diced tomatoes and cucumbers enlivened with some chopped scallions, there were several other small containers of different salads. These included sliced beetroot, slightly pickled and doused in cumin, a spice which I happen to like but is sometimes too pungent for Anglo palates; a tangy tomato salsa; a fairly standard coleslaw; tehina; and some really good pieces of herring, which had clearly been treated to bring out the flavor.To complete this very pleasant meal, Yuri also sent along a container of potato balls made of mashed puree, shaped into balls and deep fried. They were very addictive and didn’t taste at all oily.Desserts are not a strong point at Rosemarine.“We do pareve ice cream when the restaurant is open,” Yuri said.After such a filling meal we decided that all that was needed was a glass of tea – home-made to be sure, but the right ending for our meal.We hope it won’t be too long before we can all go back to dining out in restaurants with all the attendant pomp and ceremony – I promise I’ll never sneer at the wine-tasting ritual again – and enjoying a real night out.RosemarineNitza Blvd. 8,Netanya.09 8323322Open: Sun.-Thurs. Noon till 12.Friday and Shabbat – closed.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
