This 40-seat restaurant in south Tel Aviv is unassuming with plain wooden tables and some red Chinese lantern decorations hung from the ceiling.
By LINDA GRADSTEINChinese Wall, Tel Aviv(photo credit: RICKI ROSEN)
If you want to gain some street cred in the foodie world, just mention that you’ve been to Chinese Wall lately. This small kosher Chinese restaurant is about as close as you can get to China, especially these days, and is hardly known outside south Tel Aviv.This 40-seat restaurant in south Tel Aviv is unassuming with plain wooden tables and some red Chinese lantern decorations hung from the ceiling. According to Health Ministry regulations, only 20 diners can sit inside at once, or 30 outside. There are just a few tables outside on the street.The owners are Chinese Jews who have lived in Israel for more than 20 years. Yakov Yang is from Lanzhou, a city in northwest China that is famous for its hand-pulled noodles, and he makes them the original way at Chinese Wall. He runs the restaurant with his brother-in-law Rafael Shu. You can ask them to show you a video of the noodles being made at the restaurant, which was filmed a few years ago. At a recent early dinner, I told Yakov that he should choose the menu, but please include at least one noodle dish.I came with my 16-year-old son, who has a teenage appetite, and my colleague Ricki Rosen who took the photos. Yakov first brought us a plate of three dim sum (NIS 28), large dumplings stuffed with chicken that were delicious and just a bit spicy. The dough was also made by hand, and you can taste the difference between these dim sum, and others that use pre-made dough.We then tried the won tons (NIS 22) which were deep-fried and even better. Last were the dumplings (NIS 34), which were made with rice noodles instead of wheat.For our main course, Yakov first brought us a spicy Beef Szechuan (NIS 68). I had asked him to go easy on the spice and it was perfect. Next was a sweet-and-sour chicken that included large pieces of white meat chicken fried and served with vegetables in a sweet-and-sour sauce, the famous noodles and chicken in a soy sauce (NIS 48), and Peking Duck, sliced duck served with pancakes and thinly sliced cucumbers and scallions (NIS 110).The Peking Duck, although the least expensive dish, was my least favorite, as I found the meat a little dry. And full disclosure, I think my husband makes the best Peking Duck this side of Shanghai, so I’m a little spoiled.There are separate sections for fish dishes and vegetarian dishes, so both pescatarians and vegetarians would be happy here. We were too full for dessert, although there is a long list of fried desserts you can choose including banana, pineapple and apple.Yakov, 62, says the COVID-19 pandemic has hit his business hard, even though he immediately switched to take-out once restaurants were ordered closed.“I didn’t close for even one day,” he said proudly. “This place is special to me. Almost everyone who works here is from my family.”He said several non-family employees, including the chef, have been put on chalat (unpaid leave), and he and Rafi haven’t taken a salary in five months.Prices for food this good are very reasonable. There are several business lunch deals from noon to 5 pm that include an appetizer, main course and dessert, but from past experience, the portion of the main course is very small. I think it’s better to order a full-size main dish.As we were finishing, four men walked in carrying a bottle of whiskey and asked for empty whiskey glasses. Two were Israeli and one asked Yakov if the place is kosher. The other two were Chinese contractors, and happily chattered to Yakov in Chinese. They said they’ve been to the restaurant several times before and love the food. So do I, to the point that it’s almost worth going to Tel Aviv just to eat here!Chinese WallKashrut: Mishmar Hakadosh (Private)26 Mikveh Yisrael StreetPhone: 03-560-3974Open Sunday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
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