Tanduka is a rarity: A kosher restaurant worth a detour.
By BUZZY GORDONTanduka(photo credit: YAFIT BASHEVKIN)
Yokneam is a former rural backwater that, by virtue of the hi-tech sector burgeoning at the junction of Route 6 and highways extending eastward into the Galilee, is emerging into the 21st century. And yet just a few miles from the brand-new modern office buildings and characterless shopping malls populated with run-of-of-the-mill restaurants, in the heart of the original moshava established in the 1930s, is a gem of a restaurant to which hi-tech mavens regularly beat a path for business lunches.The quaint restaurant, situated in part of an old silo belonging to the original agricultural community, is furnished simply with basic wooden tables and chairs. There is also a private room for business meetings and family events, as well as an al fresco area in a side garden that is scheduled to re-open by August.Tanduka serves no cocktails, but there are both domestic and imported draft and bottled beers. There is an adequate wine list of exclusively Israeli wine, although very few are available by the glass. One of the exceptions is the very reasonably priced house wine (NIS 25), quite pleasant vintages from Dalton.The restaurant’s specialty is meat, and the owners clearly know their business. They are so picky about their suppliers that they have carefully sourced each cut of meat from different ones: sirloin from one, entrecôte from another, etc. Their meat is always fresh, never frozen.Because we were venturing out into the country for our meal, we went for lunch, as all our traveling would be during the day. It turns out to be an excellent time to go, since there are no fewer than six “business lunch” menus, ranging from as low as NIS 71 to NIS 128. All lunches comprise three courses and include house bread, a first course, main course and dessert. There are not many vegan/vegetarian options.There are separate English and Hebrew menus, and although we were warned that the English one has not been updated, there are actually very few differences from the Hebrew one. There are, in fact, quite a few tempting choices among the appetizers, so if one is not available, it is not hard to find a substitute. We finally settled on one that was certainly unique – Tempura Lamb Kebabs – and one of the three salads.The three battered lamb kebabs were served on a bed of “multi-color tehina,” along with small mounds of strategically placed tomato-olive salsa. The batter was substantially thicker than that found in Japanese restaurants, and with good reason: it has to stand up to red meat marbled with fat. The inner layer of batter is indeed soggier than usual, because it absorbs the melting fat, but there is still a veneer of crispiness, and the perfectly seasoned meat was excellent.I HAD HESITATED while deciding on the Beet and Pear Salad, because while I am a fan of the combination, I am used to it containing blue cheese, which tends to perk it up. Nevertheless, the pareve salad was a truly pleasant surprise: strips of crunchy beets and tiny chunks of celery, slices of juicy fruit, and flecks of sprigs of mint, dressed in just the right amount of an intriguing blend of ginger, orange and silan.As we were enjoying the refreshing salad, one of the two owners joined us for a chat. We told him our choices of steaks and chops, and he interjected, “I recommend the mixed grill.” When I replied that I found it rather pedestrian, he rejoined, “No, I mean the premium mixed grill,” and flipped to the last page of the menu. The owner knows best, we reasoned, and readily agreed.In short order, a brazier appeared on our table loaded with four very different meats. There was entrecôte, which, while not thick, was outstanding; asado (short ribs), slightly fatty, as usual, but succulent; slow-cooked lamb thigh (instead of the hanger steak listed on the English menu), tender and delicious; and mallard, served in chunks on a skewer rather than the traditional slices, rendering the duck chewy but still flavorful.The meats were accompanied by a generous helping of mashed potatoes and a tossed salad with a nicely varied assortment of fresh vegetables, not always a given in Israeli restaurants. But it is the potatoes, accented with caramelized onion, that deserve special mention: rich and creamy, they were the best mashed potatoes I have ever had that were made without butter.While we were eating our main course, the second owner asked what we had eaten so far. When he learned we hadn’t had the tortellini as an appetizer, he insisted we taste it. And we were glad we did. The pasta itself was thicker than ordinary tortellini, more like kreplach dough; but together with the superb filling of beef stewed in a beef and root vegetable broth, and the thick layer of corn polenta on which the pasta pockets rested, added up to a very satisfying dish. It is available either as an appetizer or a main course.According to the owners, desserts are usually a highlight at Tanduka, but their dedicated pastry chef is still on leave until the restaurant recovers from the setbacks of more than two months of forced closure. Disappointed but quite full anyway – with enough food left over to take home – we assured them we would be back to check them out.Tanduka. Kosher.Sderot Rishonim 7, Yokne’am Moshava. Phone: 04-959-0323.The writer was a guest of the restaurant.
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