Just Des(s)erts
'Health' sandwich
Place: Nadav Kinuhim, Ramat Yishai
When: Wednesday morning
Environment: Nadav Kinuhim is a very popular combination bakery-café. Usually this place is impossibly full, with a line out the door. But in the early morning a couple days after the war made a delayed appearance in this otherwise quiet town, there were plenty of tables to choose from; however, the inside tables started filling up as the morning progressed. I sat in the outdoor area, where good air flowed from the tops of the open walls, which are coated in greenery, and ceiling fans moved that air around. Light rock was playing from speakers. There were tables inside the building as well, which were surrounded by shelves and shelves of breads, pastries, and other baked goods. Refrigerators and freezers contained more foods – both sweet and savory – to take home. And a cashier expedited the process for people just looking to treat the place as a bakery, to grab and go.
My Order: Coffee and small “health” sandwich combo (NIS 29); personal-size cheese and berry tart (NIS 28).
The low-down: Each table in the café was set with two carafes, one with sparkling water and one with still water. My order was delivered quickly. The cappuccino was excellent. It had a nice, strong coffee flavor, and was not too milky – despite the milk. When it came to the sandwich, you could choose from all sorts of options, including the filling of the sandwich, the type of bread, and even if you preferred the bread with seeds or without. The sandwich was served with two kinds of olives, both of which were excellent – one kind was spicy, the other, less so. The bread was certainly light, fresh, and fluffy. The filling was underwhelming, though. Basically, it was just some spreadable goat cheese, lettuce, and roasted red pepper. To be fair, though, this place is known for its desserts and baked goods more than its savory food (although in the interest of full disclosure, I have enjoyed some other savory options there in the past). And to that end, I ordered a berry cheese tart. The dark magenta confection in the display case was too much for me to resist. And it was deliciously tart and sweet and flaky. The cheese was smooth and dense with a hint of sweet. And the berries on top were juicy pops of tanginess.
Who else was there: A wizened man with dark skin, a full head of dark gray curly hair, navy t-shirt, gray cargo pants and brown work boots was sitting alone. He was absorbed in his phone and newspaper, alternatively.
The man should have been on his way to work, but his morning appointments were cancelled due to war-induced uncertainty, and he wasn’t going to sit home and feel useless. So he opted to leave the house at his regular time anyway and have a rare luxurious morning before worked picked up later on.
