Israel : Vicky Cristina – A Great Business Lunch At A Surprising Place
There’s no doubt that Tel Aviv has a lot to offer when it comes to restaurants serving business lunches during the afternoon hours, but I must admit that Vicky-Cristina never came up in this context.
I’ve always thought about Vicky-Cristina as a tapas bar, great for a night out, with a lively Spanish vibe, a lot of sangria or wine along with small portions to share, and not really the kind of place to go to during the afternoon.
I admit that I’ve never been to Vicky-Cristina until this very business lunch. While this is a very popular place, that already won Timeout’s food competition under the category of the best tapas restaurant-bar in Tel Aviv several times, I think my aversion from the New Station compound, that always seemed too touristy and “plastic-y” to me, kept me away despite the recommendations.
The place is divided into two parts – Vicky is the more intimate and relaxed side of the two, and is a tapas bar which opens in the early afternoon; And Cristina represents the wild and young side of Spain, a rich wine bar characterized by high bar tables and the design is inspired by the famous Park Güell in Barcelona.
To my surprise, Vicky offers a great business meal which for the price of a main course from the business menu {63-95 NIS}, includes :
A choice of a first course
Pan-Con-Tomate {home baked bread with a tomato spread}
Homemade pickles
Cold/Warm beverage {or a glass of wine for an additional 5 NIS}
And as much wine/beer/sangria as you want for the price of one glass.
The main dishes include meat dishes, fish and seafood, and I’m still unsure how they don’t offer vegetarian/vegan food as part of their regular menu?…
As part of Vicky-Cristina’s business lunch, you could choose a starter from one of these three options:
Ensalada De Tomate – tomato salad and cherry tomatoes, cilantro, onion, chili, fresh oregano, garlic, feta cheese, olive tapenade seasoned with olive oil and lemon. When the salad was served, I knew exactly what we're going to get – this is a very simple salad, a known and loved salad that’s impossible to screw up if you use good and fresh ingredients.
And that’s how it was there – the tomatoes were fresh and seasoned well, so there’s no doubt that the dish was good, but not among the special ones I’ve tasted.
Ensalada Verde – Salad made from different kinds of lettuce, endives, radishes, red onions and seasoned with smoked almonds and green vinaigrette. In this case, too, the raw materials were very fresh and the flavors were more interesting – the combination of the freshness of the fresh leaves and the smoked almonds was very good. In my opinion there was too much dressing on the salad, but altogether, it was a tasty salad and a great choice to start the meal with.
Coliflor – Cold salad made from fried cauliflower, garlic aioli sauce and chives. Just like the known tomato salad, this cauliflower dish was just as expected. Despite its simplicity it was delicious and we finished it first, mainly thanks to its great seasoning.
Alongside the starters, they served homemade bread – fresh, hot and delicious, along with a tomato dip with olive oil and garlic, which was a little bland and needed some kind of spicy “kick” to it, and the also “homemade pickles” – olives in a homemade marinade that were very tasty, and cabbage and spicy carrots, that wasn’t very spicy and didn’t seem to fit in with the meal’s style.
For the main courses we ordered two dishes – one from the meat menu and one from the fish/seafood menu, according to the waiter’s recommendation:
Mini Hamburguesa – 4 mini hamburgers with garlic aioli, caramelized onions and parmesan cheese in a bite-size bun {65 NIS}. It was an excellent dish and is a must for burger lovers! They served the dish in a fun and easy-to-eat way, with a fresh and airy bun, quality meat and the sides were just yummy!
Saprivas – A huge portion of high-quality pork ribs in a sweet sauce of citrus, date syrup and chipotle. The dish was served with French fries that were particularly delicious and crispy.
Pescado con Arroz – A fish dish served with wild rice which evoked mixed feelings – on the one hand it was obvious that the fish was very fresh and prepared exactly the right way, on the other hand I didn’t like the way they prepared the wild rice, which was a little too hard and lacked seasoning.
Alongside the dishes, we ordered a pitcher of cold sangria, which accompanied us during dinner, it was a bit sweeter than other sangrias, but was very tasty.
The highlight of the meal were definitely the desserts :
We ordered churros with dips that arrived hot and extra crispy, made exactly as required and not greasy at all, along with delicious and thick dulce de leche sauce and chocolate syrup with pieces of hazelnuts that was just a dream.
The second dessert we ordered was an amazing Ice Cream Sundae, which really reminded me of the ice cream served at the tapas “Ahad Ha’am”, alongside an excellent chocolate sauce.
The food, as mentioned, was simple and fresh and for the most part also very good, and the restaurant is highly recommended for people who are looking for a restaurant that serves simple dishes as part of a business lunch that’s super worthwhile. However, I didn’t really understand why a restaurant that defines itself as a tapas restaurant, doesn’t serve tapas dishes during the afternoon, too; but you can be sure to enjoy Vicky’s business lunches and leave very full.
