15 NIS for a portion of falafel.
And what about the taste?
Falafel Meir (Photo: David Rosenthal)
Sometimes good things happen by accident.
My previous visit to the Hatikva neighborhood about six months ago, when I came to check out a recommended place that was closed, accidentally led to the discovery of one of the best kebabs I've ever eaten in my life.
Since then, I've been fantasizing about returning to the neighborhood, to the fine smells and tastes of Etzel Street.
For all the columns of "Rozy HaToam"
the kebab corner is of course there, also Yehuda Gohar's Koba the Rooster, the old Geese continues to try to preserve its great days from the 80s, the market is flourishing And many good ones perpetuate the neighborhood's heritage as a culinary pilgrimage site.
Following the experience, I once again opened my eyes to the potential for surprises. Doesn't lightning strike twice in the same place? I decided to challenge the issue. As I happened to locate a pearl then, maybe it will be the same this time too. The street is full of unexpected places. Yochanim, and places not from Yochanim are the love of my life. Suddenly I came across a small shop that modestly says "Falafel Meir". That's it, this is my place.
Exactly from the places whose sight invites me.
Falafel Meir (Photo: David Rosenthal)
Falafel Meir is one of those stalls "of old" - no pretentiousness, no attempt to challenge the mind, what you see is what you get, those who know will come, those who don't will discover it by chance.
A Facebook page does not exist, there is nothing to speak of a website at all.
The most local there is.
The modesty is also reflected in the prices, please note - NIS 15 per falafel dish, NIS 18 per sabih.
The chances that you will find prices close to this anywhere else in the city, even on the street itself, are low.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible not to order both falafel and sabih.
Let's start with falafel.
The balls were ready to be served, they did not come directly from the frying basket.
A bit of a bummer, but they seemed to be relatively fresh.
I took a portion (not too big, 6 balls) and stuffed it with fried eggplant.
She was reasonable.
Falafel has many nuances - it can be well seasoned or not seasoned at all, too soggy or dry - this dish was at the middle point.
OK, no more.
She mostly felt a bit effortless, a soulless "forget it" kind of thing - which leads us to the next point, of the Sabih.
complete opposites
I've never gone out like this after shawarma.
And I'm still confused
To the full article
More of an egg sandwich than a sabih (photo: David Rosenthal)
The sabih was fresh in all its ingredients and its price is a winner.
The problem is that it could easily be called an "egg sandwich" instead of a sabih.
The dish is very dry, without much flavor, something you can make at home.
While eating sabih, a large amount of eggplant with egg, potatoes, arysa, harif, tahini, and what not should form in the mouth.
This dish was very basic, and therefore a bit sad.
The pita itself was good, and in general every ingredient was just fine, but this is a classic case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts.
I didn't feel it was a product that leaves a mark.
So how did it come out?
It is evident that Falafel Meir has engraved the winning price on his banner, one that even a decade ago would have been considered low or at least fair, and for that he deserves a round of applause, without any hint of cynicism.
The question, and it is open without a definitive answer, is whether this is enough.
In the KMA index (quantity-price-quality on a scale of 1-10), the score for such a price is a bright "10".
But what about the other parameters? Well, the quantity is reasonable and the quality of the products is fresh, which supposedly should give the highest score, but already We said - the whole is very less than the sum of its parts. I really enjoyed the price, it's hard to say that I was blown away by the dishes as a whole. "Falafel Meir" gets 7.5 because it is very tempting to people who want to have lunch without breaking the bank, but it doesn't pass the taste threshold, which is a shame.
Food
reviews
Rosie the taster
Tags
falafel
Sabih
