We watched along the promenade in Tel Aviv towards the address Herbert Samuel 76, where restaurateur Rina Pushkarna's new place Tandoori Lands End TLV recently opened after the much-talked-about closure of the veteran Tandoori restaurant on Dizengoff Street, which operated for 42 years. The menu placed on the table when they sat down looked familiar - a menu with 71 dishes.
Tandoori Land's End menu,
"How would you recommend experiencing the meal?" we asked the waiter who approached our table. "Have you been to Dizengoff's tandoori?" he replied with a question, and when we nodded in the affirmative he added: "It's exactly the same menu." "The exact same menu? Nothing new?", we responded in amazement, so he pointed to about five dishes and said that "there are some new dishes, but they are lonely". "And the staff?" we asked and were answered that "most of the staff from Tandoori in Dizengoff moved here."
How long ago did you open here?
"Tandoori on Dizengoff Street closed a month ago because of the termination of a contract, and a day later this restaurant opened in its place."
Tandoori restaurant in the new location // Photo: Hila Dudal
But it's all about semantics. The legendary recently closed restaurant space is indeed a piece of history. When the place opened in the 1980s, Pushkarna was only in her twenties and Indian food was completely new to the Israeli palate, as was Indian culture. Many anecdotes have emerged from him throughout history, including the first date of Bibi and Sarah Netanyahu.
If we put things on the table, in recent years the restaurant was less talked about in Israel until it closed. At the same time, it should be noted that due to Pushkarna's extensive activity since it established the Tandoori chain, which includes two restaurants in Tel Aviv and Herzliya, the Indian government recently awarded her the prestigious honorary award "Pravasi Bhartya Saman Award for 2023".
On one of the walls of the restaurant, photo: Shahar Dudal
This is an award that the state awards to its citizens who live overseas. Pushkarna received the award for her achievements in business, community and social activism. On the occasion of his acceptance, during her visit to India, she met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi had already tasted her food during his visit to Israel at a gala dinner with Benjamin and Sarah Netanyahu at the Balfour residence. It is no coincidence that many tourists from India (about 60 percent of the restaurant's audience so far are tourists, according to the restaurant's employees) are already visiting the new place that has opened in front of Tel Aviv's beach.
The decoration Pushkarna received is on one of the walls of the new restaurant, and it is possible, as mentioned, to find the same mythological dishes that were in the restaurant in Dizengoff. The new place was opened together by Rina and Vinod Pushkarna with their son Kunal. We ordered, among other things, the traditional dishes "Chicken Tika" (86 shekels) and "alo gobi masala" (58 shekels) - dishes served by every Indian restaurant and we usually choose to taste them when we want to understand the quality of the restaurant. The chicken tikka was identical to the dish served in Dizengoff. Both spicy and rich dish. The curry was balanced, felt authentic and seemed to be created by a hand that knows the food well. However, the chicken chunks were dry and the dish stopped glowing (only on the taste buds) after a few bites. But that's not why we preferred to stop eating it - a chicken bone was discovered in one of the chunks during a bite and almost injured us.
The basmati rice that usually accompanies the dish, we had to order separately and although this is a new place, it came in a broken dish (22 shekels). It is important to note that throughout the meal the service at the place was embracing and courteous. The chicken tikka dish was replaced as soon as we commented on it to the waiter.
Chicken Curry,
The aloe gobi dish was aromatic and spicy at a level that not every person can contain. It was comforting and fun to eat the cauliflower, tomatoes and potatoes in a sauce with the traditional masala spices, but something about it didn't soar to the addictive places and we got tired of it relatively early in the meal. The dishes were also accompanied by garlic naan bread made especially for the new place. It was made with a precise texture and the addition of garlic was felt and complimented. Alongside the food, we drank cocktails, including powerful tandoori tequila and flavors of spices characteristic of the South Asian country (48 shekels).
Alo Gobi,
Among the new dishes on the menu you will first find a dish of "dim dim chicken" - three dumplings stuffed with spicy chicken meat, made by steaming - frying and served with spicy soy sauce (NIS 42). To the category of dishes made of tandoori clay tabun - the special tabun that reaches a temperature of over 600 degrees - was added the "Petrani Machi" dish - salmon fillet filled with green and lime chutney wrapped in chard leaves with tomato coli sauce (120 shekels) and a dish of "broccoli, aloe tikka and castori mushrooms" (88 shekels). In the category of breads "Alo Colcha" - filled with potato and peas, baked in a coal oven seasoned with black mustard seeds (32 NIS).
The broken vessel in which we were served the rice dish,
In the morning, breakfast dishes are offered in Hoppers (bowls made of rice), inspired by the Asian breakfasts served at Rina's daughter Serena's Casamija Boutique Hotel in Sri Lanka. Dishes include scrambled burji hopper, scrambled egg with tomatoes, green chili, onions and fresh herbs. Alongside the breakfast dishes, special and select blends of coffee, tea and masala chai will be served, which also come from India and Sri Lanka.
We later learned that the menu could still change, as did the price range, which is expected to be more accessible.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us