"We believe that during this period people need less rational food and more food - I won't say hugging or comforting, because those are not the exact words - food that is right for the situation, a burger is food that pleases you and you cuddle on it," says chef Raz Rahav in a conversation we had with him today.
During the first three weeks of the war, the group mobilized to donate food to the soldiers and wounded as part of the operations room team of the brothers' restaurant. The war room was closed last Friday, and last night (Tuesday), Rahav announced in his Instagram story that after some deliberation, he and the staff of OCD Restaurant decided to turn the prestigious restaurant, which normally serves a closed tasting menu, into a nonchalant burger pop-up. The restaurant's pop-up — which holds 14th place on the list of best restaurants in Africa and the Middle East of the prestigious BEST 50 ranking 2023 — will run next week only, Monday through Thursday.
The juicy burger, photo: Haim Yosef
Rahav's burger is still remembered by taste buds, among other things, from the Corona period. "The coronavirus did not resemble the current period in the things we are experiencing, but in the cessation of restaurant activity," Rahav says, recalling: "One day in the middle of the lockdown, we made ourselves a burger night and said: 'There's something successful here, let's do a pop-up in deliveries,' so we already had this emergency solution in our drawer."
This time, as part of the pop-up, you will be able to sit in the restaurant and enjoy a burger with several small plates that will be offered according to the creativity of the staff. For example, raw fish, vegetable-based dishes and potatoes. Alternatively, you will only be able to order the burger to takeaway.
"The burger is that of a 'duck' from the Corona period, but not with the same toppings," Rahav explains. "We don't want to invent the wheel and give a burger with whipped caramelized carrot whipped cream or fermented black lime miso, but a burger made from the best meat, made with the best care we know, the best burn possible and the best bun we know how to bake."
Raz Rahav's story // From the Instagram page
The menu will have three burgers, one of which is served clean with the juicy 200g patty and vegetable sauce. "It won't be the tight experience of OCD," Rahav says. "It's going to be something very breathing - we have to learn it as we go and be sensitive to the situation, I can't even say what music will be and if there will be. We'll learn that as soon as we open."
Why not open OCD in its format?
"It's not that there's no demand. Fortunately, we're full four months ahead and have to call and cancel reservations every day, while at least 85 percent of people tell us we'd like to come anyway. Keep in mind that a place like OCD doesn't depend on who consumes it. There are 14 employees here for 20 diners who need to sustain this thing, we need to host and provide a certain product. At the moment we are not in the 'mode' of hosting in this manner and in addition half of my team is in reserve. On the other hand, we miss hosting, so we decided to take a moment out of the Buidam the burger we love to cuddle on."
Chef Raz Rahav (OCD), Photo: Haim Yosef
How do you feel about opening the place in the background of the war?
"No matter how we play with it, we don't open just because we want to eat a hamburger – in the end, the bank calls too. There is X amount of money you can save for a hard day. Personally, I have been very happy about every place that has opened since the outbreak of the war. Also about the Peacock and the Monastery that didn't close and for a moment made my heart a little happy when I saw the little light on as I passed by. And I was happy, even though it was weird to me, because I knew there was someone for whom it kept their sanity." Tell you that it was easy to open Tirza? Not. You feel like a court clown for a moment – but yes, my profession is to make people be guests for a moment."
How are you, these days?
I hate to say, but everything is fine. In the end, I grew up in a home that taught me to be very optimistic and I always stay that way. As hard and painful as our hearts are, as much as our hearts are with the reservists, soldiers, abductees, wounded, evacuated residents, I feel that we owe it mainly to them. If we are not there, all the victims who are no longer with us will die in vain."
OCD's burger will operate from November 6-9 between 15:00-20:00
in a seating format with advance reservation and takeaway
Tirza 17, Tel Aviv-Yafo
A protected space is located next to the restaurant
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