Deplorable Israeli Desserts

[MarkC]

Has anyone else noticed how even the best restaurants in Israel get away with serving really awful, substandard desserts? I was in Coffee Bar tonight, and after enjoying an excellent meal, ordered brandied prunes in vanilla ice cream - a no-brainer, you would think. I took one bite and sent it back, as they used the cheapest "vanilla" ice cream money can buy - you know, the kind that comes in the colorful plastic container at the supermarket, and tastes of nothing more than a kind of chemical sweetness. It reminded me of a similar experience I'd had at Kyoto, where they had the nerve to describe it on the menu as white chocolate ice cream. When I indignantly explained that not only was it not white chocolate ice cream, but the cheapest super market vanilla money could buy, the waiter sheepishly conceded that I was right.

Obviously, the restaurants do this because they think they can get away with it. After a large meal with too much wine, most people don't notice the difference, or don't have the energy to complain if they do. I would urge all readers not to accept this common rip-off, and let the restaurant know that you're on to them.

[Mike_F]

Mark - I think this is more an issue of mid-range restaurants than those one would consider the best in Israel. I certainly had no complaints about the desserts on my (alas too infrequent) visits to establishments like Catit, Carmella baNachala or Moul Yam.

mike

[Daniel Rogov]

Mark, Hi....

Not a problem I have encountered at better restaurants. I'm in large agreement with Mike on this in that the problem exists primarily in mass-market restaurants where for ice cream for example they rely either on Scarlett or Vaniglia and while those can be acceptable they become somewhat boring when you encounter them in 20 or more restaurants.

Better restaurants (e.g. Catit, Chloelys, Raphael, Herbert Samuel) as well as more creative mid-range restaurants (e.g. Manta Ray, Pronto, Toto, Adora, Mel & Michelle) either employ dessert chefs or have a chef who is him/herself personally responsible for the desserts.

Simplest solution when dining out is to ask the waiter to check on from where the restaurant receives its pastries and ice creams. If that is not to your satisfaction, to ask what desserts are made on the premises. If still not to your satisfaction then to make you way after dinner to the ice cream emporium of your choice.

Best
Rogov

[MarkC]

I imagine at the very best restaurants you will escape this phenomenon. Interesting to know how many restaurants actually employ their own pastry chef in this era of cost-cutting. Not many, I imagine. Most probably outsource.

I would certainly have considered Coffee Bar to be a high range restaurant, and they are certainly not cheap. The pity is that the rest of the meal was great. An example of ill-considered cost-cutting, perhaps, maybe an isolated incident.