I reviewed Amaya when it first opened just over a year ago, and found it to be an exciting culinary destination. Now there is a new chef, Oren Asido, and when I was invited to return to this fish and dairy restaurant in Rehovot to try his new menu, I remembered how much I liked it the first time and happily agreed.
This time it was one of the best meals I’ve had in Israel, and you can save yourself a lot of time if you skip the rest of the review and just make a reservation. Just do it, and you can thank me later.
Like many restaurants in Israel, it doesn’t look like much from the outside, on one of Rehovot’s main streets. There is a pay parking lot behind the restaurant, but it’s easy to miss the entrance. Hot tip – the parking lot is actually in Ness Ziona, and you need to put on Pango until midnight (!). We actually got a ticket last time we visited here. Inside, the design is beautiful, with a feeling of luxury. The tables are spaced far apart, and the music is not too loud.
There is an extensive cocktail menu, and we each ordered a cocktail. The cocktail menu was created in partnership with mixologist Gabi Gershator. I tried a special (NIS 74) that had blood orange gin, banana liquor, spicy pepper liquor, and a date syrup. It was served in a tall glass and was delicious and not too sweet.
Oren Asido is just 33, but has worked in some of Israel’s best kitchens, including Ole in Tel Aviv, where he was the owner and chef. On October 7, he closed the restaurant and drove down to the Gaza border area by himself before meeting up with his Givati reserve unit and spending the next few months in the Gaza Strip.
His restaurant, Ole, never reopened, and now diners in Rehovot can enjoy his food.
Along with my husband, I brought along my foodie son, who is about to start yet another round of reserve duty in Gaza. He and Oren bonded over friendly rivalry between Givati and my son’s Egoz unit, which was originally part of Golani. They compared notes on which neighborhoods in Gaza are better, and shared experiences of cooking in Gaza.
Asido is the father of three young children, the youngest of whom he says is the result of “the Gaza baby boom.” He recalled that the family moved recently, and when his oldest son, who is going into first grade, saw the army equipment, he asked nervously, “Abba, are you going to the army again?”
One of the best meals I’ve had in Israel
The menu is not extensive and is seasonal, changing every few months. We let Oren choose for us, and each dish was better than the last.
He told us that he learned to cook from his Moroccan grandmother, and that from her, too, he learned something even more important than cooking.
“What I learned from my grandmother is how to host,” he said. “That is more important than food.”
Nevertheless, the food at Amaya is outstanding. We let Oren choose for us, and every dish was not only delicious but also visually arresting. There were new flavors I had never tried, such as the Berber bread (NIS 42) with matbucha jam and tanziya butter (butter made from dried fruit).
We also tried the manakish (NIS 39), a hot bread stuffed with caramelized onions and zaatar, and served with yoghurt, zhug, and radishes.
Have you ever tasted date carpaccio? It is a thin layer of dates served with nuts with baharat and crème fraiche (NIS 47). The combination of textures and flavors was amazing. The Jerusalem artichoke dish (NIS 62) had shallot confit, celery cream, and brinza cheese.
It just kept going. We tried the deconstructed fish (NIS 78), which had brown butte, burnt onions, and vichyssoise foam. The server suggested trying to get all of the flavors in one bite. Simply delicious.
There are just three main dishes on the menu, and Oren brought us the Moroccan ramen (NIS 137). Yes, Moroccan ramen – you read that right. It had fish stock and flaked fish and was amazing.
You have to try it!
Now pick up your phone and make that reservation. You won’t regret it.■
Amaya
Kiryat Mada 1 Rehovot
Hours: Sun-Wed 6 p.m.-midnight; Thursday 6 p.m.-2 a.m.
Kashrut: Rabbanut Rehovot
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.