Hotel Montefiore in central Tel Aviv is marking 18 years as one of the city’s most polished and consistently high-end brasseries. The restaurant, part of R2M, Ruthi and Muti Brodo’s hospitality group, continues to sell its European escape atmosphere from a restored, iconic building, and the article says it remains one of the most stable and carefully run restaurants in Israel.
Chef Barak Hasson, who has led the kitchen for seven years, says the new menu is built to keep the restaurant current without losing its identity. He explains that the team now updates the menu according to the seasons and the best available ingredients. “This is a way that characterizes leading restaurants in the world,” he says, adding that it helps the restaurant stay relevant while preserving its character. He also notes that every new dish can mean removing an older one, so the menu structure was adjusted to allow more flexibility while protecting beloved classics.
Hasson says the refresh is not a one-time move but part of the restaurant’s ongoing approach. “A restaurant that is celebrating 18 years cannot rely only on nostalgia or past successes,” he says. The goal, he says, is to balance signature dishes that are part of the restaurant’s DNA with new creations tied to the season, ingredients, and the kitchen’s professional development.
The chef, who arrived during the coronavirus period when the restaurant had been closed for an extended time, says the challenge has been to preserve the legacy while moving forward. He credits the restaurant’s level to the details, from ingredients and service to suppliers and staff training. The tasting described several new dishes, including celeriac gratin with Granny Smith apple and pecorino foam, endive and nectarine salad with Stilton, seafood dishes combining corn, calamari, cilantro and jalapeno, and forbidden rice with crab. The standout dish was veal brain, served with pepper butter and cilantro, described as especially tender and creamy.
