Shakshuka Travels

Firstly, a confession is in order.

I am a pathological liar because I've claimed I hate eggs but, honestly, I don't.

I have a serious aversion to omelets of all kinds and to scrambled eggs if they are too heavy and runny. But honestly, a good old fashioned soft boiled egg or a sunny side up in any form will keep me pleased until the days end.

Sunny Side Up Omelet
Sides (counter clockwise): Tehine, Chive Cream Cheese, Eggplant Spread, Guac, Labneh
Cafe Tapuz in Rannana, Israel 

Therefore, it would make absolute sense for me to have a profound love for Shakshuka. 

Pair three sunny side up eggs with loads of fresh tomato sauce, cooked onions, peppers and garlic, and I am in absolute heaven.

Shakshuka is normally served for breakfast or brunch, the biggest meal of the day, and eaten with bread that is dipped into the runny eggs and used to scoop up the surrounding sauce.

Surprisingly, Shakshuka is quite dynamic in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and, really, all over Israel. Three days of traveling, three cities of visiting and every single menu afforded two categories of Shashuka. The traditional and a second. The latter usually with a green theme, but the color green proving to be the only similarity from one variety to the next. 

Cream sauce with spring onion (green Shakshuka as it's commonly called), shakshuka with spinach and eggplant as its base and completely without tomato sauce, Shakshuka with various types of cheeses, Shashuka made of green tomatoes are some of the many types to appear from restaurant to restaurant.

Below are two types of Shakshuka's I've sampled along with their restaurant name, city and whether I'd recommend the eatery or not.

If you plan on traveling to Israel anytime soon, hit them up...

Green Shakshuka (Shakshuka Yeruka) with Spinach, Eggplant and Feta Cheese

Delicatessen, Tel Aviv

**Recommended Spot 

Traditional Shakshuka with Bulgarian cheese and sunflower seeds

Cafe Tapuz, Rannana

**Recommended Spot

Both Restaurants are Good For:

Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Date, Family, Friends

Jack's Wife Freda

I've come here a couple of times and since its opening and they've changed around the menu a bit only to improve it for the better (they got rid of some items that really weren't all that great. A definite good sign of a restaurant looking to succeed). Its Israeli owned and has a cosmopolitan Tel-Aviv x French Bistro vibe. I've alway ended up here on a chilly Sunday afternoon and never regretted it.

Food

The food tastes home cooked. Buuuuut.... imagine it's a home cooked meal by a friend or family member that you can always rely on to make really tasty foods that is fresh, light, very simple but also quite flavorful. Other than the french fries which are pretty standard, I had green shakshuka, made with green tomatoes, (yes I'll eat sunny side up eggs in a shakshuka ANY DAY), an amazing tuna salad of Italian tuna mixed with avocado, mushrooms and arugala and an amazing sweet vinaigrette and a Cafe Gitane style avocado toast that was served on a whole grain sourdough type of bread and was not nearly as bland or tasteless as Gitane's. It was served with a sweet tomato sauce on top that the perfect final touch. I'd also recommend the kale salad and the eggplant sandwich.

Ambiance

As I've already mentioned, its got a bit of a warm French bistro/cafe vibe and can feel really intimate.

Its casual and trendy and a no reservation type of spot.

Wait Time

I've never had to wait, but I've also never gone at peek hours. I hear it gets busy though.

Good For: Lunch with friends, casual date, Brunch, casual and trendy

Jack's Wife Freda

224 Lafayette St.

(212) 510-8550

http://jackswifefreda.com/