Nura is not very far from Jerusalem, but traveling there feels like a mini-vacation. The restaurant is just off the highway in Beit Nekofa, and it is beautifully designed with indoor and outdoor dining areas. We chose to eat inside, both for the air conditioning and for the view of the open kitchen, which was fun to watch.
Every once in a while, fire would shoot up from the kitchen, but it all seemed under control. Nura, which opened in March, is part of the group of restaurants that includes Derech Hagefen and Naya. The location of Nura is where the group’s Pop-Up Café used to be.
“The concept is a bistro with seasonal food,” chef Shmulik Ben Hamo explained. “We try to give respect to the ingredients.” The restaurant is named after his five-year-old son, Nuri. In Aramaic, nura means “fire,” and there is a tabun and a grill in the restaurant’s kosher kitchen.
I went to Nura with my foodie son Netanel. We started our dinner with cocktails, which were very well made. I had an Emerald Splash, which was very green and a little sweet (NIS 52), and Netanel had a Lemonade-Arak Mule (NIS 50). Starting with a cocktail makes any meal feel festive.
We then did something that I love to do for restaurant reviews. Instead of choosing dishes from the menu, I let the chef order for me. It’s fun to be surprised, and that way I get to taste the dishes the chef is most proud of.
A surprise meal
We started our meal with a freshly baked focaccia served with skordalia, a Greek dip made with lots of garlic, and potatoes and walnuts (NIS 22). It was delicious, and I would definitely order it again. Ben Hamo also brought us a dip of spicy peppers and salsa (NIS 18) that I could tell just by looking would be too spicy for me.
We received three appetizers, all of which we enjoyed. The first was beef tartare, which is one of Netanel’s favorite dishes, with smoked capers and egg yolk cream (NIS 68). There was also a ceviche made with amberjack, which had an interesting sauce of pistachio and chili oil (NIS 68). And my favorite – pieces of tuna sashimi on top of a preserved lemon cream (NIS 72) that still makes my mouth water when I think about it.
For the main dishes, Ben Hamo brought us souvlaki (NIS 88), a large Greek-inspired dish of brisket with chicken thighs and lamb fat with grilled onions served on tehina, as well as a unique dish of charcoal chicken lahuch – pargiyot on top of small rounds of the Yemenite bread, served with a smoked paprika aioli that had just enough of a kick (NIS 68). But my favorite main course was a skewer of perfectly medium rare entrecote on top of a large marrow bone, served with small spoons for digging out the marrow, which was rich and flavorful (NIS 88).
There are several fish dishes, as well as vegan choices such as a freekeh and greens (NIS 68) – a dish of smoked green wheat served with green vegetables.
After all this food I was full, but one advantage of being a young man in your 20s (my son) is that there is always room for dessert. We tried three desserts, and my favorite was rice pudding with carrot cake on top. Really special.
We were there on a Sunday night, and by the time we left at 9 p.m. the restaurant was almost full – several large groups celebrating birthdays, couples on dates, and a few solo diners. The vibe was fun and relaxing. So if you’re looking for a new restaurant to try in the Jerusalem area, you won’t be sorry visiting Nura.
Nura
Old Farmhouse Building
Kiryat Anavim
Phone: 055-568-5569
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Kashrut: Mateh Yehuda Rabbinate
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.