For some traditional food, go to Suzanna, a nice summer patio in the hip Neve Tzedek district. Get grilled eggplant with feta cheese and a tangy tzatziki sauce (23 NIS), chicken skewers with rice (62 NIS) or whole sea bream with a fresh tabule salad (83 NIS). 

For some more basic pleasures have some of the best falafels at Lina with freshly squeezed orange juice (60 NIS for two).

Near the market is the popular Machneyuda restaurant. Begin with some chewy octopus on sweet potato chunks (66 NIS), then have a punchy lamb shank, in the traditional ossobuco style (109 NIS). Or go for the more adventurous chicken liver in a thick caramelized onion sauce, all plopped in a ‘bowl’ of mashed potatoes (86 NIS). For full, confident flavours and supersized potions, Machneyuda is the place to go. 

The best food in the area is in Beersheba, where you can have a traditional Moroccan feast at Yakuta for about 400 NIS for two. Best, it comes with free dessert!

A little more upscale is 1868, where the steak looks a boring grey, with more purpley grey potato puree. But the ribeye is a luscious pink and picks up the acidic mustard seed sauce spectacularly. The salmon lay on a creamy saffron risotto. Best was dessert, a plate of many textures of chocolate mixed with raspberry accents.

28 day aged rib-eye steak, purple potatoes puree, steamed spinach, apple & mustard sauce 145

Sea fish tartar, tomatoes consommé, pickled red onion, soy sauce pearls,  pickled zucchini, wakame seaweed  62

Sea fish fillet, fresh corn polenta, roasted carrots, white wine & saffron sauce. Varies according to fish 129-179

Afterwards, have a tasty falafel at Falafel Ha Ezkenim. This tiny brick and mortar shop doesn’t accept credit card but you might be able to convince him to give you one for free.

For something more upscale, go to the bustling patio at Shulchan complete with a DJ. Begin with a colourful cherry tomato salad topped with copious Hameiri feta cheese (28 NIS) or the curiously sweet fennel salad (34 NIS). For main, either have a filet of beef served with a mouth-watering potato mash (138 NIS) or a whole fish served in a skillet with soft tomatoes of all sizes (128 NIS). It’s a lot of fun to eat, though it is too sour at times. Finally, the lemon cake manages to be sweet and sour at the same time.

The best experience of Dubai is at the Dubai International Financial Centre. Aside from the posters that bare the Queen’s Business School insignia, there is La Petite Maison, the 81st best restaurant in the world. We had met Raphael, the owner, at a tapas bar in San Sebastian so I was ready for a bit of wining and dining. The restaurant is an installation near an art district so it, itself, is beautifully adorned with modern paintings. Otherwise, the bright white interior is reminiscent of French luxury. Door-crashing is almost impossible as Dubai’s ultra-rich seem to have booked off this restaurant to themselves. I was kindly seated at the bar, which affords nice people-watching opportunities, though the smoking might be a turn-off. Safely in the hands of the maitre d’, I ordered some house specialties. Most notably, the buttery caprese salad made with the most luscious burrata cheese tasted almost too good to be real. The stretchy cheese almost disintegrates in the mouth, letting out bursts of sweetness. I almost wish there were more tomatoes so I wouldn’t feel as guilty eating the cheese. Then, thinly sliced octopus arranged in a disk, topped with a sweet lemon dressing. Finally gargantuan, halved prawns are succulent in simple olive oil with herbs. The sunny radiance of the dishes and the utter simplicity is deeply reminiscent of Provencial cooking. Seafood, herbs and olive oil are expertly used in this Nice-inspired restaurant.

Burrata et Tomates    95
Burrata with Tomatoes and Basil 

Poulpe Finement Tranchés   105
Thinly Sliced Octopus in Lemon Oil 

Grosses Crevettes Grillées   135
Grilled Tiger Prawns  

Haricots Verts   35
Green Beans