"Get on it” Little Italy- Jerusalem July 2008

This was my second visit to the reputable Italian restaurant in the heart of Jerusalem city. The first time was my 19th birthday, and the second was me and my six amazing Leeds girlies. We had all come to Israel for 12 days during the summer as my friend Abigail’s sister was getting married. We have Dalia, Simone, Abby, Hannah Helen and Danielle. This was the first time a big group of us had gone away together in the summer since our club 18-30 days in Greece.

Apart from an enormous jellyfish sting which I got on the first day. ( I kicked the thing as I thought it was a plastic bag) this was an incredible holiday in Israel and the wedding was beautiful.

As we entered Little Italy we were all warmly welcomed to our reserved table by the owners of the restaurant. The waiter was very attentive and his English was 100 times better then my Hebrew skills, I am ashamed to say after doing months of learning the language on my gap year in Israel.

We skipped starters and went ahead and ordered the main. The menu was so appealing; Dalia and I decided to share 2 mains and a salad. We went for “Avi’s grilled haloumi salad- Israel style, Spinach and Jerusalem artichoke ravioli with tomato and cheese sauce and eggplant and Parmesan bake.

The restaurant has been open 22 years which is impressive. It has a warm, happy atmosphere. Wine flowing and of course laughter in the air our mains arrived. The portion sizes in Israel are certainly plentiful.

Diced cucumber, tomato, parsley, lemon juice with salty grilled haloumi cheese made up Avi’s salad. Eggplant is extremely popular in Israel and I have to say after trying some many disappointing Parmejana Melenzana’s back at home I was very impressed. The homemade tomato sauce was delicious and was cooked to perfection. The spinach and ravioli was also a great order. I am tempted to order anything with Artichoke in as I am addicted to the sweet but tarte taste. The ravioli was generously filled.

We all shared a selection of desserts to leave a sweet taste. We ordered a cheesecake, chocolate souffle and passion fruit sorbet.

We all couldn’t be happier, great friends, great food, great wine, staff and atmosphere. The old fashioned Italian restaurants usually always have the owners in house to meet and greet the customers. This all adds to the wonderful atmosphere.

Barkan Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent choice in Israel... I am no wine connoisseur, but it is very fruity. The correct description from their website is as follows:-

 Grapes from the Galilee are blended with those from Tel Safit to create this elegant wine with its complex "rainbow" of aromas from fresh mown grass to cranberry and mango. Although of a light body, the intense herb and tropical fruit flavour and crisp tart, long finish is refreshingly delightful.

Jerusalem is a magical city and I have many wonderful memories of being in the capital. This restaurant is a great find and I hope to return on my next visit. Our night continued drinking vodka and amaretto sours in the outside bars and smoking nargila in down town Ben Yehuda Street.