Katzir: Where London Memory Meets Tel Aviv Shore

The sourdough arrives warm, its crust flecked with sage leaves and coriander seeds, trailing a wheaty fragrance across the table. Beside it, three small vessels: hilbe, the fenugreek paste of Sephardi kitchens; chrein, the fiery horseradish of Ashkenazi tradition; and a jewel toned Kiddush wine jam that catches the last of the evening light streaming through floor to ceiling windows. Outside, the Mediterranean stretches into twilight. Inside, the kitchen hums with quiet intensity. This is Katzir on a Wednesday night, and the bread service alone tells you something important: every dish here carries a story, and Chef Daniel Raymond intends for you to hear each one.

Katzir occupies the main floor of The David Kempinski Tel Aviv, a 34 story beachfront hotel on HaYarkon Street. But to call it a hotel restaurant would be to miss the point entirely. Raymond, who grew up in Stamford Hill before making aliyah in 2004, has built something more personal here: a kitchen that maps his own biography onto every plate.