Ocean Grill: Where Ancient Stone Meets the Endless Blue

The sun hangs low over Jaffa, painting the limestone walls in shades of amber and gold. From the rooftop of The Setai Tel Aviv, the Mediterranean stretches out like a sheet of hammered copper, and somewhere below, the muezzin's call drifts across the Clock Tower Square. A plate of tataki tuna arrives at the table, its surface seared to a whisper, resting on a bed of shaved root vegetables and glossy ponzu. The first bite is cool, clean, faintly smoky. This is Ocean Grill on a Thursday evening, and everything about the moment feels calibrated to make you slow down.

Chef Shay Dayani, who oversees the entire culinary operation at The Setai Tel Aviv, has built a menu that refuses to choose between two identities. On one side, there is meticulous Japanese technique: sashimi platters featuring twelve pieces of salmon, sea bass, and tuna cut with surgical precision, each slice thick enough to register on the tongue before melting away. The fish is cold, clean, and bright, served on a slate board that lets the jewel toned pinks and reds of the fish command attention. The Setai Roll, a ten piece construction of tuna tartare, avocado, spicy mayo, and tempura flakes, arrives with a satisfying crunch that gives way to cool, silky fish beneath. The Dragon Roll offers a different approach: salmon and red tuna layered with avocado, finished with spicy Japanese mayo and a ribbon of unagi sauce that adds a caramelized sweetness to every bite. But the Ocean Truffle Roll is the one that earns its place in memory, wrapping sea bass tempura in crispy shallots and cucumber before finishing with a drizzle of truffle aioli that lingers well after the last piece disappears. The aroma alone, earthy and indulgent, announces itself before the plate touches the table.