When an invitation to review Nina Bianca in Kiryat Ekron near Rehovot popped up in my inbox, I was delighted to accept. We have visited this dairy restaurant several times in the past and always thought it well worth the trip.
Not much has changed since our last visit. The same large space is divided into different seating areas; there is the same striking décor on the walls, which includes the lower part of a woman’s face and a collage of black metal cutlery on one wall.
On our last visit, about seven months ago, we were told that an English menu was on its way. It still hasn’t arrived. For anyone who doesn’t read Hebrew, there is help from the young and enthusiastic staff who all seem to speak impeccable English.
Has anything changed at Nina Bianca in seven months?
The business lunch costs the equivalent of two main courses, with focaccia and salads included. For example, a couple choosing fish shwarma (NIS 82) and pizza (NIS 75) would pay NIS 157 for a two-course meal for two.
We started our meal with hot homemade focaccia with four different salads. They were all very original and were created, it seemed, to pair different tastes that don’t normally go together. So we had fried squares of sweet potato with labane; smoked eggplant with crumbled feta; roasted courgette (zucchini) with house sauce (a spicy mayo); and very thin slices of beetroot with a sprinkling of Parmesan.
As my dining companion and I we were rather hungry after our long drive, we did justice to all the starters very respectably.
Before the main courses, we were also treated to some interesting appetizers. I loved the roasted cabbage with tehina, as the vegetable was very buttery.
We also sampled fish shwarma from some unidentified white fish; and bruschetta with fish – a slice of toast with baked fish – possibly sea bass – with purple sweet onion. Everything was good, as expected.
Before we got to our main course, another dish appeared – tortellini filled with leek in a butter sauce, with a delicious cheese tuile perched on the top.
At this point in our banquet, we met chef Yaniv Amira, who came over to say hello. We were happy to have the chance to congratulate him on his very creative and tasty food.
For a main course, I chose Cacio et Pepe pizza, a classic Italian dish made from cheese (cacio) and pepper (pepe), minus the tomato sauce base of conventional pizza. The crust was nicely thin and crispy, and the topping superb. I intended to eat one piece and take the rest home but couldn’t resist the cheesy topping and polished it all off. My companion had grilled sea bass, which was very fresh, snowy white, and cooked perfectly. It was covered in red pepper and greenery and was a work of art, as well as tasting great.
Our shared dessert was a wedge of cheesecake. The top was mainly fresh cream with a bit of cheese in there somewhere. Mouth-wateringly delicious (NIS 57).
To complement this great meal, I had a glass of Chardonnay, ice cold and pungent (NIS 42). My companion drank his now-regular draught beer.
We said our goodbyes and returned home with (very) full stomachs and confirmation that Nina Bianca continues to be a very good restaurant.
- Nina Bianca
- 9 Bussy Saint George Street, Kiryat Ekron
- Phone: (09) 948-0080
- Sunday-Thursday, noon-11:30 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, 6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Kashrut: Local rabbinate
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.