Chakra, Jerusalem
Last night we had dinner at Chakra that serves up European influenced food. There is a comfortable homey feeling at Chakra. The kitchen is open behind the bar and could easily be a large kitchen in someones home. You can order an appetizer and a main course or even opt for the tapas tasting menu for the table any evening.
Sharing was not high on the list last night so we all ordered our own. Fred began with a grilled eggplant topped with olive oil, feta, tomatoes and black olives. Really good with a nice smoky flavor. The serving was 1/4 of an eggplant that was roasted down to a fine pulp.
I had the Syrian salad. Basically a Greek salad with an addition of avocados. This is one interpretation of the same salad that you see all over Jerusalem and I imagine Tel Aviv too.
Emily went with their version of a caprese salad. Sliced tomatoes and mozzarella doused with olive oil and dollops of finely chopped olives.
Josh and Jess had the special of the evening. Chopped tuna tartare served on crostinis with a handful of microgreens on top and a heavy hand of a spicy oil. Quite good.
For dinner, Josh opted for simple and classic calamari.
Emily went with the pounded grilled chicken breasts served over spaghetti.
Jess opted for the special which was shrimp and snow peas so an Asian influence here but with at least 10 garlic cloves in the dish. Not what she was expecting.
Fred and I went with two different whole fishes. Fred had the sea bream which he loved. Simply prepared with a mixture of herbs over the top.
I had the grouper which was not as good. Actually raw in the middle when they served it to me so I had to send it back. Not something I like doing.
We had two fantastic bottles of white wine from the Golan Heights where we are going in a few days.
We walked back to the hotel and called it a day.