Certain events remind us that life is a process, change can beget betterment and that we may very well be heading toward cosmic harmony. One can feel that way when an longstanding institution makes a major sea change, and that’s just the way we felt when hearing that Jan’s Tea House now has a Teudat Kashrut.  Was it possible that that indefinably exotic lair, for years the ideal place to linger over mulled wine while splayed on Oriental carpets and pillows, could open its ambience to a Kosher crowd?
The answer, happily, is yes.
Formerly located in picturesque Ein Karem and currently tucked under the Jerusalem Theater, entering Jan’s is to enter another age. It is a hushed carpeted sanctuary, vividly decorated with hangings and a lively assortment of acquisitions,. While you can choose to sit at small bistro tables, the real pull of Jan’s are the pillow-encircled floor-level tables ranged around the restaurant.The message is clear: lounge, enjoy and allow yourself to feel that you are in a totally other time and place.
Jan’s menu, like its setting, can be highly mood-inducing. They are famous for their hot mulled wine with fruit, and hot spiked apple cider, passports to bliss..
Soups, such as an excellent Spinach and Roquefort and Cream of Onion, are rich and comforting.The house bread, encrusted with nuts and laced with black beer, was delicious, inducing an instant sense of well-being.
On the whole, the cuisine at Jan’s aims toward the natural and earthy. The menu favors salads and grain-based entrees, with an attempt at eclecticism. Kattora Salad arrived with sautéed pistachio and citrus fruits. Curry Pot was a melange of rice, onions, raisins, apples, nuts and coconut. There is a heavy emphasis on cheeses- in soups, in salads such Salad with Kashkeval and entrees such as Baked Mushrooms stuffed with Onion and Roquefort; Sweet Potato, Almonds and Cheese. There is also a popular pizza -like dish called the Shiralelah, cooked in a taboun, which is covered with pesto, roasted vegetables and three types of cheeses.
We have since learned that a new menu is also in the process of evolution, which will introduce pastas and other Italian-influenced dishes to the roster. The new menu will hopefully preserve the current dessert list, which includes such luscious options as Forest Fruits with Ice Cream and Nut Cookies, and Ice Cream-filled Puffs with Warm Chocolate and Nuts.
Jan’s provides an intimate and unusual backdrop to romantic rendezvous,to family dinners and to friendly gatherings of every stripe, adding just the right touch of the exotic.
More than an eatery, it is an experience and one that Jerusalemites have appreciated for more than 35 years. If you haven’t yet, it’s now your time to savor the experience.
Appetizers/Salads 20-36 shekels. Soups 28-32 shekels, Entrees 45-60 shekels. Desserts 25-29. Special Hot Drinks 15-25.
|