Brioche Bistro Bar
Revisited October 2022
“I am in the restaurant business because I love people” says Talor Yifrach, owner of Brioche Bistro Bar in Jaffa.
eLuna.com has seen a great many restaurants come and go. I believe that loving people is the single most important quality of a restaurant owner. When I see an owner going from table to table to say a good word to each diner, I see a restaurant that is going to succeed. This is because restaurants are in the hospitality industry. Far too many restaurant owners think they are in the finance business.
Talor has traveled the world forging a trail of successful restaurants. There were two restaurants in Neve Tzedek. A kosher restaurant in Las Vegas, and others. Two years ago, he returned to his hometown Tel Aviv, and in the middle of the Corona crisis, opened Brioche Restaurant in a new, gentrified part of Jaffa.
 With his vision and sense of design Talor and his wife Eleena transformed the space that was originally a shoemaker shop, into the beautiful restaurant that it is. Flowers, painted murals and embellished decorative bicycles give the restaurant a charming European-style flare. The interior houses a shimmering bar with a rich selection. Table seating is curbside, open in the summer, enclosed in the winter.
Brioche is open more hours than it is closed. Stop in for coffee or one of the many breakfasts, from 7am. Nightcaps are served till midnight. The restaurant is under the kashrut supervision of Tzohar.
The dairy menu, in both Hebrew and English, is clear, easy to read, and beautifully designed. There is an extensive selection of fish and pasta dishes. All the foods are made in house, including the amazing desserts, supplied at most restaurants by a commercial bakery.
There is nothing commercial at Brioche. The restaurant prides itself on the high-end creative dishes, freshly made, and beautifully presented. Achieving this culinary level requires 3 chefs working throughout the day.
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The Seviche is a hot seller, but sorry, not for me. Call me old fashioned, but I like my fish cooked. We started with the skewered salmon coated with almond slivers served with Tzeziki and fresh vegetables. This was a big hit with my companion. For our mains we chose Sea Bass fillet and a pasta dish. The Sea Bass was served on a large platter with roasted root vegetables dotted with hot peppers. The pasta dish was described on the menu as noodles with chestnuts, but this is criminally understated. The delicious fresh pasta, made in house, had chestnuts and pesto woven throughout, and was topped with pine nuts. Though it was my companion’s choice, it was my favorite of all the dishes.
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Don’t leave Brioche without trying a dessert. “Do you like desserts in the chocolate family or lighter desserts” we were asked. Lighter for me, please. The dessert plus two excellent cups of coffee, Americana and Espresso with milk on the side, rounded off our meal. See "Dessert!" below.
Brioche Bistro Bar is on Sheerit Yisrael Street, just off Yerushalayim Boulevard, the main artery of Jaffa. If you haven’t been there in a while, you are in for a surprise. See below.
  Dessert!
Listed on the menu as "Surprise!" we had no idea what was coming till it came. We asked for a light dessert, and out came a charming tart that they called Passiflora (Passion fruit), but the flavor was very subtle. Talor kindly cut the pastry into quarters, a little ritual at the table, allowing bite-size pieces to share.
The pastries, at Brioche, are made in house.
The serving dishes are made specially for the restaurant. The design is made from real flowers embedded in the porcelain.
The pasiflora meringue tart was a lovely way to end a great meal. Recommended.
Yerushalayim Boulevard
If you haven’t been to Jaffa in a while, you are in for a surprise. Yerushalayim Boulevard is now a tree-lined pedestrian mall with walking and bike paths. The wholesalers have been replaced by retail shops. The Tel Aviv light rail, running the length of Yerushalayim Boulevard is about to open, bringing people from all over Gush Dan to this area.
A stylish new hotel, across from the restaurant and overlooking Yerushalayim Boulevard, will bring more traffic to Jaffa. All around, are spiffy new modern residential buildings. I don’t know if you would call this area ”up and coming” or “up and came.” Whichever, Talor, once again, is in the right place at the right time..
Location:
The restaurant is west of Blumfield Stadium. There is street parking in the evening and a pay parking lot in walking distance.The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
Events:
Brioche has a private room that can seat 35 guests. It is equiped with presentation technology.
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