Shtroudl Restaurant at the German Colony in Haifa is an Arab
Fusion restaurant serving Arab and International food. The restaurant is
located on Ben Gurion street, a few blocks from the lower entrance of the Bahai
Gardens.
Shtroudl’s menu is quite diverse. A significant part of it
is Arab dishes, but also Italian and International with steaks, Salmon, lamb,
etc. The menu is quite amusing, with funny names
like “Spoiling Grandma” salad, “Smiling Earth”, and “Shrimp in love”. We picked
the most authentic plates we could find in the menu.
Starters
For starters we had Spoiling Grandma, Basha Eggplant, and
Saj Rolls.
Spoiling Grandmother
An especially original salad that contains tomatoes, purple
onion, Frika (wheat), chickpeas, roasted almond shreds, with chopped herbs such
as chives, mint and parsley. Above it, a nice pile of fried Labne balls. I don’t
know whose grandma is spoiling, but this salad certainly spoiled us – it was so
yummy!
Basha Eggplant
Oven roasted eggplant, served warm with Tahini, chickpeas on
a bedding of parsley – wonderful!
Saj Rolls
Dough rolls filled with chicken and onion seasoned with
Sumac on a bedding of watercress. This dish was the one my husband liked more,
if you like pita bread with chicken then and you are mostly to like it. But it
is much more interesting than the regular pita.
Mains
For mains, we had Sheik Al Mahshi and Shushbarak
Sheik Al Mahshi
Stuffed zucchini filled with beef served on Frika with a sprinkle
Goat Yoghurt. I love stuffed vegetables, it is very comforting food. The seasoning of the meat is rich with
cinnamon and the gentle sourness of the yoghurt merges well with it.
Shushbarak
An especially large plate of stuffed pastry filled with beef
in warm Yoghurt sauce served in a large wooden “boat” with a Kibbeh in the
center. The combination of flavors is very oriental with the cinnamon and
yoghurt, this was a bit overwhelming for me as I’m not a big fan of cinnamon in
my meat. I was taken by the Kibbeh which was my favorite! I think that next
time I’ll order the Kibbeh, which is seasoned a bit more internationally.
Kenafeh
A huge portion of beautiful Kenafeh, suitable for sharing
(even for 3 people). The Kenafeh arrived warm, covered with a generous layer of
green diced Pistachio and a vanilla ice-cream. This was one of the best Kenafehs
I had in my life (and living in the Middle East, believe me I have plenty). The
texture, and balance of sweetness and the crunchiness of the Kedeif noodles in
the Kanafeh was just perfect!
With the meal we had red Gamla wine, a hot apple cider with cubes
of apples and cinnamon, a Camomile infusion (served in a pot) and an espresso.
In summary, Shtroudl is a great restaurant, pleasant to sit
in, with tasty food made of fresh local ingredients. It provides an opportunity
to try food from the updated Arab kitchen. Don’t miss Spoiling Grandma salad,
the Kibbeh, and the Kedeif.
Shtroudl cooperates with the Colony Hotel Haifa, where you
can order room service from the restaurant. To read more about the hotel (a
unique Templar boutique hotel), read: Colony
Hotel Haifa. The restaurant also works with the local spa Colony G. Spa, and you can book spa
packages with meals at Shtroudl as well.
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