Chef Kobi Kahlon has opened Rehov Yerushalmi (“Jerusalem Street”), a mehadrin kosher cafe in the Ein Hemed forest just outside Jerusalem, with a menu built as a culinary tour of the city’s neighborhoods.
Locals know Kahlon as “Livna’s son.” His mother, Livna, was celebrated chef Shalom Kadosh 'right hand', and Kahlon grew up alongside her in the world of fine dining.
The cafe is a green, quiet hideaway in the middle of the forest, a surprise even for those who think they know every hidden spot around Jerusalem.
The menu brings the city’s different communities together on one table. Diners can start with a “Rehavia” breakfast, then move to the Old City’s eshtanur and a kubaneh, a slow-baked Yemenite bread, named for Jaffa Gate. There is Georgian khachapuri, cheese-filled bread topped with a sunny-side-up egg, and a beet dish named for Emek Refaim. Other stops include Ein Kerem, the Bukharan market and a Mount Zion burrata.
