Cafe Ella

About

69 Rav Herzog Phone - 02 579 4414 Hours: Sunday through Thursday - 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday evening - 1 hour after Shabbat ends to 11:30 p.m. Kashrut - Rabbinut Yerushalayim Ella is the 14 1/2-year-old daughter of Avichai Van Levin, Jerusalem-born owner of the restaurant named for her. Van Levin previously owned a restaurant in Efrat for eight years and was around other food businesses and has had a strong interest in food for many years. A glassed-in balcony seats 20 at round tables; a wall of glass windows separates it from the main room, which has attractive lace curtains across the windows, at seating level, to provide privacy for both sides. The main room seats 25; shelves to the ceiling decorate the back wall; a service area and a showcase with cakes are in front; the kitchen is to the right. After various changes in his life and a few years wondering what he was going to do, Van Levin was out for a walk one day and realized, "I like making people happy and I know what I know how to do." A store, which was formerly a health food store and, before that, a grocery store, sat empty in the neighborhood where he lived and he began to imagine, "people cozy, in a warm atmosphere." He contacted the real estate agent and rented the space. He worked with an architect to design it, and January 2012, Ella opened, off Tchernikowski, near the strip shopping center. On the menu are 9 choices of "Breakfasts," ranging from NIS22 to NIS62, with a few to be shared by two people and one large "Chef's Morning." There are 9 "Starting on the right foot," offerings such as bruschetta, spreads, focaccia and soup and salad, ranging from NIS34 TO NIS43. Three soups are available each day at NIS34, served with the house bread. On the evening we visited, my companion tried the Moroccan harira, a favorite for those who like beans, with chick peas and lentils, flavored with lemon juice, cumin, parsley and cilantro. He found it to be very tasty. My preference was