The Khan

About

by Sybil Kaplan Photographs by Barry A. Kaplan The Khan Address - Orient Jerusalem Hotel 3 Emek Refaim Phone -02 569-9090 Hours - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Saturday Bar - 11 am. to 11:30 p.m. Kashrut - Rabbanut Yerushalayim Special Shabbat menu available The word Khan is Persian and refers to an inn built in a town for travelers. When the Orient Hotel opened in July 2017, the Khan lobby restaurant opened. You walk through the main lobby, around the spiral staircase, to the end and turn left into a breathtaking room. Two large, curtain-draped windows overlook the patio. On the opposite wall are mirrors and there is a mirrored bar at the end. There are mostly round tables with padded arm chairs in chartreuse and cream, seating a total of 80. Above you are white lace-looking chandeliers. Under your feet are soft carpets. Tables are set with silverware tucked into beige linen napkins; a flower in a vase adorns each table. The menu in a large folder shows 4 salads (NIS61-71 NIS); 2 soups (NIS45); 5 pastas (NIS63-68);7 specialties of Jerusalem (NIS35-95); two fish entrees (NIS135 and 140); 5 desserts. The separate wine list offers 9 cocktails; sparkling wines, champagne; white, rose and red wines; blends; and dessert wines. Given the hot weather, my companion quenched his thirst with a tonic; I decided to try the milkshake (NIS35) with vanilla chips and ice cream in a tall ice cream soda glass--totally dreamy. Our hostess was Daniella Seidman, restaurant manager, who received her training at Hadassah College when it offered a program in Service Management and Tourism. She previously worked in restaurants and hotels before coming to the Orient. She made sure every detail of our tastings was perfect. She was assisted by the waitress, Tair, who recently finished her active IDF service. The first item Daniella chose for us to sample was a real favorite of mine, Jerusalem Artichoke Soup (NIS45). Daniella pointed out it is made without any soup mix, just fresh vegetable