December 2024
You may not know Chef Idan Elkayam by name, but you know his cooking. For ten years he was the chef at Jerusalem's Touro restaurant and the wonderful La Guta Restaurant of yore. Finally stepping out on his own, he opened Conmigo, as a boutique venue for private events. He set up a beautifully designed space with color, cloth-covered tables, high end tableware, centerpieces, etc.
Then came Corona and Conmigo was closed. Chef Elkayam readjusted his vision and became a personal chef. Just as things started looking up, Israel went to war and once again Chef Elkayam had to adjust his vision.
On our first meeting with Chef Elkayam we met a bewildered chef trying to find direction. He was determined to pursue the private events concept, but realized that it was not sustainable in a time of war. This was the moment that many restaurants closed. To his credit, Chef Elkayam found new ways to make it work.
To stay afloat, Chef Elkayam offered the office workers in the Ligad Center a compact and reasonably priced lunch menu. The quality of Chef Elkayam's food was acclaimed by the lunchers, and soon he was opening a dinner menu. It started with a 7-course tasting menu offered only for dinner. The variety showed off the chef's prowess. But at 300 shekels per diner. the audience was limited. Again Chef Elkayam bent his concept and developed a dinner menu with dishes from the tasting menu available a la carte.
The chef invited us to taste dishes from the new dinner menu. We were pleased to discover this gem of a restaurant in the far corner of the Ligad Center just steps from the rear parking lot. This is a cozy restaurant, with about 50 seats, elegant, and beautifully designed. Tables are set with alternating black and white tablecloths and quality tableware. Many restaurateurs don't use tablecloths, as they signal an expensive menu. Not so at Conmigo. There is a variety of dishes in different prices and the menu is no more expensive than most quality restaurants.
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Our dinner at Conmigo started with a plate of crusty and delicious sliced bread served with eggplant and salsa dips. There were just enough pieces of bread for the dips, while saving your appetite for the dishes to come.
From the appetizer menu we chose the sliced goose breast on a bed of artichoke cream and the Market salad with fresh vegetables laced with cut apples and a pleasant vinaigrette dressing. Chef Elkayam is a master of meat. The goose breast proved that from the start. Both appetizers were very pleasing dishes, beautifully presented and with the bread, a good way to start the meal.
The Chef speciallizes in meat dishes. He is an expert at roasting, grilling, sous vide, and smoking meats. At this visit we experienced his versatility in dishes other than meat. For our main courses we chose fish and two vegetarian options. The salmon fillet prepared on the Plancha, was a very generous thick slice of fish, flavored with pepper and nicely presented on a bed of black (wild) rice and vegetables. The black rice was a welcome change from the usual side dishes. Black rice takes longer to cook and is more of a "patchka" than other side dishes. But it has a higher nutritional value than white rice. It keeps its crunch and does not absorb the flavors of the fish.
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The Risotto, a vegetarian main dish, was prepared with chestnuts and mushrooms in a creamy soy-based sauce, gently flavored with truffles. We also tried the Polenta, a corn-based grain, with the consistency of mashed potatoes but sweeter. In addition to the chestnuts, mushrooms, and again truffle sauce, the polenta was topped with peas, a nice touch.
All the dishes were nicely presented and tasty.
The name Conmigo translates as “with friends.” You would certainly enjoy this restaurant with friends but the restaurant holds its own, even without the added company.
Note that the restaurant currently has three menus: the lunch menu, the 7-course tasting menu, and the a la carte dinner menu. The lunch dishes start at NIS 85. The average cost for dinner for two comes in at NIS 300. Ask about the 7-course tasting menu.
In addition the restaurant offers menus for private events. Contact the restaurant for details.
The parking lot at the rear of the Ligad Center brings you closest to the restaurant.
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From the Menu:
Bread with 2 dips NIS 28
Market salad NIS 59
Sliced goose breast NIS 69
Polenta NIS
69
Smoked Asado NIS 132
Fillet salmon on black rice NIS 123
300 gram grilled Entrecote steak NIS 165
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