A worthwhile addition to the neighborhood, the café is a great meeting spot for locals and hotel guests to socialize and relax while enjoying coffee and a croissant.
By SHARON AHARONIA taste of Bukhara & Persia in Arnona(photo credit: Courtesy)
Improbably located in the heart of Arnona, in the middle of a quiet residential area, sits the Eden Hotel. Once a retirement home, it was converted into a hotel five years ago by owners Line and Yuval Jamshid.The three-star hotel’s 24 rooms are quite basic, but are spacious and bright and have all the necessary amenities.Eden’s continental breakfast has been available to the public for the past two years, and recently the Jamshids opened an onsite café.“When we opened the hotel, Jerusalem was booming. There were many festivals and events in the city, with many tourists attending. Since then, there has been a decline in tourism,” says Line.Following Operation Protective Edge and the wave of cancellations – though the holy city still plays host to myriad festivals – the couple needed an additional source of income. The vision for the café is first and foremost a place for hotel guests and neighborhood residents to enjoy a meal or work without having to head out to the city center; the Wi-Fi-equipped lobby is open to the public even after café hours. The eatery’s communal aspect is of key importance to the owners, with most produce purchased locally.Given their limited culinary experience, the pair enlisted the help of chef Natalie Schwartsman. She collaborated with Yuval to compile a dairy menu with Bukharan and Persian influences, coupled with hints of Asian cuisine (Schwartsman’s expertise). The menu also includes classic breakfast options, such as shakshuka and croissants. The café will be receiving a private kashrut certificate shortly.Café Eden has several seating areas throughout the lobby and a lovely garden. The design is simple but colorful, with brightly painted walls adorned with artwork by Yohanan Lakicevic, which is available for purchase. The lobby and garden double as a cultural hub, the setting for exhibitions, music events and qigong classes. With the opening of the café, Line plans to further its role as a local arts center.Lakicevic, who also designed the café’s logo, was in attendance at Friday’s opening event, along with local residents and the owners’ friends. The atmosphere was warm and familial as the Jamshids greeted guests and created a hospitable environment, further cultivated by the entire staff. With a jazz group performing in the garden, guests sampled offerings from the menu, as well as warm spiced wine.We were first served two types of Bukharan pastries. One was filled with squash and onions, and the other with eggplant puree. Both fillings were tasty, though the dough was on the dry side.Next was dushpare, a Bukharan soup with squash dumplings. The soup had a pleasant lemony flavor, but the dumplings could have used more filling.Then came khoresht qormeh sabzi, a Persian herb stew with beans served atop rice – a classic dish with a nice zesty kick. The tastiest dish for me was the rich African soup, comprised of lentils, tomatoes, peanut butter, chili and ginger. It was perfect for a rainy day.Some of the dishes were surprisingly unusual in flavor, while others were basics one would expect to find at an Israeli café. Aside from the tastiness of the food, the owners achieved their objective, as the real highlight was the cafe’s communal atmosphere.The dishes are reasonably priced. For NIS 20, one can enjoy a lovely bowl of soup with bread and butter.A worthwhile addition to the neighborhood, the café is a great meeting spot for locals and hotel guests to socialize and relax while enjoying coffee and a croissant.“We’re hopeful that tourists will return to Jerusalem and, of course, stop by Café Eden,” says Line. The writer was a guest of Café Eden.Kosher certification coming soon4 Giladi Street;(02) 672-4999
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