ever known to refuse an invitation for dinner Nir Zook impressed me. An Israeli teenager, who started work in restaurants at just thirteen years old, worked his way up the ladder, and now the proud and successful owner and chef of Cordelia Restaurant, in Jaffa, Tel Aviv.

Set in the old city of Jaffa, in an alleyway through the middle of a classically historic Middle Eastern building, Cordelia boasted antique styled furniture dating as far back to perhaps the 17^th century. Stunning solid wooden tables, every one different not just by shape and size, but exotic finishing touches on both legs and tops. Fine crystal goblets and gold plated dinnerware were displayed on table surfaces, bouquets of flowers laid out around the room, and large pear drop chandeliers gave a warm reaction from the guests. Everyone was happy and smiling, while some laughed, and others appeared radiant in this highly recommended restaurant. 

I personally felt like royalty, especially when the two waiters smiling, one male and one female came in black uniforms to take our order. Not certain what to take from the magnificent menu options we quickly decided that the ten course meal offered a complete selection of fine cuisine:

 1 – Appetizer a petite array of fancy dressed biscuits

 2 – Salmon flowers on swisschard & tartufu cream

 3 – Truffles tortellini in yolk dough

 4 – Whipped Salad 

 5 – Shrimp porcini

 6 – Grey mullet in celery cream

 7 – Smoked goose in port sauce

 8 – Zook goat cheese with walnuts and honey

 9 – Finely chopped melon fruit and figs cream

10 – Gormandize of finely assorted sweet delicacies

There were Russian guests, which isn’t surprising as many have immigrated to Israel since the end of the cold war. One refined gentleman, possibly a billionaire had three women sitting around the circular table by our side knocking back one vodka after another. They all drank it, but he must have consumed at least half a bottle during his meal. And then after lavish deserts and coffee, as a group they went on to finish it.

We sat by the enormous bell shaped windows that faced the bar across the alleyway. On the bar side, owned by Nir, as well, there was a wide patio between the pebbled driveway and the property that contained several high rise oblong and round tables surrounded by bar stalls. We couldn’t help notice two Asian gentlemen who were connected to the vodka guzzler, probably as chauffeur and personal bodyguards.

Our meals were incredible, and every course came at just right intervals. The portions were small, and I might have complained if the entrée arrived in a French restaurant, as I did once, but then the ten course meal we ate was superb cuisine. Each came with unique and tasty sauces fit for a king. They were cooked to perfection, and the atmosphere combined a distinguished classy ambient.

Nir, who had started the restaurant six years earlier, appeared to be early 30s. He told me he had worked a year in San Francisco, a further year in Paris, and most of his experience came from Herzliya, which is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, to the north of Tel Aviv. He frequented culinary school also for a year. No panache restaurants were mentioned, and as his first entrepreneurship, I had to hand it to him he had done superbly well. He even owned a third restaurant business called Noa bistro on the same block behind Cordelia.

Now you might ask how I would have known the Russian was a billionaire; well I can’t prove it and I’m guessing based on a gut reaction, but when I noticed one of his personal assistants hanging by the side of an idling, top of the range, black Mercedes, and the other in the distance guarding the group walking toward the apex of the old port it added to my sentiment.