Sometimes I get weird associations (be warned, my metaphors can be twisted). Like my visit to Iceberg, the renowned ice-cream place at Ben Yehuda in Tel Aviv, that made me think of a movie crime scene. Knocking on a metallic door and a gringo with a mustache asks who you are in a Spanish accent. When he finally opens he reveals a gorgeous castle with swimming pools and marble and at the center the fat bald guy with the cigar who's running everything with a remote and a pack of girls around him.
So what's the relation to Iceberg? Well, it seems like a cross between ice-cream place and coffee house. With orange plastic chairs outside and hardly visible couches inside.
There are all sorts of ice-cream flavors, nothing unique. But then you open the menu and there's the castle, only no fat guy: a vast selection of desserts, dozens of ice-cream brands, natural juices, coffee, coco and even entrees and main courses. A fairytale gingerbread city.
So how does it work? Iceberg, like any other coffee house, has dairy entrees and main courses. Moreover, although their specialty is sweets, the desserts are the real highlight. As recommended, we started with the salty crepe – a king of whole-wheat rolled tortilla served with mushrooms, spinach or yam. Each course is 32 nis – and we tried them all.
The mushrooms are the best, a real delight, and the spinach and yam take second and third places. Good, but not as much as the mushrooms. We also had the Iceberg chocolate (17 nis) – a thick coco with touches or orange (can be switched with mint or Piña Colada) and a melon pineapple smoothie on milk (20 nis).
And then we started with desserts. Oh, the Iceberg desserts. Like kids at a toy store, we didn't know where to start. So again we needed a recommendation. The ice-cream Krembo (there are a few kinds) is famous – a chocolate covered delicacy.
I had the Sambo – a lethal mix of bitter chocolate, banana, meringue and waffle crunch, all on a biscuit and covered with dark chocolate (29 nis). I was never there, but I'll bet they serve this in heaven. My friend has the Winter Kadaif – an ice-cream wafer of dates with whiskey covered with Kadaif and pistachio crunch (32 nis). Not as divine as the Krembo, but still amazing.
I wanted to tell you about others (Bungy, American waffle, Belgium waffle, mini pancakes, milkshakes and many more), but why should I? Go try them all, you will not regret it. Simply out of this world.
*The writer dined at the restaurant.
