It was the eve of one of my many Israeli food dining experiences...my heart was beating...my tastebuds buzzing...I could already feel the hummus in my veins. This was also a very special occasion as my fellow fat monkey companion was going to Israel the following day! What great way to leave than having traditional middle eastern cuisine in Straya' mate.
Tavlin is a quaint little eatery located in Caulfield South, a suburb known for its famous Jewish food and culture. It is really is one of those hidden gems that you'd drive by and not have a second thought about and wonder why the place is always so packed out. You'd think that they're just old locals, but no sir...this time you are wrong! Little do you know that Tavlin rocks Urbanspoon at 92% with a sample size of 313 votes.
It's not a middle eastern dining experience without hummus, so we got the 6 dip platter served with two pieces of the middle eastern bread for only $25. I'll let the picture below speak for itself.
We ordered the following:
-Hummus (of course)
-Babaganoush (eggplant dip)
-Spicy tomato dip
-Sautéed beetroot
-Pickled Carrots
-Grilled Eggplant
Oh yeah and the bread of course- the dough was fresh, tasty and soft but crispy at the same time - Bellissimo!
Where to start? The hummus was the right kind of creamy, its texture was smooth and it was goddamn delicious. It wasn't like the hummus you get at the kebab shop which is almost like 100 raw garlic gloves being shoved into your mouth. No no, this time was more like a creamy roasted taste- I'm definitely coming back for more. The babaganoush was great too, eggplant is definitely another favourite fat monkey treat!
What was truly outstanding was the pickled carrot and grilled eggplant - both are fat monkey favourites and I can assure you there was a battle to end to secure the last piece of scrumptuous eggplant and carrot. The beetroot was okay and the spicy tomato dip was a winner for me, even though the other monkey wasn't too keen on it.
By the time we finished the dips and the bread, we were well on our way to being full, if not already there. We still had three meat skewers coming our way. These were chicken, lamb and beef. Each skewer had its own distinct flavour bursting with spices from the middle east. The chicken was cooked to perfection as was the lamb. The beef was slightly disappointing, perhaps because we got to it last and we were already quite full. I must praise the effort by which these were cooked because we were advised they would take 25 minutes to come out- crispy and soft delicious meat was the result. Unfortunately Two Fat Monkeys readers, I I didn't take any photos of the meat. Sometimes when a fat monkey eats too much his jeans get too tight and he can't access his phone. Please forgive me (jus this one time).
Summary
Overall I rate Tavlin highly and I'd definitely go back. It's probably not the place you take a girl/boy for a special romantic date but if you are after a good feed amongst local Israeli's who know their food then you just can't go past Tavlin. It's also great value for the quality and quantity of food you receive. Israeli cuisine in Melbourne is somewhat a rarity, so give this place a go especially if you want impress your special lady friend with a cuisine she has probably never experienced!
Fat Monkey Rating
Tavlin gets 4 Fat Monkeys out of 5.
Tavlin is a quaint little eatery located in Caulfield South, a suburb known for its famous Jewish food and culture. It is really is one of those hidden gems that you'd drive by and not have a second thought about and wonder why the place is always so packed out. You'd think that they're just old locals, but no sir...this time you are wrong! Little do you know that Tavlin rocks Urbanspoon at 92% with a sample size of 313 votes.
It's not a middle eastern dining experience without hummus, so we got the 6 dip platter served with two pieces of the middle eastern bread for only $25. I'll let the picture below speak for itself.
We ordered the following:
-Hummus (of course)
-Babaganoush (eggplant dip)
-Spicy tomato dip
-Sautéed beetroot
-Pickled Carrots
-Grilled Eggplant
Oh yeah and the bread of course- the dough was fresh, tasty and soft but crispy at the same time - Bellissimo!
Where to start? The hummus was the right kind of creamy, its texture was smooth and it was goddamn delicious. It wasn't like the hummus you get at the kebab shop which is almost like 100 raw garlic gloves being shoved into your mouth. No no, this time was more like a creamy roasted taste- I'm definitely coming back for more. The babaganoush was great too, eggplant is definitely another favourite fat monkey treat!
What was truly outstanding was the pickled carrot and grilled eggplant - both are fat monkey favourites and I can assure you there was a battle to end to secure the last piece of scrumptuous eggplant and carrot. The beetroot was okay and the spicy tomato dip was a winner for me, even though the other monkey wasn't too keen on it.
By the time we finished the dips and the bread, we were well on our way to being full, if not already there. We still had three meat skewers coming our way. These were chicken, lamb and beef. Each skewer had its own distinct flavour bursting with spices from the middle east. The chicken was cooked to perfection as was the lamb. The beef was slightly disappointing, perhaps because we got to it last and we were already quite full. I must praise the effort by which these were cooked because we were advised they would take 25 minutes to come out- crispy and soft delicious meat was the result. Unfortunately Two Fat Monkeys readers, I I didn't take any photos of the meat. Sometimes when a fat monkey eats too much his jeans get too tight and he can't access his phone. Please forgive me (jus this one time).
Summary
Overall I rate Tavlin highly and I'd definitely go back. It's probably not the place you take a girl/boy for a special romantic date but if you are after a good feed amongst local Israeli's who know their food then you just can't go past Tavlin. It's also great value for the quality and quantity of food you receive. Israeli cuisine in Melbourne is somewhat a rarity, so give this place a go especially if you want impress your special lady friend with a cuisine she has probably never experienced!
Fat Monkey Rating
Tavlin gets 4 Fat Monkeys out of 5.
