I had wanted to visit the first branch of Egz when it opened in the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, and its second branch in the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem.
But I decided I had no more excuses once a third branch opened on Hamesila Park, the walking path along the old railway track in Jerusalem, close to where I live. All along Hamesila Park, about a dozen restaurants have set up small huts that resemble food trucks, since the construction of the light rail has taken over both Emek Refaim Street and the First Station.
The restaurants have small seating areas in front of them, and the atmosphere on a recent afternoon was quite pleasant as my husband and I headed to Egz for lunch. Located at the end of Hamesila Park, near the First Station, it has just a few stools in front.
An egg-filled menu
There are eight sandwiches on the menu, and all feature (you guessed it) eggs. But these sandwiches are about as far as you can get from a kosher Egg McMuffin.
The chain’s chef, Dafna Baruch, told me they did a year of research, which included a trip to Korea, before opening the first branch. “The concept is a Japanese omelet that comes inside of brioche bread, served with special drinks,” she explained. The Japanese omelet is fluffy and soft, and made in a special way, without any oil or fat, she added.
My husband, Cliff, who tried the classic Egz (NIS 39), made with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and green onions, pronounced it “delicious.” I don’t like onions, so I chose the truffle Egz (NIS 39) with cream cheese, truffle paste, and Parmesan cheese. Both omelets were sandwiched between two slices of toasted brioche.
Our server, Ziv, chef Baruch’s son, asked if he could surprise us with specialty drinks. Mine was an iced matcha with strawberry syrup (NIS 25); Cliff’s was a bright blue concoction of spirulina (a type of algae) with coconut (NIS 25), which was reminiscent of a piña colada. Both were quite refreshing, and we enjoyed the beautiful weather as we ate.
The only disappointment was that they were out of hash browns, which I had heard were amazing. “Two families came this morning and completely bought us out of hash browns,” Ziv apologized.
That just gave me an excuse to go back another time to try them. (I know, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.) So I returned on a Friday at 11:30 a.m. When I got there, Ziv told me they were about to close, as he had already run out of food. But, he said, there were hash browns, so I was glad that I had gone back.
You can buy three hash browns (NIS 15) or nine (NIS 39). Once you taste them, you will want to buy nine. The woman next to me bought 12 as a treat for her young kids. They are really more like freshly fried latkes than hash browns, and they come with a small tub of truffle cream cheese to dip them into. If you’re trying to lose weight, skip buying them, as they are seriously addictive. In fact, I’m sitting here right now trying to find a reason not to go get some.
- Egz on the Mesila
- Hamesila Park
- Hours: Sunday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.– 8:30 p.m.; Friday 8:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.
- Kashrut: Mehadrin
The writer was a guest of the food hut.