Happicerie, esconced in Netanya’s Piano Shopping Center, is many places under one roof. Its name, Happicerie, appears to be a neologism formed from “happy” and “epicerie” (“grocery” in French).
On the premises are two totally separate kitchens, one for dairy and one for meat.
In the morning, it’s a café serving Israeli breakfasts and other original dishes created by resident chef Sean Bar-David.
At mid-day, it turns into a meat deli, serving grilled chicken, moussaka, and pasta, and offering takeaway.
In the evening, it changes yet again into a tapas bar, serving cocktails. Among other items, it also serves a menu of fish specialties.
More than just a neighborhood café
We decided we would sample the breakfast and leave the choice of dishes to our hosts. We sat out on the terrace, enjoying the warm spring sunshine and the two cappuccinos with which we initiated this culinary adventure.
The first dish to arrive was an avocado salad on toasted whole-grain bread, topped with a mountain of grated Parmesan and a perfectly poached egg. The avocado spread was bright green and lemony from juice that kept its color perfect. The blend of fresh buttered toast, the avocado, and cheese was successful in the extreme (NIS 58).
The Caesar salad, which came next, was also original, with home-made croutons and mustard in the vinaigrette (NIS 54).
Finally, in the savory category, we received a plate of home-made stuffed vine leaves on a bed of tzatziki, all very well-spiced and tasty.
While tzatziki, made from Greek yoghurt, cucumber, and herbs, is not much to my taste, I found this version definitely palatable. For my companion, however, I think it is second only to his other food passion, lamb in all its forms. (NIS 48).
When it was time for dessert, our very helpful waiter, Yonah, brought us a dish of French toast, garnished with blueberries, and served with the options of honey and jam, alongside a very large amount of fresh whipped cream. (NIS 62). This dish, together with another two excellent cappuccinos, brought to an end this very enjoyable meal.
Great marks, too, for an English menu almost free of misspellings.
Happicerie
Shoshana Damari 10
Piano Shopping Center
Netanya
Phone: (09) 9708888
Hours (morning menu): Sun-Thurs, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Kashrut: Netanya Rabbinate
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.