When a restaurant keeps popping up on your Facebook feed, it’s often a sign that you should try it. Maalya, which means abundance in Aramaic, isn’t easy to find, but it’s worth the effort. Even after my favorite daughter and I arrived at the location in Park Kramim, Kiryat Anavim, we had some trouble finding the restaurant – and then couldn’t find the entrance.
Eventually, we succeeded, and I’m glad we did. Maalya is a relatively new chef restaurant just outside Jerusalem. Moti Yosef, one of the partners, said they opened in August after spending last summer training the staff.
Then happened and, like many other restaurants, they closed – as much of their staff was called up. Eight months later, one of the partners, a brigadier general, is still in Gaza, as is his son, but that’s another story. “Our concept is a chef-style with the flavors of Spain, France, Portugal, and Morocco,” Moti told me.
The décor of Maalya is modern with an impressive bar near the entrance. My favorite daughter and I decided to start our dinner with a cocktail – she ordered a Jerusalem Spring from the cocktail menu, and I asked bartender Yuval to surprise me. I received an electric blue concoction made with blue curaçao, that I enjoyed very much.
Hers was elderflower and lavender on a gin base. All cocktails are NIS 52 and pack quite a punch. For appetizers, my daughter chose the (NIS 72), and I went with cigars made with sweetbreads (NIS 88).
I’ve yet to meet a cigar I don.