Mealtime: Giraffe Noodle Bar

Being American, I am used to having an array of options when dining out for Asian cuisine. Here in Tel Aviv, there are a few Sushi restaurants, traditional Chinese take out, and the modern interpretation of Asian cuisine. One of these modern interpretations of Asian cuisine can be found at Giraffe Noodle Bar. Located in Tel Aviv on Ibn Gavirol, Giraffe Noodle Bar has a wide variety of menu items that take influence from India, Southeast Asia, Japan, and China. With a wide variety of menu items,  I am sure that if you are fussy when it comes to your food you will be able to find something you like. I went to investigate the selection at Giraffe with a friend of mine and her sister. For a starter, we ordered shrimp spring rolls that were served with romaine lettuce leaves and mint leaves for wrapping. The shrimp spring rolls were served with a sweet chili sauce. The spring rolls were in fried just right. They were crispy and were not oily which was key. For the main dish, I decided to order the black noodles with seafood, my friend ordered the Kashmir chicken, and her sister ordered the pad thai. The black noodles came with shrimp, calamari, fried garlic, chili, scallion, and lemon on the side for if you wanted to add it into the dish. The noodles were the black because they use the ink from the squid to make the noodles the color black. Overall, it was a good dish, even though there was a very strong taste of almost burnt garlic. The lemon wedge brightened the flavors in the dish and made it quite delightful. The Kashmir chicken  my friend ordered was a mild chicken curry served with white rice. The Kashmir chicken is a perfect curry dish for those people who enjoy curry, but cannot take the heat from overly spicy curry. It contained some heat, but it was on the whole a mild heat. The pad thai my friend's sister ordered reminded me of the version I get at my local Thai take out back in the States. It was a non threatening version of the popular Thai noodle dish. For price range, Giraffe is a great find because most of the menu items are less than 60 shekels, which for dining out in Tel Aviv is very reasonable. If you love delivery, Giraffe has you covered if you live within their range. If you live in the city center, Giraffe has you covered. I highly suggest checking out Giraffe if you are looking for a modern twist to the typical Asian restaurant with a reasonable price. Enjoy!