What a fun book! The recipes are easy to follow, the photos are stunning and the selection is superb. There are lots of Israeli and Middle Eastern recipes guaranteed to please everyone. Lots of vegetable recipes too.

Loved reading all the recipes which were mouth wateringly described and really helped conjure the spirit of the Middle East. I know that Limor Chen's Delamina restaurants are famous for serving amazing dishes designed to transport you her homeland of Tel Aviv, and the book itself did just that!

Flavorful and nourishing is how I would describe this book. I learned about new to me spices and how to utilize them properly. I really enjoyed the photos, you almost want to lick the page. I really enjoyed reading this cookbook, and yes I do read them. The recipes are wonderful and the stories as well.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Coming to this, one question was prominent in my mind – just how many recipes for shakshuka would we get? It is, after all, in all recipe books these days, seemingly by law. Anyway, what we have is not strictly Tel Aviv cuisine, as there probably isn't such a thing these days, so cosmopolitan and diverse it is. But our Iranian/Israeli creative, who has two restaurants in London to her name, is giving us all her family favourites, and what can be converted from her kitchens to ours.

And BAM there it is – the very first recipe. Shakshuka. We get to see the pattern of this right from the get-go – an introduction to each dish, the recipe done well and a full-page image – or at least one image for two dishes. And I would also point to something else we see immediately – generosity. Anything called an omelette in this initial dips/spreads and breakfast items chapter is just loaded with ingredients, looking less eggy than a frittata normally would.

But that might just be the photography – everything here bursts with colour, and eating a rainbow is not going to be an issue whatsoever on this evidence. An autumn salad of caramelised butternut squash, green beans and goat's cheese can become the Indian flag if you make the right pattern with the pumpkin seeds that add to the texture. We get things that are counter-intuitive, too, from Iranian stews (based on that country's politics towards anything Israel) to a peanut and Bailey's parfait.

But what is not done generously is the verbiage – yes sometimes the preambles are a touch too "I found this recipe when…" but I didn't find anything excessive, and the cuisine needs this kind of introduction, to my eyes. However we're not over-burdened with education, substitutes galore and advice, leaving me thinking this will be a charm for anybody above basic competence and with a decent source for the required ingredients. You do get a fair few dishes that require access to some berries I'd never heard of, dried limes etc, but hardly any dishes require a second page of text – even if one of them, for stuffed vine leaves – would prefer you to have the rarity of minced venison on tap.

Covering everything from fishy mains to smoothies, from cakes to crispy veggie sides, this is not a Jewish cookbook – there is no single reference that I saw to anything being kosher or otherwise. This is a modern, spice-laden variant of the Mediterranean diet, with touches such as rose water and orange blossom joining forces with the big hitters like aubergines to make something perhaps a touch more hard to define than some national cuisines. This author really seems to have aced the pinning of it down, however, and this could well have been my cookbook of 2023.

This is a table I would love to be invited to. These recipes are so wonderfully spiced. Each recipe was more interesting than the previous. The spices! Not necessarily spicy but definitely spiced. And unique (to me) ingredients! I had never heard of dried limes!

The pictures are phenomenal! Now I will say some of the ingredients may not be readily available at your local piggly wiggly but that’s what the internet is for!

This is a lovely collection of recipes from Tel Aviv. It includes recipes from Limor Chen's culture and provides detailed instructions on creating the diverse recipes rooted in the Delamina restaurant.

Tel Aviv is a beautiful city, and sun-soaked is a great way to describe it. I remember the many cafes and restaurants that line the streets from when I visited, and we ate at a few of them and it absolutely blew my mind how good the food was. So naturally, I got very excited about this book.

The author starts off by describing her connection to Tel Aviv, and her family’s history. Her mother’s family was from Israel, with roots in Eastern Europe, and her father emigrated from Iran, so there was quite the combination of cultural influence in her family’s cooking. Ultimately, her love for cooking led her and her husband to open several restaurants highlighting the kind of foods that are featured in this book. In addition, her mother focused on natural foods and healthy eating, so it became an ingrained habit, and Chen passes that on in these recipes.

After explaining how to use this book, and some of the more common ingredients, Chen divides the book into chapters such as brunch and dips, vegetables and salads, hero dishes and sharing plates, sweet things, drinks, and cupboard essentials (which includes spreads and preserves). Something I noticed very quickly was that none of the recipes involved any advanced techniques, so they are all perfect for someone who isn’t a professional chef, but isn’t quite a beginner in the kitchen.

Chen’s devotion to healthy and fresh foods shines through in all of her recipes. The ingredient lists are often long, but most of the items are herbs and spices. Some of the ingredients require a trip to a specialty store, such as a Middle Eastern shop, to obtain, but so many of the recipes sounded (and looked) delicious. Each recipe has a stunning photograph to accompany it, which was greatly appreciated, as I am the kind of person who likes to know what a recipe is supposed to look like when preparing it. I bookmarked a lot of these recipes, and will definitely be making plenty of them in the near future.

This is a beautifully put together cookery book. It's the perfect combination of well crafted recipes, stunning photography and personal accounts of the culture and food of Israel by author Limor Chen who grew up there.

I've tried several of the recipes and they have all worked well. They have the great advantage of being easy to follow with not too many ingredients and also ones easy to source in the UK.

Many recipes will become regular favourites of mine such as Crispy Cabbage & Onions with Toasted Pine Nuts & Za'atar and Sumac Yogurt.

What a beautiful book filled with delicious, traditional Mediterranean recipes. The pictures are stunning and reflect the beauty of the land and the culture. I was thrilled to have an advanced copy through NetGalley and will hopefully buy the hardcover edition when published. Whether used a a recipe guide or a coffee table book, this book is a gem.

Anyone who has visited Tel Aviv and sampled the incredible food will want to pick up a copy of the excellent cookbook, My Tel Aviv Table: A journey of flavours and aromas from a sun-soaked city, by Limor Chen, who, with her husband, Amir, founded the Delamina Restaurant Group in London. Not only has Chen put her cooking expertise in menus at her restaurants, she has done an excellent job of capturing the ambience of Israeli food in this cookbook.

The featured dishes in this cookbook are very appealing; there is something for everyone here from dips to salads, to main dishes, to sides, and desserts. The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand. Each recipe also has comments from the author at the beginning of each recipe, with hints, history, vignettes, or information geared to helping make each recipe a successful endeavor for cooks of all levels – beginning to advanced. Many of the recipes have minimal ingredients, although some have a longer list, but are definitely worth it.

One of the best attributes to this cookbook is that there are gorgeous, professional photographs of almost every recipe. They make the book fun to read, and also allow cooks to see what the finished dishes should look like. This can also make it impossible to decide just what to make next. Every time readers look through this beautiful cookbook their queue of “must make” dishes will grow longer.

All told, anyone who loves Middle Eastern food will benefit from owning this great cookbook. It will make a good addition to any cookbook shelf.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This is a beautiful cookbook with gorgeous photos and easy-to-follow recipes. Great for fans of Middle Eastern and Israeli food. There's even a chapter on drinks, in addition to snacks, mains, fish, and more.

A beautifully photographed cookbook, Mediterranean recipes I can’t wait to try and the best part they look easy to follow.Loved the essays learning about Tel Aviv the people the food the spirit.#netgalley #watkins

I love Israeli food and couldn’t wait to try the recipes. They’re great. And the photography is stunning. Highly recommended

I love Middle East cookery and this was an excellent book to learn more about it. Loved the illustrations and appreciated the book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an outstanding cook book. I thought it would be similar to other middle eastern cook books that I have, but this is a definite must buy for me when it's published. Some recipes, even simple dishes such as Labneh, use a better approach than my other cook books for preparation. Beautifully illustrated, the recipes are very well described and it's nice to have the commentary on the background to the dishes as well as descriptions of some of the rarer ingredients (barberries, dried limes, etc.).

The recipes themselves are a nice balance of brunch type things, veggie, fish, finally meats. The balance is definitely appealing. Reading it has inspired me to have more brunches going forward.

A must read, must buy. Excellent.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Tel Aviv Table is an absolutely beautiful cookbook. The photography is stunning and the recipes delicious. I'm a big fan of Israeli food and I can't wait to cook more from this book, but what I have tried has been excellent.

I will say that this won't be one of my everyday cookbooks just due to some of the ingredients not being things I necessarily keep on hand at home, but that certainly doesn't apply to everyone!

The perfect word to describe My Tel Aviv is mouthwatering. Page after page of recipes that I wanted to try straight away! Like Limor Chen's mother I am from Eastern Europe. My country has been under the influence of various historical powers but when it comes to food, I feel we took a lot from Turkish cuisine, but we also have some Greek influences. To add to this, I have lived in various countries, in particular Italy and we've been frequenting a lot of Turkish, Arab restaurants. Therefore many of this recipes were in many ways familiar to me, or reminded me of good times. So really, going through the pages of this book infused me with nostalgia, but in positive, heartwarming way!
How many time did I eat Aubergine Dip? Or Stuffed Vine Leaves? Or kataifi? But despite that, Chen managed to add something new to each one, making me want to try it her way!

My Tel Aviv Table by Limor Chen is absolutely stunning.

Starting with her Israeli family roots, Chen takes us on a journey through a host of amazing dishes. Starting with brunch and dips, then onto veg and salads, sharing and hero dishes and finishing with sweet treats and drinks. The descriptions and pictures add to the quality of the recipes. This feels like Ottolenghi for the family (with more manageable ingredient lists and instructions).

I am genuinely excited about this book and I don’t doubt it will be a kitchen staple.

Thanks to Netgalley and Watkins Books for an ARC.

Lovely cookery book with beautiful photos of Tel Aviv. The recipes are all.explained clearly, with photos of every dish. There are a lot of colourful and interesting vegetable dishes., that can be made fairly easily.
Recommended.