It’s not so easy to evoke the ambiance of a European-style boulangerie-patisserie in the middle of a bustling Israeli mall, but Biga does its best to bring Paris and Rome to us Mediterranean types.
Founded as a small bakery in Kiryat Tivon in 2014 and inspired by Parisian-style cafés with a focus on Italian sourdough (for which it was named), Biga has expanded to some 35 kosher locations around the country, mostly in malls (including Malha in Jerusalem), offering a dairy menu and artisanal baked goods.
It’s always been a step up from the Gregs and Caffits and other cookie-cutter dairy bistros that offer the usual assortment of salads, pastas, and quiches. The decor is slightly more upscale, and the branch we dined at, at the Rehovot Mall, was spacious.
Every Biga branch features a bakery section, offering an extensive assortment of cakes, desserts, cookies, and freshly baked pastries prepared on-site using a distinctive Italian baking method.
Variety is the key to Biga’s new summer menu, with an emphasis – for the first time – on vegan, gluten-free, and health-minded options more extensive than in most establishments.
Created by Biga’s head chef, Itay Spiegel, the offerings focus on sophisticated starters and rich main courses designed to be passed around the table
'More sharing, more variety'
“We are seeing a shift in how people enjoy eating and spending time together – more sharing, more variety, and greater openness to new flavors. This menu was designed precisely around those needs,” Spiegel said.
The menu has loads of offerings, reminiscent of the old-style American diners, where you can get breakfast at night, or mac and cheese in the morning.
Among the new breakfast items, along with all of the Israeli staples, are Florentine Brioche (NIS 65) – poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, French brioche, and a spinach, cream, and Swiss chard stew, served with a choice of personal salad.
Another item that stood out was the Green Shakshuka (NIS 68) – a creamy spinach and Swiss chard stew topped with two eggs, served with a personal salad and focaccia bread.
But we arrived in the middle of the afternoon and focused on the afternoon-evening menu, which offered a variety of starters and main dishes. And pass around we did.
Although the Sea Fish Cigar Rolls (NIS 48) – crispy pastry leaves filled with sea fish, herbs, and red onion – and Potatoes au Gratin (NIS 54), thinly layered potatoes baked with cream, nutmeg, Camembert, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, looked tempting, we chose two other starters:
Torn Pasta with Chestnuts and Truffle (NIS 58) – torn pasta sheets with butter, chestnuts, truffle, arugula, artichoke, and Parmesan – and Risotto à la Romana (NIS 62), creamy Arborio rice with butter, cream, artichoke, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, and roasted cherry tomatoes.
Both were not much smaller than the main courses, and, especially risotto made its way around the table of three in a hurry. It was on par with the best chef restaurants. The pasta was good, but unless you got a bite with the chestnuts and artichokes, it lacked a little zest.
For the main courses, we passed on the tempting Sea Bass Fillet with Truffle Fries (NIS 98) – stone-oven-baked white fish fillet served with garlic butter, lemon, and parsley sauce – and ordered the Pappardelle Lasagna with Cream and Spinach (NIS 65), wide pappardelle pasta layered with spinach and Swiss chard stew, garlic cream sauce, mozzarella, and oven-browned Parmesan, and the Salmon in Cream and Teriyaki Sauce (NIS 115), seared salmon served over a cream and teriyaki sauce with roasted mushrooms, green onion, and lemon zest, accompanied by spicy Asian cucumber salad and white rice.
They were both ample and tasty, but I found the chard and spinach dominating the other tastes in the lasagna. The salmon, while slightly overcooked, was delicious in the uncommon teriyaki and cream mix.
Although we didn’t sample them, among the new vegan dishes that looked worthwhile were the Vegan Broger Schnitzel Burger (NIS 64) – Crispy chicken-style vegan schnitzel in a hamburger bun served with American-style fries – and the Vegan Smash Burger (NIS 68), double vegan smash burger in a hamburger bun with melted vegan cheddar, also with fries.
Of course, there’s the usual array of salads, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, as well as the great fresh breads and desserts that the Biga name has become associated with over the years.
So, the next time you’re getting your phone fixed at the mall and you get a hankering for something to eat, but you’re not sure what, try Biga. Because there’ll be something for every palate, at affordable prices and with a pleasant vibe. And that’s not something that should be taken for granted in today’s fast-food environment.
Biga
Most Biga branches are in shopping malls.
Kashrut: Location-dependent:
• Tel Aviv (Sarona Market): Tel Aviv Rabbinate
• Many branches (Afula, Petah Tikva, Jerusalem): Kosher le’mehadrin
• Modi’in area (Shilat): Kosher le’mehadrin by Hevel Modi’in Rabbinate
• Some other locations operate in non-kosher complexes or stay open on Shabbat.
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.