Bertie

Opened in 2011, the bustling Bertie restaurant serves up a range of beautifully cooked Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes in a relaxed, informal setting in downtown Tel Aviv.

The menu takes in plenty of fish and seafood from the Mediterranean, in dishes such as sea bass on burghul and vine leaves or grilled fresh calamari with hummus cram and roasted eggplant, while the pasta and pastries section features delights such as sambusak filled with lamb, chili, and preserved lemons.

The accompanying wine list is succinct but well chosen and intelligently arranged, and has clearly been put together with the spices and herbs of the food in mind.

There are picks of aromatic whites and Mediterranean reds that “pair well with our menu” and which include Ecker Grüner Veltliner from Wagram, Austria and JL Chave Côtes du Rhône Réserve, while a “surprising” section ranges from Château Lagrézette Malbec Pourpré Cahors to Tenuta della Terre Nerre Etna Bianco from Sicily.