About two years, give or take, after turning North Nahalat Binyamin into a legitimate slice of Madrid, the wonderful Vermuteria gets a smaller, nearby sister. As is the way of such places, she’s developed an independent personality and her own distinct presence. We didn’t expect otherwise.
The promise: Bar Vermini was created to realize the values of the veteran partners’ group led by Avi Kashi, Michael Gertofsky, and Omri Shemer—those being “warm hospitality and sexy small plates,” with a lot of respect for vermouth, spontaneity as a way of life, and a lovely obsession with standing and eating.
The bar, managed by Guy Factor, sanctifies Spanish culture, drawing inspiration from the streets of Barcelona, Valencia, and San Sebastián, and urges its visitors to let go—completely. From its perspective: Uno Mas. One more drink, one more bite, one more moment.
What else? The design by Dan Troim aims to blur the line between street and bar, between outside and inside, to combine elegance with bold lines, to try hard not to try hard, and to give guests just the starting point (which will likely be the impressive display fridge of bitters). From there, they trust the guests to know what to do next.
What’s on the menu? Gertofsky’s menu, with the hands of Nico Bankenaiser and Ido Lev, speaks Spanish and starts small. It includes a tuna tartlet with crème fraîche and caviar, fried zucchini flower stuffed with paella rice, crab meat croquettes, a milk bun serving as a shrimp roll, an octopus bocadillo, and the first-ever presentation of carabinero—a large, red, and tempting shrimp that will be served at the bar exclusively.
What’s to drink? Sparkling and slightly unusual wines, special cocktails, Spanish sherry, amaro, cold beer, and of course, lots of vermouth—as well as “Kalimotxo,” a cocktail bottled especially for Vermini as a homage to the Basque mix of cola and red wine, here in a bitter aperitif version based on raspberry and pomegranate eau de vie.
Bar Vermini, 20 Nahalat Binyamin, Tel Aviv, 053-4900434