J Cafe in Sukumvit 20 is a great introduction to Mediterranean, Middle eastern and vegetarian Kosher food. Its part bakery part restaurant and as they say – “The Only Kosher med Café, Bakery & shop in Bangkok!” If you are not familiar with Kosher food, it can be otherwise considered as food pertaining to Jewish or Israeli culture. Kosher foods are those that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of kashrut, primarily derived from Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Food that may be consumed according to halakha is termed kosher in English. You will also find many vegetarian and vegan meals in this restaurant as well. The chef, having a Moroccan background adds a twist to Israeli food. Bringing his own flair and unique influence to the menu. All the breads are baked by J Cafe at an offsite bakery.
J Cafe also has a small grocery shop for all foods Jewish! If you are after something Kosher or just curious to try something different, ask for some help at the counter.
Balkan Toast
This is a lovely dense, seeded bread that is generous and indulgent with the sesame seeds on it’s exterior. It contains Bulgarian and Emek cheese, roasted capsicum and pesto and served with a side salad including pickles. It’s a home made bread, hence how that can create that unique density.. Overall it’s delicious and fulfilling, and quite satisfying as well.
Bourekas Pinukim
Israel’s love affair with the Turkish burek continues. Its popularity lies in its flexibility, the ability to throw ingredients together and fill your Bourekas has you please. Generally it is a filo pastry stuffed with savoury filling, and in our case it was stuffed with boiled egg, pickle, eggplant, tomato, tahini and served with tomato salsa. The pastry was golden brown and quite delicious, just as much as it does in the photo. This is a very filling dish perhaps unsurprisingly considering the pastry used and the contents of the Bourekas
Sabich sandwich
Wow – talk about a stuffed sandwich! This is the Sabich sandwich, its ingredients are based on a traditional Shabbat (Saturday Sabbath) breakfast of Iraq. On the Sabbath, when no cooking is allowed, Iraqi Jews ate a cold meal of precooked fried eggplant, boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs.Eggplants would be cooked the night before, alongside the main meal for the following day. Sabich is sold in many businesses throughout Israel, and has now found its way to Bangkok. It’s always super tasty, often vegetarian and mostly healthy.
Hummus Msabbaha
J Cafe also demonstrated their talent with Hummus, in particular we enjoyed the Hummus Msabbaha. This is a slight variation on a traditional Hummus where the main difference between msabbaha and hummus is the texture. In contrast with hummus, the chickpeas here remain whole. It has a lovely smooth taste and is far from plain or boring. the whole chickpeas sit in a bowl of pureed hummus, with a tahini oil as well. We thoroughly recommend this in order to start the meal.
J Cafe Conclusion
If you’re unfamiliar with Jewish Kosher food this is a great introduction into the world of Kosher. With the chef being Israeli and his father Moroccan Jewish, you can be assured of a variation of unique flavours blending with traditional Israeli fare. Expand your horizons and go explore this relatively unknown cuisine!
Website – www.jcafekosher.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/jcafesukhumvit20
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