Serafina: Discover the generous dishes from around the world

The Israeli branch of the global Italian restaurant chain Serafina is situated between Turkey (our former love) and Saudi Arabia (our future love). Alongside the Tel Aviv restaurant, there are branches in India, Japan, Puerto Rico, the United States, and, of course, Italy. There are only three restaurants in the boot-shaped country – all in the city of Padua, where Galileo resided (by the way, you'll find four restaurants in Turkey).

Proudly, the global chain boasts that all the who's who have eaten at the restaurant, including Trump and Clinton (not together), Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the Kardashians (who support Israel), and Gigi Hadid (who made false accusation about Israel). Founded by two Italian-American men who got lost at sea and miraculously survived – but that's a story for another time.

The good news is that from all the branches worldwide, you're fortunate to be close to the Israeli restaurant, for one main reason: the portions in Tel Aviv are significantly large and generous – pasta in the world is typically a medium-sized dish weighing 120 grams, but in Israel, pasta is considered a main dish, so it's sold in 200-gram portions; a personal pizza in New York is 28 cm in diameter, but at the restaurant in Israel, it's 32 cm. Israelis, it turns out, eat with their eyes and love abundance. So, how come everyone in Tel Aviv is so slim? An enigma.

Serafina is not just a beautiful restaurant; it's also exceptionally pleasant and welcoming. Its ceiling is high, its size impressive, the design warm with tones of wood, and on the central wall, there's a giant mosaic in the likeness of Sophia Loren. On one hand, Serafina is elegant and can host upscale guests; on the other hand, it's family-friendly, and you can feel comfortable even with noisy toddlers.

The restaurant also houses a pizza oven where the pizzas are baked; part of the pasta dough is prepared on-site – pappardelle, ravioli, and capelletti. The raw material costs of Italian food are significantly lower, but the rent and property tax in north Tel Aviv eat into profits. The result is a high cost of living and above-average prices: pizzas starting from NIS 76 (Margherita) to NIS 99 (Quattro Formaggi); pastas starting from 72 shekels (Tomato Fusilli) to NIS 118 (Black Truffle Mushrooms). Not cheap, but not prices that would make you think twice before ordering a meal. All in all, you'd pay more in almost any other restaurant.

The pizza is fantastic. Because of the kids, we chose something simpler – tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil leaves for the adults, thin dough with thick and crispy edges, excellent mozzarella, and generously abundant – sometimes, that's all you need to feel there's no comparison between them and the pizzas you order from the big chains. For pasta, we chose the Ragu Pappardelle (NIS 114) – ribs meat cooked long and generously portioned, with root vegetables in demi-glace (beef stock with Espagnole sauce), a quite heavy and quite tasty dish. In a first course we ordered, the roasted artichoke was placed with honor above the ricotta and below a mound of rocket leaves covering it up to the neck – a balanced and light dish, only slightly priced above the sum we should pay for it (NIS 58). In conclusion: perhaps there's no daring in portions, just going for the classic; on the other hand, there are no disappointments. Everything's fine, precise, tasty. Next year, after there's peace, we'll dine at the "Serafina" branch in Riyadh.

Serafina, Einstein St. 10, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, 03-6579080 (not kosher)

Four-star rating out of five