ConMigo: A new chef restaurant in Modi’in - review

Walking into the beautifully designed ConMigo, with its blue walls and gray curtains in Modi’in’s industrial park, feels like entering someone’s living room. And that’s exactly what Chef Ido Elkayam wants you to feel. It’s quiet, with the music not too loud, and the tables spaced comfortably apart.

You don’t even need to decide what to order, as there is a prix-fixe menu for NIS 250, excluding drinks and service. The six courses are beautifully plated and served, and you will not leave hungry, I promise. ConMigo is mostly a private events venue, but once a week Chef Ido opens it to the public.

My youngest son Mishael recently had a birthday and since I had been abroad, I wanted to celebrate with him when I returned. Still jet lagged, I was lamenting my decision to shlep to Modi’in from Jerusalem, but the restaurant is right off Highway 443 and the traffic wasn’t bad, even on a Thursday night.

What's on the menu?

I am a big fan of tasting menus since it gives you a sense of the chef’s range of dishes. Chef Ido told me that he always asks if a restaurant has a tasting menu; if not, he creates his own by ordering several appetizers.

The meal opened with a warm challah and dips. The challah was fine but nothing special. Take my advice and go easy on the bread. I actually thought the meal would be fine without the bread at all, and I told Chef Ido this at the end of the meal. He responded that Israelis really like bread with a meal, and sometimes even ask for a second challah. So either skip the bread or just taste it, as there are far better dishes to come.

A word about the wine. The restaurant showcases Gvaot wine, which I think is one of Israel’s best wineries. There are five Gvaot wines on offer, all of which can be ordered by the glass or the bottle. I enjoyed a glass of Gvaot Petit Sirah Reserve with my meal.

Our first real course was a fish tartare made with mullet, which I don’t think I’ve ever had raw before. Here again, the personal nature of ConMigo came through for me. I don’t like raw onions, which was one of the ingredients of the tartare. Often, when I ask if I can get a dish without onions, I’m told that “It’s already mixed,” so I usually skip that course. Here, our friendly waitress Maayan checked and returned with a smile, saying “no problem.”

Chef Ido plates the dishes in the dining room and each dish is like a painting. This dish was refreshing and light and had a great combination of flavors.

NEXT WAS my son’s favorite dish of the night, slices of sirloin-cooked sous vide with a honey-mustard aioli. It was soft and juicy and overall delicious.

Next came a 200-gr. entrecote steak that was cooked a perfect medium rare.

“Anyone can cook a steak at home, but I’m looking for the spicing and the side dish,” said my budding 19-year-old food-critic son. In this case, the side dish was a tartine of potatoes and the spicing on the steak was perfect.

Here’s where things got difficult. Because I ate the bread (I know, rookie mistake), I was full by now and managed only a bite of the last course – pillowy gnocchi with smoked asado in a creamy mushroom sauce that did not taste pareve at all.

Then came the dessert. I promise you I intended to just take one bite as a service to my readers. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, especially if my trainer Nurit asks you how much of the dessert I ate. But this was one of the most delicious and unique desserts I’ve ever had – a pavlova with bright-green pistachio cream and a berry sauce. Somehow, my plate was quickly empty.

Chef Ido said that he can change the menu to accommodate allergies and can even offer an all-vegetarian menu if coordinated in advance.

Overall, a wonderful meal and worth the shlep to Modi’in.

The writer was a guest of the restaurant.