Going with the flow at Conmigo - review

Many years ago, when I was in hi-tech, a group of amazingly talented developers wrote a brilliant application. Proud as peacocks, they demonstrated the project to the marketing group. The reaction of the marketers was a devastating “who needs that?” All the wind went out of the developers’ sails, and many months of expensive development was tossed. The take-home lesson was that you have to develop a product for your audience, not for your ego.

A conversation with chef Idan Elkayam at Conmigo Restaurant reminded me of this story. Because unlike the software developers, Elkayam has put aside the concept that he dreamed of, and developed a restaurant for his audience.

After many years as chef at Touro Restaurant and the wonderful La Guta Restaurant in Jerusalem, Elkayam opened his own establishment in Modi’in. This was not to be a restaurant, but an intimate venue for private events. The venue was beautifully designed, tablecloths were laid, centerpieces and elegant tableware were purchased.

And then came the coronavirus, and the venue was closed. No sooner was Elkayam able to reopen than Israel was at war. Celebrations were postponed, and the chef’s concept of a private events venue was not viable.

Undefeated

Elkayam was not to be defeated. Conmigo is located in the Ligad Center, a clean industrial park with tall office buildings filled with people who have to eat. So, Elkayam again changed his concept, and reopened Conmigo as a lunch restaurant with takeaway meals, quite a compromise for a professional chef.

The lunch menu is compact, with burgers starting at NIS 75. Fish and meat main courses are topped at NIS 100. Pasta and grain-based main course are in the NIS 80 range. Side dishes add another NIS 20-25.

Savvy lunchers recognized Elkayam’s talent, and soon he was opening a dinner menu. It started with a seven-course tasting menu with wine. The variety showed off the chef’s prowess, but at NIS 300 per diner, the audience was limited. Elkayam adjusted his concept again and developed a more pocketbook-friendly dinner menu with à la carte dishes from his beloved tasting menu.

Elkayam invited us to taste some of the dishes on the new dinner menu. This was such an enjoyable meal that even though we were the guests of the chef, we insisted on paying and, as always, left a healthy tip.

Elkayam’s specialty is meat preparation. He learned the various techniques on his post-army tour to South America. He is an expert at roasting, grilling, sous-vide, and smoking meats. That said, his versatility extends to fish and grain dishes as well.

OUR DINNER at Conmigo started with crusty and delicious sliced bread, served with eggplant and salsa dips. If the bread tastes like it is fresh from the oven, that is because it is. The baking process is completed when you order.

From the appetizer menu we chose the sliced goose breast on a bed of artichoke cream (NIS 69) and the Market salad with fresh vegetables laced with cut apples and a pleasant vinaigrette dressing (NIS 59). Both were very pleasing dishes, beautifully presented and, with the bread, a good way to start the meal.

For our main courses we chose fish and two vegetarian options. The salmon fillet (NIS 123) on the plancha was a very generous, thick slice of fish, flavored with pepper and nicely presented on a bed of black (wild) rice and vegetables.

It has been a long time since I have seen black rice on a menu, and it was a welcome change from the usual side dishes. Black rice has a higher nutritional value than white rice. It keeps its crunch and does not absorb the flavors of the fish.

The Risotto (NIS 85), a vegetarian main dish, was prepared with chestnuts and mushrooms in a creamy soy-based sauce, gently flavored with truffles. The menu also offers polenta (NIS 69), a corn-based grain, with the consistency of mashed potatoes but sweeter. In addition to the chestnuts, mushrooms, and again truffle sauce, the polenta was topped with peas, a nice touch. All the dishes were nicely presented and tasty.

The name Conmigo, inspired by Elkayam’s fond memories of South America, translates as “with friends.” You would certainly enjoy this restaurant with friends, but the restaurant holds its own even without the added company.

Conmigo

Ligad Center, 13 Hareches Boulevard, Modi’in

Phone: 052-808-1522

Kashrut: Modi’in Rabbinate

Open: Sunday-Thursday, 1 p.m.-10 p.m. Dinner from 6 p.m. Closed to the public Friday and Shabbat. Private events can be held on Friday and Motza’ei Shabbat.

The writer is the founder and CEO of eLuna.com, the premier English-language website for kosher restaurants in Israel.