A little bit of Jerusalem

"Just a two-minute walk from the crowded city center, and you find yourself in another world."
Joan Weiner

The tranquil cafe at the Anna Ticho house, nestled on Harav Kook street just outside the hectic city center, has recently been refurbished. With a new management, the cafe now boasts an updated menu. 
 'Little Jerusalem' which has been in operation for almost six weeks, was officially opened with a cocktail party and dinner buffet last Sunday night. 
 Cafe operator Nava Bibi, former manager of the King David Hotel and other major hotels, says when she heard the Israel Museum - which runs the Ticho House, was looking for a new operator for the museum's ground floor cafe, she applied. "I always liked this place. To me, it's typical Jerusalem. That's why we named it 'Little Jerusalem'". 
 She brought with her Chef Rafi Blumenfeld, who also worked at the King David  Hotel. 
 The cafe is situated in the part of the building that used to be Dr. Avraham Albert Ticho's eye clinic. The Viennese ophthalmologist, who passed away in 1960, purchased the home together with his wife artist Anna Ticho in 1924. They lived in the house, she, painting and drawing her famous landscapes and portraits until her death in 1980. The couple had no children and bequeathed the building to the city of Jerusalem, which turned to be a museum. 
 The cafe's function room, with seating for up to 30, was at one time the doctor's operating suite and the clinic's original sign still hangs over the door. In warmer weather, an outdoor terrace holds up to 60 more people and the garden is availabe for functions of up to 300. 
 Bibi says many customers tell her they remember coming to the clinic as patients and recall Anna Ticho, who was very active in Jerusalem social life. Bibi's goal is to continue to provide an intimate meeting place and nearby escape from the city stress. 
 "Just a two-minute walk from the crowded city center, and you find yourself in another world. It's green and peaceful, and very rare to find such places in the middle of the city". 
 The cafe's updated menu, which is under Rabbinate supervision, features light dairy meals including salads, fish and an  assortment of cakes and pastries. Bibi says the cafe also plans to begin featuring weekly concerts. 

(Jerusalem Post)