Cinnamon bun cake
Place: Malla, Ein Kshatot, Natur, Golan
When: Sunday, late afternoon
Environment: Malla is (yet another) coffee cart. This one is situated at the end of the parking lot at a popular tourist spot in the Golan. Picnic tables, concrete tables, and benches are spaced generously around the area. It’s a hot spot, but there are trees and umbrellas for shade. Classic Israeli rock music played over speakers. The food was served on environment-friendly glassware and metal trays. It was nice that despite the outdoor situation, there were no disposables to contend with. It was pretty close to closing time at the site by the time I got there, but there were still one or two tables of people and a few others showed up.
My Order: Iced coffee (NIS 16); feta and caramelized onion sandwich (NIS 38); cinnamon bun slice (NIS 28).
The low-down: Despite the ice and milk, the coffee was pretty good and wasn’t watered down. Perhaps it was roasted a tad too far on the dark side. And the cinnamon bun cake actually elicited a sound of approval on first bite. It was warm and sweet and cinnamony and had a sugar crunch. It was served with a slice of orange which at first glance seemed weird, but after one bite made sense. Their sandwich was served on lightly toasted bread for a little crunch. The filling was strong on caramelized onion and salty from the feta cheese. It had nuts inside, which also gave a crunch, alongside a little earthiness from the zaatar. In all, the sandwich was a hit. And altogether, Malla offered an interesting and flavorful assortment that was a refreshing change from the other food trucks out there.
Feta and caramelized onion sandwich
Who else was there: A dude in swimshorts, a gray t-shirt, sandals, and khaki baseball hat showed up, carrying a guitar in a case. He placed his order to go.
He was out enjoying nature and Golan springs for the day with his girlfriend, who was waiting in the car. They were hanging out under the eucalyptus trees, playing and singing, swimming, and just enjoying their time together. And sure, they packed a travel coffee set and snacks. But between stops, sometimes it’s nice to pay someone else to do it for you, no matter how “down to earth” you are.
