YYY - ISSUE 01 - UNLOCK THE CITY

Print is not dead, and neither is originality. Despite what the popularisation of AI may have you thinking, there is still value in human perspectives and genuine experiences. YYY is a monthly print publication that honours this sentiment. It was created by two friends from London who met in Tel Aviv and are passionate about exploring the city. In this pursuit, we decided to collect and archive our findings in this zine you are currently holding. We hope to share with you the cool things and people we discover. To bring light to the unsung heroes that make this city what it is, from miso tahina to funky nights that will get you two stepping. We want to encourage excitement and curiosity for the endless and ever changing treasures that Tel Aviv holds. This project originated as a response to an ongoing predicament we found ourselves in – this feeling that there are so many great fun and exciting things happening in this city yet we kept finding ourselves going to the same places, struggling to find these things in the moments we were looking for them. Tired of only feeling the echo of these great fun and exciting things, we decided to take initiative into our own hands, and scope them out for ourselves. This soon evolved into

the birth of YYY. Our hope is that it becomes a way to share and motivate the experiences we love as well as promote the abundance of talent in this city. We have also taken upon ourselves the very noble mission of trying out those more hidden gems that are hidden for good reason and in all honesty there have been some bumpy roads along the way. The journey of YYY has meant going to events that were better left unattended and eating food that was better left untouched (even if it is in the pursuit of discovering what the quirky fusion of two unusually matched cuisines would look like in the shape of a sandwich). The ambition of saving you all from trying tasteless dishes and going to dead DJ sets are not the only reason we’re doing this. Quite frankly we love how this project has forced us to explore the city, try new places, meet new people, eat out … a lot and all in all make us excited about this city. A few things you can expect to see: recommendations for food, music, events, fashion, interviews, articles... all based in Israel. All the things we recommend have been tried and tested by yours truly with the aim to promote what sparks joy for us. Now turn the page silly! Why are you still here ?!

We’ve started off with a cheeky little playlist. An eclectic mix of tunes that we feel give you a little insight into who we are, what we’re about and what influences us. Expect to see an equally banging playlist in every issue of YYY. You can listen to this whilst reading YYY, or when some sort of Israeli bureaucracy fails you and inevitably leaves you waiting around for an extended portion of your day. We don’t really care when you do it, but you definitely should give it a listen.

Gorilla Little Simz

KILL DEM Jamie XX

God is a DJ Faithless

Riding for a Fall John Holt

Feel Away ft. James Blake, Mount Kimbie Slowthai

Rear View Mirror (Raf Riley Remix) India Shan

GOOD SOUP

This place is simple but definitely not basic; it offers 9 different bagel flavours one of them being the leftovers of bagels made into more…bagels so there is no waste, as well as the often forgotten, but no less essential, ‘bagel holes’! You simply pick a bagel and then a combination of spreads from Nutella, tahina, to homemade marmalade, before it is seamlessly assembled In front of you. I stood there watching as he lathered the butter then the marmalade, adjusting my gaze between the scrumptious looking bagels and eclectic furniture, fundamental to any café in Florentin and I realised this was the real deal. In an almost perfect collision of fate, just as I walk in to this little bagel and coffee spot, a little girl also comes running up to the owner/baker/server/personality of the place (classic) and eagerly shows him a picture of a bagel she had constructed at homewith what looked to me like one of Bendod’s delicious poppy seed bagels she had then stuffed with salmon and cream cheese. I felt like I had in on a scene of the birth of what was about to be one of Florentine’s best new hangout spots. What came to follow validated this assumption almost immediately. As I asked the owner if he had five minutes to chat about my new favourite bagel spot in Tel Aviv it quickly became apparent that a local, neighbourhood gem was exactly what he was intending. He explained that he preferred face to face contact with customers so didn’t want to be posted all over Instagram. It was clear that this was, to its core, a neighbourhood spot just for the locals. As much as I loved being submerged by

the delicious smell of freshly-baked bread, I was in a rush, so I asked for a takeaway cup for my coffee. He quickly informed me they do not have any because they very much encourage their customers to sit down and enjoy the place with them. So I did. And gladly so.

For a Brit in Tel Aviv this place felt like the perfect marriage of Tel Aviv’s, neighbourhood coffee, forever repurposing space, whole-in-the-wall culture and the American Dream which is of course the concept of eating a bagel and coffee for breakfast every day. As I sat there, my cinnamon raisin bagel in hand, home to a perfect pairing of smooth butter and a homemade citrus marmalade, in lieu of the chilli marmalade which was another option but seemed simply too daring for my fifteen minute quick bite interval, ‘A Sunday Kind of Love’ by Etta James played and I felt that cosy feeling. The type of feeling when you finally get yourself into a café to escape the city, when London is pissing it down with rain. But minus the rain. I thought this is why, this is the reason we pay an absurd portion of our salary to live on a street where you will inevitably be woken up by the incessant and neverending racket of roadwork. It’s for this, this feeling which you can stumble upon anywhere in this city, a feeling which cities like London try so hard to recreate but in Tel Aviv comes so naturally. So the next time you find yourself stumbling around Florentin make sure you stumble into Bendod and pick up one.. or five of their delicious bagels but most importantly make sure you sit down, bring a book, a friend or your own company and enjoy.

Take a trip to Napoli, or the next best thing... Don Fintizi’s bi-monthly pizza pop-up at Hod Hamahat record store on Dizengoff. Every other Saturday Shay and Fintizi (some all-round cool dudes) will be hosting their delicious pizza night at one of our favourite record stores in Tel Aviv. The Pizza is Neapolitan style, and is served with some handy scissors so you know it’s legit. So don’t attend if you plan to disregard the scissors and cut your pizza anything short of a well executed 45 degree angle - as to not disrupt the perfect air pockets that make up the pizzas’ deliciously fluffy crusts (just like the nonnas do it!) The menu is small but boasts quality over quantity, just how we like it and exactly how Italian food should be. The speciality cocktail is a Limoncello Spritzer. It was delicious, very strong and we wish we could find it on more menus.

There were four pizzas which all looked delectable but the star of the show was the ‘sweet and spicy’, a sublime union of chilli, onions and grapes! Grapes on pizza is an elite combination we wish we knew sooner! Every pizza is served with chilli honey and if you don’t already put chilli honey on all your pizzas, you have some exciting times ahead of you. This faultless meal is all rounded up beautifully with nothing other than homemade

tiramisu and an Italian soundtrack, Bellissima. More than just the food, the vibes of this place were top notch. There are lots of great records to sift through whilst you wait for your pizza. From Rodriguez to Yusef Lateef to Erykah Badu this place has a great collection, which only makes the pizza taste better; as you can be comforted by the knowledge that the chefs were jamming to some good tunes whilst rolling out your dough. The people were also super fun - anyone who places a fat slice of tiramisu (without consent) in front of us after we just devoured two pizzas and a previous slice of tiramisu is considered great company in our books. However, if for some absurd reason limoncello spritzers, pizzas and tiramisu is not your thing, still make sure to hit up Hod Hamahat record store in general. Not only do they sell amazing records, serve fantastic coffee and spin marvellous sets, they often host cool events such as pop-up exhibitions or freestyle open mic nights. But if it is your thing and you don’t manage to make it to Napoli, then see you at the next Pizza Night! (Check their Instagram to know the exact date)

TEL ASTEEZ

STASHEE GREEN PANTS

Stashee is an Israeli-based online brand. Stashee speaks to a contemporary androgynous approach to fashion, using quality fabrics and focusing on sculptural silhouettes. We found the designer at the Teder Christmas Market back in December and were drawn to the effortlessly chic, laid back elegance and style that quintessentially reflects Tel Aviv’s energy. Give your wardrobe a winter refresh and check this brand out.

@stashee.co

KESH OFFICIAL UNOFFICIAL STORE TEE

Kesh is a local graphic-focussed streetwear label based on Nahalat Binyamin. Since rebranding a few months back they’ve been using their platform to collaborate with local creatives and friends like Young Heffner. The label also occasionally hosts intimate events in their shop to celebrate new drops. Go give these guys a look if you wanna fix up your Tel-Asteez and follow their Instagram to find out when the next drop is.