Morduch (מוֺרְדוּךְ) was born and raised in Jerusalem. He was a restauranteur, but was reluctant when his own son Yitschak (יׅצְחָק) came to him with the idea of opening their own restaurant (מִסְעָדָה).  Yitschak, who had just been released from the army, inherited the love of cooking from his father and wished to open his own place. He eventually convinced his father to open a four table restaurant at the outskirts of their neighborhood, naming it “מוֺרְדוּךְ”.

Morduch’s family originated in Iraq, so when מוֺרְדוּךְ and his son opened the מִסְעָדָה in August 1982, they cooked their family delicacies: Iraqi food. They didn’t have a set menu (תַּפְרִיט), and cooked fresh food every day, trying new dishes according to the ingredients they bought at the nearby market. After years of trying recipes and learning their customers’ tastes, they built a תַּפְרִיט based, of course, on the Levantine cuisine.

Apparently “מוֺרְדוּךְ” customers really like kubbhe (קוּבֶּה). The restaurant menu consists four different dishes of kubbhe, a popular dish in Middle Eastern cuisine. Kubbhe is made of bulgur (cracked wheat) stuffed with ground meat, shaped into balls and cooked in rich broth of vegetables. On our visit to “מוֺרְדוּךְ”, we ordered the famous red kubbhe soup of the מִסְעָדָה: dough made from semolina, stuffed with ground beef, and cooked in a stew of tomato, beet and carrot, spiced with Middle Eastern spices. Yummy!

The food was delicious and the price was fair: 35 NIS for the red kubbhe soup; 12 NIS for a small bowl of homemade humus; 22 NIS for a dish of rice with bamiah. It wasn’t only the food we enjoyed, but the atmosphere as well; the waiters were friendly and the service was fast. 35 years after opening, “מוֺרְדוּךְ” restaurant has more than 4 tables now, but feels homely nonetheless. The aroma of cooking spread in the מִסְעָדָה, and the family pictures on the wall create a cozy atmosphere. Among religious mascots and lots of pictures of מוֺרְדוּךְ with famous orthodox rabbis, there are pictures of weddings and babies. There is also one picture of the kitchen from the first days of “מוֺרְדוּךְ” restaurant. מוֺרְדוּךְ is not among us anymore, but his grandchildren are working in the מִסְעָדָה now, helping their father. For מוֺרְדוּךְ and יׅצְחָק, family was always the top priority: the מִסְעָדָה is closed everyday at 17:00; leaving enough time for יׅצְחָק to spend with his five children.

You are welcome to visit the restaurant website – http://morduch.com/

And of course, the restaurant itself in 70 Agripas street, Jerusalem.

Opening hours:

Sunday – Thursday        8:00 – 17:00

Friday                               8:00 – an hour before Sabbath

Saturday                          closed

 

And if you want to cook kubbhe by yourself watch this video:

בְּתֵאָבוֹן (bon appetit)

 

Text vocabulary

Restaurant (feminine) = מִסְעָדָה

Good restaurant = מִסְעָדָה טוֺבָה

Famous restaurant = מִסְעָדָה מְפוּרְסֶמֶת

New restaurant = מִסְעָדָה חֲדָשָׁה

Old restaurant = מִסְעָדָה יְשָׁנָה

To open a restaurant = לׅפְתוֺחַ מִסְעָדָה

Yitschak wanted to open his own restaurant = יׅצְחָק רָצָה לׅפְתוֺחַ מִסְעָדָה מׅשֶׁלוֺ

“Morduch” restaurant is one of the most famous restaurants in Jerusalem =

מׅסְעֶדֶת מוֺרְדוּךְ הׅיא אַחַת הַמּׅסְעָדוֺת הַמְפוּרְסָמוֺת בּׅירוּשָׁלַיׅם

Menu (masculine) = תַּפְרִיט

Good menu = תַּפְרִיט טוֺב

New menu = תַּפְרִיט חָדָשׁ

Old menu = תַּפְרִיט יָשָׁן

This restaurant hasn’t had a menu at the beginning = לְמׅסְעָדָה זוֺ לֺא הָיָה תַּפְרׅיט בְּתְחׅילַת דַּרְכָּהּ

It is not easy to build a menu = זֶה לֺא פָּשׁוּט לְהַרְכּׅיב תַּפְרׅיט

It took time, but eventually they built a menu = זֶה לָקַח זְמָן אֲבָל בְּסוֹפוֹ שֶׁל דָּבָר הֵם הֶרְכּׅיבוּ תַּפְרׅיט

Kubbhe = קוּבֶּה

Tasty Kubbhe = קוּבֶּה טָעׅים

I love Kubbhe (male speaker) = אֲנׅי אוֺהֵב קוּבֶּה

I love Kubbhe (female speaker) =אֲנׅי אוֺהֶבֶת קוּבֶּה

“Morduch” restaurant serve four different dishes of Kubbhe =

מׅסְעֶדֶת מוֺרְדוּךְ מַגּׅישָׁה אַרְבָּעָה סוּגׅים שׁוֺנׅים שֶׁל קוּבֶּה

 

Keep Calm and Eat Kubbhe

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