Kanu Spring Rolls

One of the great things I remember about my time while living in Worcester, Massachusetts, was the amount of quality Vietnamese food available. Within a square mile radius of campus, there were at least five Vietnamese restaurants that served amazing food at a price any college student can afford. Having a bowl of pho had become something normal for me and it would soothe my soul if I was feeling sick or had a hangover. When I moved to Tel Aviv, I still would crave a steaming bowl of pho and some fresh spring rolls to satisfy my hunger cravings. I had just moved to the Florentine neighborhood and I found to my surprise Kanu Spring Rolls. Kanu markets itself as a restaurant serving Vietnamese street food. Their menu offers a variety of spring rolls, three types of pho, Vietnamese dumplings, stuffed baos, and Asian inspired salads. When I walked into Kanu, I assumed the spring rolls would be the same size as the ones I had eaten before back in the United States. Well, I was in for a huge surprise as the spring rolls at Kanu are at least three times larger than the typical Vietnamese spring roll. It was more like a spring roll burrito. For each type of spring roll, you get two rolls cut in half. Each roll is also served with a peanut sauce and a seasoned fish sauce on the side. The spring roll menu is divided into vegetarian, sirumi(imitation crab) filled, goose filled, and the interesting goat cheese filled spring roll. There is no bad decision if you are more into the vegetarian options. Each roll is filled to the brim with fresh vegetables and herbs. Dip your spring roll in the peanut sauce and you will be in food heaven. As for the seafood spring rolls, I would recommend the spicy sea roll or the surinami roll. The spicy niels or the royce rolls are my recommendations for the spring rolls with smoked goose. I will be honest, I have not tried the spring rolls with goat cheese. It is not that I do not like goat cheese, I just believe goat cheese does not belong in a spring roll. Depending on the spring roll you choose, you will be spending between 36 and 42 shekels for your spring roll. This is not bad considering you are getting two huge rolls which will easily satisfy your hunger. As for the pho Kanu serves, they serve a chicken, vegetarian, and the traditional beef pho. Each bowl of pho has bean sprouts, a variety of herbs, sliced onions, sliced chiles, and a lemon wedge. Both versions are delicious versions with one exception which would be the size of the noodles. The rice noodles they use are wider than I am used to but that is just a minor detail. The bowls of pho range in price from 49-54 shekels. If you are into bao sandwiches, the braised beef bao is a must try as well. On the whole, Kanu is a must try if you are looking for delicious, healthy, and affordable dining. If you do come when the restaurant is full be prepared to wait as it does take a while for the chefs to roll each spring roll. With that being said, Kanu is one of my favorite places in the Florentine neighborhood to eat and place to satisfy my cravings for pho and spring rolls. You can conveniently find Kanu at the corner of Florentine and Herzl Streets.

Address: 77 Herzl St, Tel Aviv
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11:00 AM-12:00 AM
            Friday 11:00 AM-5:00 PM
            Saturday: 5:00 PM- 12:00 PM