Shtsupak, Ben Yehuda 256, Tel Aviv. Tel: 03 5441973. The "in" place these days. Crowded, super-simple, and with service so rapid that you won't have time to enjoy a bottle of wine, but with fish that are always fresh and tabbouleh, ikra, fried eggplant and matjas herring that are commercial but tasty. Best bet for a beverage is the ice-cold Goldstar beer. Forget the desserts.

Barbounia, Ben Yehuda 163 and 192, Tel Aviv. Tel: 03 5276965. The first Tel Aviv restaurant to feature such meals, and now in two locations, these very popular eateries feature meals that start off with eggplant in mayonnaise, tchina, matboucha, coleslaw, celery in mayonnaise and lemon and tabbouleh. The shrimps in garlic, lemon and butter sauce, the fried calamaris and the fried red mullets are all good.

Sea Bar, Yirmiahu 30, Tel Aviv. Tel: 03 5467077. More formal than most of the restaurants in this category, meals here start off with humous, tchina, fried eggplant, feta cheese sprinkled over with za'atar and matjas herring. The shrimps in white wine, garlic and butter, the small sea bass, and others of the fried or grilled fish are fresh and tasty and the sauces have a nice touch of sophistication. Try the tarte tatin for dessert.

Jacko: HaDekalim 12, Haifa. Tel: 04 866-8813. This super-simple eatery has been charming clients in Haifa for about 15 years. Stay with the simple things of life here. The baby fried squid, the large grilled shrimps in their shells, the deep fried red mullets, and any of the grilled or fried fish can make for a lovely meal, especially when accompanied by cold beer.

Denise Kingdom: At the Fish Hatchery, Lagoon Area, Eilat. Teo: (07) 637-9898.A fixed price fish restaurant with a great gimmick, for this is the fish farm where they raise Denise and Sea Bass, so you are guaranteed that the fish you are eating came out of the water literally minutes before they were prepared for you. The opening salads (cabbage, sweet and hot peppers, tchina, eggplant, etc) are standard but acceptable, the fish are cooked to perfection (my own favorites are first deep-fried and then finished on the grill), and the mahlabi served for dessert is great fun. Commercial but pleasant, with excellent service. Before or after your meal you can also opt for a tour of the fish hatchery which makes this an especially appealing place to visit with children. Open daily 12:00 - 23:00. Reasonable to Moderate. Kosher.

Sea Bass: Rehov Yehuda HaLevy 11, Tel Aviv. Tel: (03) 510-0635.Pleasant simplicity is the modus operandi of the ambiance in this basically fixed-price fish restaurant at which the price of your meal is determined by the fish or main course you select. Don't forget, however, ask the waitress about the specials of the day. My own most recent meal opened with the standard meze ,a variety of dishes the very best of which included a tantalizing tomato salad with coriander and garlic; zucchini with soya; a crisply fresh salad of finely chopped fresh herbs, green onions and celery; grilled sweet garlic cloves made fascinating by the addition of soya and Japanese mirin; and a salad of sweet peppers and eggplant. What makes the meze special was the well thought-out combination of sweet and sour, hot and mild, crisp and soft and bitter and salty. To add to my pleasure, a large green salad with crisp bread crutons and a mustard vinaigrette was served. The desserts, a French style apple pie and a creme brulee are far better in fact than once hopes for in most fixed-price restaurants. The service is excellent and the wine list, although minimal has some good offerings at reasonable prices. Open daily 12:00 - 24:00. Prices are reasonable - moderate.

© Daniel Rogov