Green door pizza

This little gem of a pizza outlet is one of my fondest memories of Israel and the West Bank back in the early 1990s, knocking out perfectly delicious Arab-style pizza for just a few sheckles, and all in an authentic Muslim Quarter atmosphere. In other words, no frills - meaning no restaurant area to speak of, but a few plastic chairs dotted around a bare and messy waiting area, with an old telly permanently running at full volume and a few chilled drinks to help you pass the time while the master chef conjures up another wonderful offering. The kitchen and waiting area are, in fact, in the same room and so customers can watch in amazement as the dough is spun, flattened and flung, and toppings added to order, including the crowning glory - an egg cracked on top. The chef stands in a four-foot trench in the floor, doing his cookery on the floor itself. (In my day, he didn't bother with such luxuries as work surfaces, doing the business on bare concrete. But these days I'm informed he makes use of a marble work surface on casters.) Once the base and toppings are prepared, it's a simple matter to twist round and pop the pizza in the roaring oven, built as it is into the wall. I seem to recall the oven being fired by both scrap wood and old cardboard boxes, although this may have changed now. Whatever the technicalities, the result was always delicious. I've never tasted pizza to touch it anywhere else, including all the fancy global chains... A very welcome evening meal for those seeking a change to the endless felafel sandwiches. Sit there and tuck right in to the accompanyment of Arabic-language TV, and wash the lot down with super-sweet orange pop. Heaven. You'll find the place just through the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem, on your left, behind an unassuming green door. Walk slowly or you'll miss it.