"Trabajando en restauración en Barcelona, me dije que tenemos mucho en común y que si esto triunfa en España también puede hacerlo aquí. Aunque muchos no lo coman, el jamón gusta sobre todo en Tel Aviv", afirma.

Tel Aviv, símbolo del pluralismo y secularismo (en contraste con la más religiosa y santa Jerusalén), no duerme de noche. Decenas de fiestas en centenares de pubs y discotecas todos los días de la semana, donde la sensualidad es la marca de la casa. En todas. Por eso, tiene más mérito el éxito de 'La Champa'.

Dos de sus asiduos son Leticia y Tomer. Ella es una madrileña de pura cepa que se enamoró hace unos años del israelí Tomer en la Universidad Europea de Madrid. Ambos arquitectos decidieron probar fortuna en Israel, donde han abierto una oficina. "Me vine para tres meses y llevo aquí un año. Aunque en los telediarios no se vea o no lo quieran enseñar, aquí la vida es muy agradable. La marcha de noche de Tel Aviv es alucinante", explica Leticia, reconociendo que aun no se ha acostumbrado a la impaciencia crónica de los israelíes.

Para ella, no es ninguna sorpresa el éxito de 'La Champa': "En España el tapeo triunfa, ¿por qué no va a triunfar aquí si lo hacen bien y sirven un buen cava y tapas? Esta calle está que explota, siempre llena de gente y vida." Una amiga suya, Shimrit, añade: "Antes de que me emborrache y diga tonterías, quería decirte que nosotros sólo queremos salir y pasarlo bien. Claro que es una forma de escape a la tensión en el entorno pero, a fin de cuentas, es alcohol, comida y música".

Cerca de Tomer y Leticia, y separados por decenas de jóvenes y una bufanda del Barça, está Daniel Kolbar, un israelí que también vivió unos años en España. "Este lugar me trae buenos recuerdos. Los dos países tenemos en común que nos gusta la vida, pasarlo bien. Nosotros quizás por los problemas y conflictos que hay nos gusta salir más y de forma más intensa. Lo unico que me da rabia es que en España, país que admiro, siempre hablan de forma negativa de Israel", opina antes de abordar un pedazo de jamón español. "A mi me gusta mucho", dice.

With Barcelona having become one of the hot travel destinations for young Israelis, it was only a matter of time before Tel Aviv acquired its first Catalan bar. La Champa, located on the intersection of trendy Rothschild Ave. and Nahalat Binyamin, fits the bill nicely, bringing the best of Catalan food and drink to the discriminating tastebuds of Tel-Aviv revelers.

Walking into La Champa, the first thing you hear over the sound of the music and conversation is the popping of effervescence-propelled corks - a sound that sets a festive mood all by itself. The main attraction of the establishment is its exclusive brand of Cava, a type of sparkling wine produced mainly in the Penedès region of Catalonia, Spain.

Like its French cousin champagne, Cava can be only be made in six wine regions, using only the traditional method and only a select species of grapes. The name Cava comes from the Latin word for "cave," since caves were traditionally used for the preservation and aging of wine thanks to their constant, slightly chilly temperature and high humidity levels.

"We went to Barcelona to find the best Cava we could find. After endless tasting we chose a wonderful winery named Vallformosa, a family-owned business that has been producing Cava since 1865," says co-owner and manager Guy Shevach.

La Champa is the first Casa de Cava (Cava house) in Israel. It is difficult to define what exactly a Cava-bar is, since it doesn't fall into any familiar categories. It isn't a restaurant, since the place has no seating or waiters, and it isn't a bar, because the only drink served is Cava. The place has the ambience of a pub, with background music and dim lighting - but without the pretensions of a typical Tel-Aviv nightspot. The small establishment is tastefully decorated, with a natural wood bar attached to the surrounding walls, wine barrels adding to the rustic décor and the trademark Catalonian donkey painted on the wall.

"The concept is actually very simple," says Shevach. "You have to get over the unfamiliarity and just enjoy the fact that this is a place which serves excellent food and drink and gives you the opportunity to mingle within a friendly and informal environment."

The inspiration for bringing this unique establishment to Tel-Aviv came from seeing the success of similar places in Spain. "Everybody who has been to Barcelona and has gone to the Cava-bar said somebody should open a place like that in Israel. We decided to go for it, and within a few months we opened La Champa," relates co-owner Avihu Kirmayer.

Both Guy and Avihu come from Israel's own wine region, the towns of Zichron Ya'acov and Binyamina at the foothills of the Carmel Mountains.

Much of La Champa's menu is designed with the Cava in mind, such as its excellent, bite-sized tapas.

"The idea behind our menu comes from the culinary concept called 'degustation' which means a careful, appreciative tasting of various foods," explains Shevach. "We recommend that with every bottle of Cava the customer order one or two tapas."

La Champa is also a carnivore's fantasy, with a display of assorted meats, all of them said to be specially imported or else produced in Israel exclusively for La Champa. Grilled orders are filled by La Champa's own line of hamburgers and sausages prepared by chef Ellen Talmor.

If meat isn't your thing, La Champa also has a wonderful selection of cheeses, olives, and cooked dishes such as patatas bravas (cooked potatoes in a zesty red sauce) and homemade croquettes (deep-fried snacks made from breaded potatoes with a variety of fillings).

Two types of homemade truffles satisfy patrons' sweet teeth.

All the items at La Champa can be bought by the gram as take away.

Prices are reasonable, with the Cava going from NIS 60 to NIS 125 per bottle, or NIS 15-17 per glass; and the tapas range between NIS 6 and 22.

Don't bother calling for reservations, since La Champa has no seating.