Imad's Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus

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Imad tells in his introduction that he always took his life for granted – as we all tend to do – until it was taken from him. I nearly ate a whole cauliflower on my own and was stopped in my tracks only by the thought of the indigestion that might follow. Alarnab would go on to open the London restaurant that gives the book its name in 2021, but upon arriving in the city as an undocumented migrant in 2015, he found work in a car wash, where he also slept at night. Since then I have eaten a field full of roast cauliflower in every permutation and didn’t really need anymore. By some turns of good fortune and enormous resilience, he rebuilt his life and that of his family, and opened an excellent restaurant where diners can enjoy his Syrian menu.

This week, restaurateur Imad Alarnab joins Markus Hippi to talk about his new cookbook, ‘Imad’s Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus to London’. In running towards the bomb – he was attempting to find the taxi where he expected to find his slaughtered family – he raised the suspicion of the security forces who arrested him on suspicion of being the bomber. How he didn’t want to carry a knife and appear dangerous so he broke the vegetables up with his hands, and how a local Calais resident had been annoyed with them fishing close by, until one day Imad offered him some of the dish he had made with the fish, and from then on, he allowed Imad and his friends to charge their phones at his house.Situated in Kingsley Court, Carnaby Street, the restaurant is in the heart of vibrant London, where counter-culture has been the rage for decades. The collection features recipes suited to gathering and sharing: marinated lamb shoulder roasted with abundant garlic; spiced rice with shrimp; a large tray of baklava. Plus: Leon Foo, co-founder of Singapore-based coffee-capsule company Morning, tells us about the brand’s mission.

The publisher said: “ Imad’s Syrian Kitchen will be a personal collection of more than 100 delicious and imaginative recipes that will welcome everyone into the home kitchen of a celebrated Syrian chef. Alarnab has told his story many times before​​ to journalists and on TV, but this is the first time he’s really been given the space to explain the whole saga: from his life as a restaurateur in Damascus to being forced to flee and journey through Europe to the UK; navigating the UK’s long and debilitating immigration process; his fight to bring his family to the UK from Syria; opening his first restaurant in London; and, finally, reflecting on what it means to be a refugee today’s world. In a tall, large pot, heat the olive oil over a medium heat, then add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute. A celebration of flavours, the recipes are all accessible, straightforward and completely unforgettable.

Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I remembered some of Imad’s words from another article saying “In Syria we don’t ask ‘what do you want to eat? Expect delicious and colourful mezzes, hearty mains, a killer wine list and warm Syrian hospitality. From Imad: “From the traditional dishes that my mother first taught me to cook, to the imaginative food that has become my own, my recipes tell my story.

Imad opened his much-anticipated restaurant in London in May 2021, which was named GQ's "Best Breakthrough Restaurant" in 2022. Making his way from Lebanon through Europe, Imad shared his skills cooking for other refugees, up to 400 at a time.It involves so much waiting, unable to do anything, completely at the mercy of a constantly changing series of people who mostly don’t seem to care. If you have already submitted another request to index a book or magazine yourself, please do not make any additional requests until you have indexed and submitted that book or magazine. Making his way from Lebanon through Europe, Imad shared his skills cooking for other refugees, up to 400 at a time, and found even in the most challenging times, his passion for food and bringing people together to celebrate life was strong. Like many refugees, he worked a variety of jobs before he began cooking pop-up dinners for UNICEF, catering, and ultimately opening a restaurant and reuniting with his family.