OPENING SOON
The long-time project of Imad Alarnab who fled Syria is 2015 and came to London, Imad's Syrian Kitchen's first permanent site joins fashionable joints such as The Good Egg and Shoryu Ramen at Soho's fashionable Kingly Court. Alarnab previously owned and ran a number of restaurants in Damascus but by 2014, the city had become so war-torn that his small restaurant empire was destroyed. Since leaving Syria, he has spent his time cooking for hundreds of refugees in Calais and running a series of pop-ups in London. However, Imad's Syrian Kitchen is Alarnab's first bricks-and-mortar site in the UK and first new opening full stop for over half a decade.
The restaurant, based on the top floor of the bustling Kingly Court development, the bright restaurant isn't an overly formal affair. The space features a number of wooden tables and chairs spread around, while the black beams above add a bit of character, and the plain white walls play host to a number of photos of Alarnab's past. The odd section of patterned tiling and the colourful dishes that the food comes served in bring a touch of Damascus to Imad's Syrian Kitchen.
In terms of the food offering at the restaurant, the menu consists of an array of Syrian mezze dishes designed to be shared. Expect classic Middle Eastern dishes such as hummus and Alarnab's famous falafel, as well as other plates such as crispy baby aubergine stuffed with lamb and a watermelon, halloumi & za’atar salad. In terms of drinks, there will be a range of soft drinks on offer as well as wine by both the bottle and glass. £1 from every bill at Imad's Syrian Kitchen will also be donated to Choose Love, a refugee charity, meaning that everyone eating here will be helping a worthy cause.