Imad's Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus

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In some he spoke about the 65 days he spent living in Calais, holding on to the underside of lorries trying to get to the UK. But the beating heart of this cookbook is the saga of Alarnab’s escape … Anyone who wants to know what it means to be a refugee will be staggered by Alarnab’s harrowing account. Alongside delicious recipes, Imad will share the unforgettable details of how he came to settle in London, as well as the story of his home country, Syria. Throughout, the recipes are simple and straightforward, with almost all the ingredients obtainable in your local supermarket. Imad now runs an acclaimed restaurant in London, which was named GQ’s ‘Best Breakthrough Restaurant 2022’.

Imad Alarnab is a Syrian chef, entrepreneur, and refugee who ran three successful restaurants, several juice bars and cafes in Damascus. 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. We sit down with Mathew Carver and Patrick McGuigan, authors of ‘The Cheese Life’, to discuss the obsession with the ingredient and try some delicious British cheeses. 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’. Interspersed with the recipes is the story of how he came to London – a tale that mirrors that of so many desperate refugees seeking asylum here.Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). 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. The book's design and illustrations evoke warmth, paired with appealing food styling and photos of Alarnab in his kitchen. Kingsley Court boasts a number of ethnic restaurants, some so popular that tables need to be booked weeks ahead.

To serve, ladle into bowls and top with cream or mozzarella and chives, and serve with toasted pitta bread. He burst onto the London restaurant scene four years ago with a series of charity events which became hugely popular. In 2015, chef and restaurateur Alarnab fled his home in war-torn Syria and began his perilous journey to the UK. After enduring a three-month journey to the UK, leaving his wife, three daughters and a restaurant in Damascus, he found cooking for 400 people provided a taste of home and a reminder of who he was.Important: Your debit or credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. 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.