Restaurateur who fled war in Syria serves up Damascus delights at his capital pop-up

A refugee restaurateur whose business in Syria was destroyed in the war is teaming up with London’s fast-rising young talents to create a pop-up Levantine dining room in the West End.

Imad Alarnab fled Damascus in 2015 and walked, hitched-hiked, cycled and took trains across Europe to London. He will be creating the authentic Syrian dishes for which he was renowned.

The pop-up, part of the Standard’s London Food Month and hosted by Store Studios, 180 The Strand, began yesterday with a Sunday brunch to celebrate the end of Ramadan, and will continue until Friday.

The event is the latest in the Cook for Syria fundraising initiative set up by Serena Guen of SUITCASE Magazine and food instagrammer Clerkenwell Boy last year. It supports charities helping Syrian children who have suffered in the six-year conflict. Profits from this pop-up will go to Unicef’s Next Generation London.

​Alarnab will cook dishes such as chicken makmur and beef kabsah laham plus sides like falafel, houmous and tabbouleh. Each day’s “partner” chef will create a signature dish with a strong Syrian element or twist.

Clerkenwell Boy said: “This is a really nice way to end London Food Month by celebrating the diversity of chefs around London and people coming together for a common cause.”

Miles Kerby of restaurant group Caravan kicked off the week long pop-up yesterday. Tonight Joel Braham of The Good Egg in Stoke Newington will cook confit duck kibbeh with smoked aubergine labneh. Tomorrow Nicholas Balfe of Salon Brixton will serve roasted carrots with candied sesame and tahini yoghurt. He will be accompanied by blogger Melissa Hemsley, making choc-nut truffles, and food journalist Rosie Birkett, creating summer mujadara (cooked lentils) with brown butter radishes, runner beans and jersey potatoes.

On Wednesday Josh Katz of Haggerston’s Berber & Q offers braised beef shoulder with cardamom and barberry rice. The penultimate service sees Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney of Clerkenwell’s Breddos Tacos serve mutton “al pastor” with tahini and medjool dates. The week ends with Eyal Jagermann, of Covent Garden’s The Barbary, serving aubergine sharabik — whole roasted aubergine with tahini, date syrup, almonds, chili, mint and fresh raspberries.

Grace Dent, food writer and co-creative director of London Food Month, said: “Cook For Syria bringing their talents and wisdom to Food Month is something I’m incredibly happy about. This is a wonderful, important charity.” Each sitting will be for 60 and the meals cost £70.

For more information, go to londonfoodmonth.co.uk