Imad's Syrian Kitchen: A Love Letter from Damascus

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Alarnab's story is heartbreaking and humbling, with pages of key Syrian ingredients sitting next to the story of his brutal beating by Syrian police. Imad now runs an acclaimed restaurant in London, which was named GQ ’s ‘Best Breakthrough Restaurant 2022’. Many of the dishes that have become signatures at Alarnab’s London restaurant feature, including the falafel, which are strikingly shaped with hole in the middle for a ‘crispier texture’.

Imad Alarnab is a refugee whose courage and fortitude have enabled him to set up a new life in the UK. This episode is brought to you by Skin + Me - a personalized skincare solution that has not only transformed my skin, but also my packing experience wherever I’m going. 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. She is a die-hard Francophile – speaking French helps tremendously – but put her anywhere and she is happy. And alongside delicious recipes, mouthwatering photography, and beautiful illustrations, Imad shares the unforgettable details of how he came to settle in London, as well as the story of his home country, Syria.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. 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’.

Supper clubs sold out within hours and hungry workers waited patiently in long queues for take-away lunches at pop-ups.

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen (HQ) is no ordinary cookbook in the way that the restaurant of the same name is no ordinary eatery. Kingsley Court boasts a number of ethnic restaurants, some so popular that tables need to be booked weeks ahead. Join Monocle’s deputy head of radio, Tom Webb, as he takes us on a whistle-stop tour of this year’s Monocle Christmas Market in Zürich. 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. 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.