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If you go to any corner in London, chances are you will find a Middle Eastern restaurant. Eateries, bakeries, cafes and grab-and-go shawarma shops operated by owners from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries are popping up in plazas across the city. And it’s not just members of London’s sizable Muslim community who are filling the seats. Reporter Beatriz Baleeiro takes an inside look at three eateries from the city’s vibrant Middle Eastern restaurant scene.

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DAMASCUS HOUSE

Damascus House, a restaurant and cafe on Commissioners Road in south London, is an ode to the old homes of Damascus, the largest city in Syria.

Lit by brass chandeliers, the restaurant’s interior walls are covered with gold and black tiles. There’s a water fountain made of ceramic tiles in the middle of the dining area and a waterfall across from it. Potted plants between tables add a touch of greenery, linking to traditional courtyards in Damascus.

Chef Rasool Alabrach, 45, owner of Damascus House, also runs Mimas Shawarma next door to the restaurant. Alabrach fires up the stove at Damascus House every morning and loves everything about the kitchen. “It’s my job,” he said.

Before fleeing war-torn Syria for Jordan in 2016, the Alabrach family owned a restaurant in Damascus called Abo Shadi, meaning Father of Shadi in Syria.

“All the stuff inside the restaurant got stolen” after they left for Jordan, said Rasool’s son Shadi, 22. “We were hoping to come back in a couple of years after to open the business one more time, but the war never ended.”

The following year, Alabrach, his wife and five children sought shelter in Canada. “There was more safety and better opportunities here. Definitely better opportunities,” he said.

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Starting a restaurant in a new country came with challenges but his goal was to share the flavour of Syria, “the authentic way of making the barbecue, the food that we used to make back home,” he said.

Damascus House had just opened in 2019 when it was damaged in a fire. The family reopened the business six months later, rode out the COVID-19 pandemic and expanded in 2023 from a take-out to a sit-down restaurant at the former Kubby’s Draft Bar and Grill next door.

The growth allowed a larger menu of Syrian and Jordanian dishes such as the lamb mansaf, a $22 offering served with basmati rice, toasted almonds and lamb simmered in a creamy jameed sauce, a type of Arabic cheese made from ewe or goat’s milk.

The chicken tawook plate is another popular dish. It’s served with two skewers of marinated chicken breast kebab for $19. The ground mix kebab plate, two skewers of ground lamb and veal mixed with parsley, onion and spices, is the same price.

Shadi, who manages Mimas Shawarma next door, said working with his father is perfect. “I love cooking, too. My father taught me everything about cooking, so I took it from there, you know?”

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KUNAFA’S LONDON

An Arabic dessert place serving a traditional Palestinian dessert in south London has received a lot of attention on social media with cheerful videos showing staff serving large trays of authentic Middle Eastern kunafa.

With almost 3,000 followers on Instagram, Kunafa’s London attracts dozens of customers during the week and hundreds on weekends who line up for kunafa or knafeh.

Served in squares, the deep-fried pastry is made of crispy dough, layered with gooey nabulsi, a Palestinian white cheese, soaked in a sweet, warm syrup and topped with pistachios. It sells for $6.50.

On weekdays an average of seven trays are made and on weekends it jumps to more than 20.

Kunafa’s opened its London location in November, but it’s been building a loyal clientele since 2015 in Scarborough, Ajax and Mississauga.

The expansion to London happened because of the city’s growing Arabic population and the demand for more locations across the province, said Abdallah Dahche, manager of Kunafa’s London.

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“We said we wanted to start off with London because it was the top place of demand,” he said.

The chain was surprised by the number of non-Middle-Eastern customers who walk into the shop and plans to open other locations in the city, Dahche said.

“All types of people walk in. They love the Dubai chocolate cups, they love the kunafas and the baklava as well. Everyone comes in for a different type of treat and they find it here; they love it.”

SINBAD RESTAURANT

An Iraqi restaurant, Sinbad serves freshly grilled meats in a space where customers can get the full Middle Eastern experience with music and authentic dishes.

The name was inspired by a cartoon character from Baghdad, the Arabian Nights: Adventures of Sinbad.

The restaurant started as a pizza place until customers started to order more kebabs than pizza, which led to the opening of its dine-in space in 2023 serving recipes of the Faraj family with the Iraqi way of grilling meats including lamb, chicken and kebabs.

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The menu includes a range of appetizers such as Iraqi dolmas, grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, for $20, falafel pieces for $11, and kebab skewers that start at $22.

“When you come in, you don’t feel like you are eating at the restaurant. You think that you are at your friend’s house,” said Namam Hawrami, manager at Sinbad. “We literally have every kind of culture (come in). Afghan, Indian, Pakistanis, white people, everyone.”

Steven Faraj, who became a chef after moving to Canada, said the restaurant serves good food, with good portions and good prices, and that’s what attracts new customers and keeps the older ones coming back.

“I’m happy for this restaurant. I’m very happy to make food for the Iraqi people and everyone else,” Faraj said.

Hawrami came to Canada from Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, two years ago. She’s said she tried many Middle Eastern restaurants across London, from Lebanese to Turkish, but Sinbad’s kebab tastes like home, adding Faraj is the “king of kebab.”

“We look for something close to back home,” she said. “And Sinbad is like déjà vu, you know?”

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Diners also are looking for good-quality meat and the attentive customer service they used to get back home, Hawrami said, such as the free soup and complimentary tea.

“That’s like every restaurant (in Iraq). Even if it’s a very small restaurant to the biggest restaurant,” Hawrami said. “I keep checking on the table, just like back home. This is a very good spot for the family.”

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com

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