Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, London: ‘Represents all the good things’ – restaurant review

All restaurants tell a story, but the tale behind Imad’s has twists and turns like few others

Imad’s Syrian, Kitchen, Top floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London W1B 5PW (020 7434 2448). Small plates £5.50-£8, large plates £9-£15, desserts £5-£6, wine from £26 a bottle

With some restaurants, it’s all about the story. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is one of them. Imad Alarnab, a round-shouldered man with the sort of soft smile that tells you everything is going to be OK, was a successful chef and restaurateur in Damascus. He ran three restaurants in the city alongside cafés and juice bars. It took just six days at the height of the Syrian war for them all to be destroyed. In 2015, he left to find a better life for his family. He would send for them later. He made his way to Calais where, for 64 days, he slept on the steps of a church. During the day he cooked for fellow refugees, up to 400 of them at a time.