Imad Al Arnab is a Syrian chef, entrepreneur, and refugee who ran three successful restaurants, several juice bars, and cafes in Damascus. In the war, Imad’s businesses were destroyed, and he was forced to flee the country in search of safety. Making his way from Lebanon through Europe, Imad shared his skills cooking for other refugees, up to 400 at a time. Imad arrived in London in 2015 and eventually, his family was able to join him. Putting aside his passion for food, Imad worked a number of jobs, including as a car salesman in his early days in London. With the help of some good friends, Imad burst onto the London restaurant scene five years ago with a series of charity events, supper clubs and pop-ups that became hugely popular. Imad opened the doors to his first London based restaurant in Kingly Court, in the heart of Soho, in May 2021.

Vlieg zonder tussenstops. Alleen geïnteresseerd in directe vluchten tussen Damascus en Londen? Zorg ervoor dat je 'Alleen directe vluchten' aanvinkt bij het uitvoeren van een zoekopdracht. Als er directe vluchten beschikbaar zijn op de route, verschijnen deze in de resultaten. s a kitchen – it’s my kitchen – and this is my dining area. I love it that way,” Alarnab says. Before long, Alarnab was spending weekends cooking up a storm at weddings and birthday parties – an experience he describes as “absolutely beautiful.” Alarnab says the issue is that some people view refugees as if they come from “a different planet.” In today’s episode we’re exploring what it’s like to be displaced and part of the LGBTQ+ community. This episode is dedicated to everyone who sits at this intersection, and faces not only the challenges of being an asylum seeker or a refugee, but also the discrimination that comes with their sexuality or gender identity.Fun fact… Many Koreans believe the touch of the fingertips can influence the overall harmony of flavour in a dish. Photography: Toby Scott This is clearly a book that’s been designed to demonstrate how easy it is to recreate traditional Syrian dishes in a domestic kitchen. Throughout, the recipes are simple and straightforward, with almost all the ingredients obtainable in your local supermarket. The front cover calls it a ‘love letter from Damascus to London’, which is apt. Syrian cuisine remains relatively unexplored in the UK, and Imad’s Syrian Kitchen ​offers a vibrant introduction to it. Or to put it in terms relevant to a restaurant column, we do not have a more diverse restaurant sector than any other country in Europe by accident. It’s the product of waves of immigration. And yes, of course, some of that is also the product of rampant imperialism; the two things are often fellow travellers. Still, the fact is that if you enjoy eating the food of the Indian subcontinent, or of China and the Middle East, or of West and East Africa, of Thailand and Japan and Poland and all other points of the compass, cooked by people schooled from birth in its intricacies, you should give thanks for immigration. You should give thanks to people like Imad Alarnab, some of whom have risked their lives to be here. I know this is all bloody obvious, but sometimes the obvious needs to be said.

try to play with traditional recipes where it’s good enough like it is – and you don’t really have to add too much to it, to make it,” he says.

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Su Scott’s intimate book shares the food and experience of a Korean mother living in Britain, and the relationship between her, her daughter and the food they eat. It’s engagingly written, and there’s much here about the importance of food and identity. The book is beautifully designed and photographed, and the recipes are a delight. Expect everything from innovative ferments (white cabbage and apple kimchi) to bold mains such as grilled clams with sweet doenjang (fermented soybean paste) vinaigrette. This is such a helpful book: the detail and organisation build a sense of understanding, working in confidence-building steps from what you know and like to a broader world of flavour and pleasure. It’s written in a bright, friendly tone, and I loved the mix of personal, historic and culinary. Born in Kenya to Indian parents, Ravinder Bhogal – food writer and chef/owner of restaurant Jikoni – developed an early love of vegetables from her grandfather’s “Edenic” allotment and marveling at the produce of local women growers. This lively and engaging vegetarian book shares that love and revels in Bhogal’s belief that “vegetables are the soul of the kitchen… [offering] endless opportunities for play.” The recipes deliver on that: hot and sour sweetcorn risotto with lime leaf butter and mango and ‘golden coin’ curry are among the many that insist on being made. Bhogal moved to multicultural London at an early age, and everything about Comfort and Joy reflects the richness of her heritage and experience (turn to pxx for my interview with her to learn more). You won’t find much that you can easily categorise, but if you like the idea of modern, inventive and cross-cultural recipes, written with warmth and love, there’s no-one doing it quite like Bhogal. I didn’t know that… Early in his career, Andy Warhol illustrated etiquette expert Amy Vanderbilt’s cookbook (Claire named her book after a set of Warhol’s prints). Photography by Maren Caruso While his restaurant is booked solid every weekend for the next few months, Alarnab warns that the industry faces an uncertain future. “There is a huge demand from customers but a lot of places face very serious staff shortages – we had to hire a whole new team for this opening.”