We do seem to find ourselves in London quite regularly these days, but this trip was a little more special than most as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. As fans of Cirque du Soleil, their latest show at the Royal Albert Hall seemed like the perfect excuse for a weekend away. It also finally allowed me to tick the Royal Albert Hall off my London to-do list after years of working in the city without ever really being a tourist.

On the Sunday, our final day, we decided to squeeze in one last good meal before heading to the airport for our flight back up north later in the evening. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen has been on my list to visit for some time, so now felt like a good time!

Kingly Court is one of my favourite spots in Soho for food, with several restaurants spread across its three levels, and even on a Sunday lunchtime it had a lovely buzz about it. Imad’s is located on the top floor and is the kind of restaurant where the menu immediately makes you want to order one of everything. Syrian food isn’t something I eat all that often, so I was very keen to try as much as possible, and thankfully, the menu is designed around sharing.

Which, as far as I’m concerned, is the best kind of menu. Others may disagree!

What We Ate

After much discussion, and nearly half a bottle of wine consumed, we finally decided what to eat. That’s also the problem with sharing: trying to decide what to order when everything looks delicious, as everything really isn’t an option when there are only two of you!

We seemed to be attracted to dips and pita, so we started with the Muhammara, which is made with roasted red peppers, pomegranate, chilli and walnuts. Rich and full of flavour, it had a great combination of smoky, sweet and spicy flavours. We also ordered the Hummus, topped with tahini, Urfa chilli and crunchy chickpeas. The hummus was beautifully smooth, while the crunchy chickpeas added a welcome bit of texture.

Alongside these, we had the Za’atar Pita, because plain pita is never enough! This was topped with za’atar and olive oil. It was perfect for scooping up the dips and, by the end of the meal, making sure that none of the sauces went to waste.

Next came the Kalitoos, crispy calamari served with sumac mayo and lime salt. The calamari was perfectly crisp, with the sumac mayo adding a tangy flavour that worked really well with it.

The Saroja was probably my favourite dish of the afternoon. This was crispy aubergine served with feta, halloumi, date and pomegranate molasses and sesame. I love the combination of sweet and salty flavours, and this had plenty of both.

For something a little more substantial, we shared the Tahini Kofta, which came with lamb kofta, cherry tomatoes, red onion, roasted chilli, tahini yoghurt and pita. Although I do realise in this photo the kofta is hiding behind the tomatoes!

The lamb kofta was full of flavour and went perfectly with the creamy tahini yoghurt, while the roasted chilli added a little bit of heat. Once again, the pita came in very handy for scooping up all those delicious sauces.

We were rather full by this point, but we were tempted by some of the desserts we’d seen go past us. That’s why we have a dessert stomach, isn’t it?

Something Sweet

There were two desserts that caught our eye, so naturally, we ordered both.

The first was the Noria, made with kataifi pastry, tahini cream, pistachio and cinnamon syrup. The crisp kataifi pastry worked beautifully with the creamy tahini and pistachios, while the cinnamon syrup added a lovely sweetness.

We also couldn’t resist the Syrian Ice Cream, which was pistachio ice cream served with candy floss. The ice cream was deliciously creamy and full of pistachio flavour, while the candy floss made the whole thing feel a little bit more fun.

Final Thoughts

Our lunch at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen was the perfect way to round off an anniversary weekend in London. Great food, plenty of dishes to share, and a menu that left me immediately planning what I’d order next time. And given how often we seem to find ourselves in London these days, I suspect there will be a next time before too long.