Abu Zaad is a restaurant cooking Syrian cuisine on the Uxbridge Road, a Damascus home-from-home full of formica tables. On the television screens that adorn the walls expect Arabic news and at the back of the restaurant you’ll find extended families sharing an afternoon together.
There’s no alcohol on the menu so you can take your pick from a selection of soft drinks or some of their freshly squeezed juices.
There’s a steady stream of customers arriving for takeaway orders and people willing to queue outside the door for a sea.
Hummous was the freshest taste and silky smooth mixture of crushed chick peas and sesame oil with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
Baba Ganoush was fresh aubergine combined with a garlic, olive oil parsley and green pepper mixture and was delicious.
A hot starter of Arayes tasted sublime but its ingredients were simple a pitta bread had been over-stuffed with minced veal, onion and cheese and then toasted.
Another hot starter was the Fatayer Bi Lahmeh, pastry this time but filled with minced lamb.
For the main courses it had to be barbecue kebabs ‘Kebab Halabi’ skewered lamb cubes had been marinated in lemon juice and olive oil, served with a spicy sauce and a choice of chips or rice.
Two incredibly sweet pastries arrived with our bill, but these were even too sweet for my tooth. The meal including two diet Cokes came to an economical £33.25 (without service) – we’ll be back.
