GAIA, a ‘refined Greek taverna’ based in Dubai, opens its first London branch next Friday (8 December) on a prominent Mayfair corner site where Dover Street meets Piccadilly. Founded in 2018 by British-Nigerian chef Izu Ani, who grew up in Tottenham, and Russian-born entrepreneur Evgeny Kuzin, the concept already has branches in Monte Carlo and […]

Continue reading


Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, the tiny West End restaurant founded by a refugee from war-torn Damascus, is expanding into bigger premises to offer a wider range of dishes. Imad Alarnab fled his home in 2015, leaving a flourishing restaurant business behind, and cooked for fellow refugees before rebuilding his career as a restaurateur in London. His […]

Continue reading


Honey & Co, the small cafe-restaurant in Fitzrovia that helped propel the popularisation of Middle Eastern cuisine in London, is closing down after 10 years following the landlord’s refusal to extend its lease. Israeli-born couple Sarit Parker and Itamar Svrulovich, both alumni of the original Ottolenghi in Notting Hill, launched Honey & Co to general […]

Continue reading