Get a Taste of Syrian Cuisine

Syrian cuisine is known for its diverse and flavourful taste reflecting the history and culture of the country. Examples of Syrian cuisine include: Hummus: A creamy dip made from blended chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Kofta Kabab: consisting of grilled meat, the lamb is mixed with garlic and parsley, grilled and served Falafel: made of cilantro, yellow onion, garlic gloves, cumin and coriander. These dishes are not only delicious, they are also rich in flavour and traditional spices. Kibbeh is considered to be the national dish of Syria, this dish is made from onion, ground beef or lamb, burgul, onion puree and spices, the dough is processed, whilst all ingredients are added to the burgul. The product is then baked, fried, cooked or grilled. At Plateful Café, every meal is a celebration of flavours, community, and creativity. All Syrian cuisine dishes have a story. It could be a cherished family recipe or a new chef or individual discovery, the food of Syria claims a rich cultural heritage and spirit. This means cooking which celebrates Syrian culture and community, but also cooking which brings together all communities and cultures here at Plateful Cafe. Please join us as we continue to explore this food adventure. Please stay connected for more recipes, stories, and culinary adventures. Also don’t forget to subscribe and follow us on Instagram for our latest updates!
Moving to the Star of Greenwich

Moving On Southeast London’s favourite community café has had to leave its home in the Parkside Community Centre on Lewisham Road. Luckily though, our tireless volunteers have been able to team up with The Star of Greenwich, a community-owned pub with stacks of character and an international reputation. The Star was recently featured in an LA Times article about the survival of British pubs in a post-pandemic economy, so many of us are optimistic that the forced change of location could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Moving to The Star of Greenwich Our mission continues to be about helping refugees get on their feet. By hiring chefs from all over the world the café provides a safe and welcoming space where migrants can develop skills that will help them find employment. More than that though, the Plateful will continue to give chefs the chance to celebrate and share the dishes that are important to them. For customers, this also means you will be exposed to a wider range of culinary delights than ever before. Nahed, a chef from Syria who has worked with Plateful for several years, spoke about how she feels about the move. Rather than being worried, Nahed expressed optimism about the possibilities that changing location might bring. “I’m not worried, I think maybe it’s a blessing actually. It can be very quiet here and not many people walk past. So, there’s a good chance there will be more business when we move which might mean there is more work for me too! At the moment I only work here one day every fortnight so I’m hoping that I might be able to get more hours in Greenwich.” The Star of Greenwich is located just off Trafalgar Road in East Greenwich, so it is hoped that a busier setting will encourage more people to try our fantastic food. A Chef’s Story Nahed went on to explain how Plateful had helped her personally and expressed hope that the change of location would allow others to benefit from a similar experience. “Working this job has helped me in many ways. My English is fine now but a few years ago, frankly, I didn’t know how to say my own name. I’ve also met so many new people and learnt how to use new equipment in the kitchen like the coffee machine. Now I have a good CV and a food hygiene certificate which meant I could get a job working at a nursery too.” For the newer refugee chefs who are still developing their English and getting qualified, there is certainly hope that moving to The Star of Greenwich will provide opportunities for others to follow in Nahed’s footsteps. Unfortunately, there are still a couple of obstacles to overcome before we can establish ourselves as a permanent fixture at the Star. While regular events are planned for the rest of the year, we are waiting on funding which would allow The Star to install a new Kitchen on the 1st floor of the pub. This would mean Plateful’s talented chefs would be able to cook on-site rather than bringing in our food from outside. To help make this dream come true we encourage you to come down to the three-course Peruvian dinner which will take place at the Star of Greenwich on the 14th of June.
Weeks End Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday I recently turned 50, and marked it this weekend with a really special happy birthday dinner in the company of some of my closest friends. The Setup We turned our living room and garden into an intimate dining space for 23 guests. I spent a good part of the preceding week trying to figure out exactly how I’d seat everyone without it turning into a game of Snake on the night —I realise that my gaming reference is really showing my age — and tried everything, including a U-shaped, T-shaped, even S-shaped table arrangement starting inside and ending outside. I learned that as soon as you introduce corners, you lose valuable seating space, so finally settled on three big tables with one on the terrace. Thank God the weather was divine. A Unique Dining Experience A huge thank you to the Plateful Cafe, who sent two refugee cooks to prepare a delicious three-course dinner, topped off with a stunning birthday cake. Faten and Sana are from Syria and the Plateful Cafe now gives them a London Living Wage. They spent the whole afternoon in our kitchen and enthusiastically showed me the cooking techniques they’re so proud of. The food was all delicious and our guests loved it all, as well as the entire experience itself. The cake was made by an Iranian refugee and tasted of orange, lavender and poppy seeds, and looked magnificent. We got to thank Faten and Sana before they left us to enjoy the rest of the evening. Cook for Syria Shout out to the beautiful Cook for Syria recipe book — a gift from Sarah and Jo — that inspired my search for refugee cooks. We Also Raised Money for Refugees In lieu of gifts, we also raised almost £800 (so far) to support the work of the International Rescue Committee who help and rescue refugees fleeing conflict and natural disaster, all around the world. It’s an impressive and effective organisation, which I’m also proud to serve on the UK board. Thank you so much to my friends who donated so generously. In case anyone else felt like making a contribution to a worthwhile cause, here’s the link to my Just Giving page. Thank You We’ve now retrieved all our furniture from the neighbour’s back yard and have a living room again. The night was a great success and my only regret is that we couldn’t have extended invitations further, but were limited by tables and chairs! Thank you to everyone who joined us. I loved it…and love you all.