What was your first industry job?
The Palomar on Rupert Street. Busy, chaotic, exceptional, incredible.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
I’d definitely have become a sommelier, but that is just over the pass. If I was to leave hospitality I would either be a writer or work in mental health. Ooh, or a war correspondent. All very different, I know!
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Oh gosh. I’m inspired by so many incredible people. Some I’ve worked with, some I’ve followed for years, some aren’t even alive. Someone I’ve really looked up to this year would undoubtedly be Adejoké Bakare. A trailblazing icon if there ever was one!
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
When a chef asks where something really obvious is before even looking. Or even worse, saying something isn’t there without looking. I’m bristling just at the thought!
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
That my food made them want to orgasm. Repeatedly. Then they kept making very intense eye contact with me across the restaurant and kept mouthing “orgasmic,” for the rest of their meal. I knew my chocolate cremeaux was good but not that good…
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
Modern Middle Eastern food using classical French techniques, but showcasing the best of local produce, with a healthy dose of Ayesha sprinkled in.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
A certain TV judge referred to an element of a dish I cooked as inedible on national TV. That one stung!
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Keep your head down, your ears open, learn everything you can. But never stop being yourself. Always be unapologetically yourself.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
Oh gosh, I love a gadget, Especially if its pink or gold! I am such a magpie. I’m obsessed with my Gestura slotted spoon at the moment. But my Thermomix will always be my ride or die.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Something cheese related without a doubt. I had this Saint-Félicien cheese in Paris and it actually made me well up. I love cheese. A lot.
À la carte or tasting menu?
Tasting menu. Especially if I don’t know what I’m getting. I love the element of delight and surprise.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
The tasting menu at Ma Langue Sourit in Moutfort, Luxembourg. I went for my dad’s birthday, and everything was perfect. The wine list, the service, the dishes. The endive ‘tarte tatin’ still lives in my mind.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
Any of the late-night falafel stands on Edgware Road. And always with extra pickled chilli.
What’s the dish you wish you’d thought of?
Shish Barak a la Gyoza by Orfali Bros. Genius!
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
Great British Menu.
What’s the most overrated food?
Morels. I just don’t get it. Mushrooms aren’t my favourite anyway, so the fervour they cause is utterly beyond me.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
The optional cheese course. Make it mandatory!
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
Zara Sultana, Anthony Bourdain, Anissa Helou.
What’s your earliest food memory?
The food of my Jordanian grandmother’s kitchen. The smells, the sights. Even the tiles on the wall. Her Shish Barak will live in me forever.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram, definitely. I like looking at pretty pictures of food.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
I had a long late service and when I eventually got home, I made myself a very glamorous dinner, eating a bowl of pasta in the middle of my kitchen. I started choking and gave myself the Heimlich manoeuvre (which you can do to yourself. Look it up. It can save your life). My cats sat and watched the whole scene utterly bemused, being entirely unhelpful, while my life flashed before my eyes. Moral of the story – don’t breathe in pasta, and cats are useless.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
Glastonbury isn’t known for its wild nightlife so I head back to London for wine bars. Better yet, catch a flight somewhere sunny, sit in a pool and forget my phone and the real world for a few days.
What’s your tipple of choice?
I love an Amerone Della Valpolicella or anything from Jordan River Winery. I’m biased, but Jordanian wine is excellent.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
Champagne and hummus.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
Laverbread falafel. It’s me in a dish. It perfectly brings together my Welsh and Middle Eastern blend and as a dish, it’s completely delicious if I do say so myself.