В Лондоне открылся первый в городе специализированный египетский ресторан Teta's, основанный на рецептах бабушки семьи владельцев

Grandma’s recipes inspire London family’s new Egyptian restaurant The Hyde Park BIA says Teta’s is London’s first dedicated Egyptian restaurant. A London Egyptian family that started with a food truck is now recreating the flavours of their Cairo kitchen at a nostalgic restaurant in Hyde Park. Teta’s Egyptian Kitchen, which translates to “Grandma’s” in Arabic, serves different menus for brunch, lunch and dinner at 1035 Gainsborough Rd. From the outside, it looks like a house on a busy Hyde Park street. But step through the door and Arabic music plays in the background, transporting diners to Cairo. “We just want to make an experience even with the music we’re playing,” said manager Mariam Nadeem. An Egyptian oud sits on the counter by the windows, a pear-shaped, 11-string instrument that predates the modern guitar. On the wall behind it, the restaurant’s mission statement reads in English and Arabic: “From Cairo, with Love.” The restaurant, located in a former Thai restaurant, is small and fully renovated, with about 20 seats. Rugs and lamps hang from the ceiling, and the open kitchen is visible from the dining area. Family photos line the walls alongside scenes of the Pyramids and Nile River. One photo stands out for Nadeem: her grandmother, Teta Madiha, who died in 2018. “Everything (on the menu) is my grandma’s recipe,” she said. “We’re trying to specialize and keep the recipes very true to home. We really wanted to make sure that she’s highlighted here . . . Even when she’s not here, she’s still able to bring us together.” When Nadeem’s grandmother visited from Egypt, she cooked for the family and also sold food to the community. “She also always wanted to start her own restaurant, her own business,” Nadeem said. “And then when my grandma passed away, my mom knew she wanted to actually open a restaurant, but at the time, with COVID, it wasn’t the right time.” Nadeem and her mother, Rasha Abdelfatah, who owns the restaurant, entered the food business in 2021 with Koshri Express, selling Egyptian street food. - Driveway grill fuels London family’s downtown food venture - New cafe brings taste of family's Colombia coffee farm to downtown London - Advertisement 1Story continues below “A food truck is limiting with the snow and weather in Canada, and it’s very labour-intensive,” said Nadeem, 24, who is also a registered nurse. They opened the restaurant in June with brunch service until 3 p.m. and have since expanded their hours. Brunch has become one of the restaurant’s busiest meals, Nadeem said. The breakfast for two is their most popular dish, served on a large platter for sharing. It includes traditional Egyptian fare: pita bread, eggs with basturma (a Middle Eastern cured beef), fries, Egyptian feta, eggplant salad, fresh vegetables, falafel and taameya, an Egyptian falafel. “It’s a very generous portion,” Nadeem said. “That’s the thing with Egyptian food, we make sure there’s a lot.” They source products such as seasonings, bread and cheese from Egypt. The taameya for the sandwich takes two days to prepare, with the beans soaked overnight before use, Nadeem said. The Egyptian and Arabic community is “pretty big,” but the restaurant and its menu were also shaped by requests from food truck regulars of different backgrounds. “There’s a lot of Middle Eastern food in London but not specialized Egyptian,” Nadeem said. “So we’re like, if we don’t do it (open an Egyptian restaurant), someone’s going to beat us to it.” The Hyde Park BIA said it is excited to welcome the restaurant to the neighbourhood. “London has a phenomenal food scene, but bringing the city’s very first dedicated Egyptian restaurant right here to our community is incredibly exciting,” said Donna Szpakowski, CEO and general manager of the Hyde Park BIA. “Teta’s is a true family affair, bringing nostalgia, together with their unique family recipes to create a great local dining experience.” Teta’s is open Wednesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.