Many Londoners will affiliate Richmond with rugby and lavish property however the South West borough is stuffed with surprises. One hidden gem on this a part of the capital is Lebanese restaurant and café Sidra. With a close to good ranking of 4.9 stars from lots of of Google evaluations, this enterprise, which will be present in Teddington and Twickenham, is beloved by locals. However the story behind the restaurant is considered one of each heartbreak and resilience.
Proprietor Ahmad Hammami opened the primary department of Sidra in 2016. However simply two months prior, he had arrived in London as a refugee. On account of the battle in Syria, the 39-year-old was compelled to flee in a dinghy designed to hold three folks with 15 others searching for asylum. “Leaving your nation behind just isn’t straightforward,” he instructed MyLondon. “All of your reminiscences are there. I misplaced my enterprise and my identification. I misplaced virtually all the things however I couldn’t keep there and threat shedding my life as effectively.
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(Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
“So I made a decision to discover a nation the place I may very well be secure and begin from the start. I first travelled from Syria by automobile to Turkey. From there, I received on a ship to Greece – it was a small boat however there have been many people and lots of people have drowned that method so I knew I might lose my life at any level.”
When Ahmad arrived in Greece, he stayed there for 15 days earlier than getting the paperwork he wanted to fly to London and search asylum. Though Ahmad had labored as a solicitor in Syria, he was unable to hold on as a lawyer in London as a result of his {qualifications} weren’t recognised within the UK.
(Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
As a substitute, he selected to open his first restaurant in Teddington. Inside simply three months, the restaurant, which has turn out to be identified for its recent and well-priced meals, acquired its first award of many. Ahmad stated: “I began from the start as a result of if you happen to will be profitable when you will be profitable once more. I had no alternative however to remain motivated as a result of I didn’t have time to waste. I had already left a whole lot of issues behind in Syria.”
When the pandemic hit, Ahmad’s crew delivered almost 4,000 meals to NHS employees and his employees helped the susceptible by purchasing for their groceries or gathering medicines on their behalf. Each Christmas, Sidra additionally affords free meals to the homeless who Ahmad says are all the time welcome on the restaurant. “I do know what it seems like, I do know the ache,” he defined. “Once I left Syria there have been lots of people with out foods and drinks who wanted assist.”
(Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
Now, Ahmad splits his time evenly between the 2 branches of Sidra and may often be seen serving his prospects with a smile. Inside the subsequent few months, he plans to use for British Citizenship in an effort to carry his mom, who suffers from a number of sclerosis, to the UK.
He instructed MyLondon: “I really feel very welcome within the UK and I’m very completely satisfied right here. The one ache in my life comes from my mom nonetheless being in Turkey. Her sickness signifies that she will barely transfer and, after the loss of life of my father, she’s been compelled to stay alone. However I’ll hold making an attempt to carry her to the UK so she will see the life her son has constructed right here.”
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