Sarah Cotterill heads to Bradford to enjoy mouth-watering mezze at the Kunafa Tea restaurant.
You think you’re in good cardiovascular fitness until you make the trip to Bradford. It is surprisingly hilly. Just crossing the road safely is a challenge. This is Thornton Drift. City of cars. Driving between concrete malls, the thud of exhaust pipes and the sweet smell of hookahs follow you. The great intersections of Gothic architecture are in harmony with others Jean Junction; where the windows of bald mannequins model denim jackets shaped in every way. The pavement is lit with twinkling lights celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
Muhammara to die for; a coarse paste of salted almonds and flame-roasted red pepper. It’s crazy. I would go back and watch it.
In keeping with the festive spirit, Kunafa Tea shares a unit with a flashy fireworks shop on Thornton Road. I was tipped off that this authentic Damascenian eatery served its first Eid breakfast last week; complete with creamy bowls garnished with pomegranate seeds, chickpea fatties, rich falafels and copper pots of Arabic tea. The performance in the area of Oastler Market and Fountains Café, which tells the story of workers and immigrants, seemed like the perfect opportunity to invite a small pre-theatre mezze.
Kunafa Tea was opened in 2021 by a family of Syrian refugees who began using homemade Levantine food to build bridges and unite the communities around them. Despite the rollercoaster of recent challenges in the industry, they’ve held their ground and developed a strong customer base that is apparently willing to travel quite a distance to sample familiar flavors.
Directly opposite the door, a light sign welcomes you against the background of a fake newspaper; I heart kunafa + tea, in romantic red. In fact, the whole interior has a touch of romance. From decorative filagree lanterns to marble tabletops adorned with pink columns; golden cutlery and rattan furniture. A large floor-to-ceiling window offers views of the racetrack and the abandoned yard beyond. The tall radiator on the wall next to us provides lovely warmth, a rare treat in these frugal times. We are so comfortable in such an environment that we miss the square QR codes in front of us that we can scan and view the menu. A less welcome remnant from 2020.
A couple sipping clear Strawberry mojitos behind us was all the persuasion we needed to order the same; tall glasses of zesty lime and fresh mint swirled with macerated fruit. Not thick or syrupy at all. Moroccan mint tea comes in a pewter tin with a hammered copper plate. The gilded handle and Cinderella spout create a sophisticated vessel that transcends style over substance. But the lack of insulation is not a hardship because there is plenty of recreation inside.
Then the mezze plates arrive. Black rectangular dishes with salty hummus, smoked baba ghanouj, sour moutabali and mohammara. a coarse paste of salted almonds and flame-roasted red pepper. It’s crazy. I would go back and watch it. We immediately order more Syrian flatbreads with dips that look puffy and polished in floury woven baskets. Each one is torn before it has time to empty from the oven.
A hot mezze presents halloumi horseshoes, a mushroom cheese roll and pepper spiked Batata harra potatoes. The chef’s frying pan is obviously clean, because everything tastes exactly as it should. The silver oval salver has flat layers of eggplant topped with a mass of sweet garlic coated onions. Masha, but not as you know it. Burnt but not hairy, wet but not slimy. It’s an Ottolenghi-style victory. A juicy bowl of tabbouleh sits inside a shell of iceberg lettuce, green with herbs and pomegranate chunks. A feast fit for a king.
As we rushed to the exhibition, we were robbed of the opportunity to try the special kunafa dessert; A pile of heavy pastry around a creamy milk center, the staff insists we take the baklawa tringli and the hreeseh semolina motka on the road. Both are drenched in syrup and topped with pistachios, the ultimate mealtime curtain send-off. Outside, an RZR Storm Hunter-style buggy runs into traffic lights and blasts music from its built-in sound system. BD1 never disappoints.
Kunafa Tea: 150 Thornton Rd, Bradford BD1 2JH
@kunafatea
13/20
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Food
Cold Mezze Platter 9, Hot Mezze Platter 7, Tabbouleh 7, Masakka 6, Flatbread 9.
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Service
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Atmosphere