Phil Juma teams up with TT Liquor to host Iraqi Feast

His menu’s five courses come with cocktails… alcohol optional

Those unfamiliar with the cuisine of Iraq can take a journey of discovery through a five-course dining menu created for London Food Month.

Wealth manager-turned-chef Phil Juma is collaborating with new Shoreditch bar and events space TT Liquor to host his Iraqi Feast with cocktail pairings every Friday in June.

Guests will be greeted with a drink and a canape of kubba haleb (rice croquette) before being taken upstairs to a huge dining room. Seated around a feasting table, the diners will enjoy dishes such as dijaj bilmynarinj (crispy chicken served with saffron and Seville orange) and kubba hamuth (handmade lamb dumpling).

Each course will be served with a cocktail or other drink picked to highlight the dish’s flavours. Bar manager Gareth Bell, who is behind the drinks menu, will also offer non-alcoholic options. Each course and drink will be explained as they are served — with the whole evening costing £65.

Canapes and cocktails: Phil Juma, right, with kubba haleb, and TT  Liquor’s Gareth Bell
Alex Lentati

Mr Juma, 33, was taught to cook by his Iraqi father and aunt, who are originally from Mosul. He started Juma’s Iraqi food pop-ups in 2012 and quit the City two years later to concentrate on the new business. He said: “Iraqi food to the layman is a mix of Lebanese and Turkish with Indian spice influence. There’s lots of meat, especially lamb. The food can be quite heavy and fatty, but I have brought it up to date.”

Pairing the food with cocktails was a way of elevating the flavours as well as “changing people’s perceptions”, he said. “In many people's eyes, Iraq is predominantly a Muslim country and a lot of people won’t drink alcohol. But we are in London where a lot of people do drink and they want to experience not only Iraqi food but the combination of my dishes with the drinks.”

Mr Juma provided food at February’s opening party for TT Liquor, which is in a former police station in Kingsland Road. Founders Stephen Thompson and Alastair Tatton have worked together on several ventures since 2007. Mr Thompson said: “Phil did the food for our main launch night. We talked about doing a dining experience of Iraqi food and London Food Month seemed a great opportunity… London is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines and we are lucky to be a part of that.”

The Iraqi Feast will take place every Friday in June from 7pm, costing £65 for all food and pairing drinks.

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