Edinburgh Lebanese street food restaurant and shisha garden is facing 'make or break' time

A Lebanese street food restaurant and shisha garden is facing "make or break" time after finally being able to open.

Sofia's Lounge opened today at the Salisbury Boutique Hotel in Newington.

Restaurant owner Ahmed Saadi, 34, from Corstorphine, has a strong background in Lebanese cuisine as the original owner of Edinburgh's first Lebanese restaurant, Beirut, in the city's Nicolson Square.

Mr Saadi embarked on the new venture with his wife Emma earlier this year but had to delay the opening due to Covid-19.

Named after the couple's first daughter, Sofia's mission is to "bring old Lebanese street food recipes to Edinburgh and infuse them with modern spices and ideas".

Mr Saadi said: "Lebanese food is a must-try. It doesn't use a lot of oil, which makes it healthy, and it's known for its goodness and colour."

The restaurant's menu is an eclectic mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. Highlights include the sujuk burger, a modern take on a lamb burger with garlic sauce, and daoud basha, a traditional Lebanese meatball dish cooked with coriander and pomegranate molasses.

Mr Saadi opened the kitchen two months ago for takeaways. He said: "As soon as it went live on Just Eat and Deliveroo, we had an influx of great reviews." Mr Saadi said he has put everything into the venture and hired 17 staff.

He admitted: "It's been a bit of a struggle for us.

Being a new business, staff could not get furloughed and I paid them out of my own pocket to support them. I'm a mix of emotions - scared, but happy to be opening up at last. I've invested everything: this is make or break."

Mr Saadi is delighted to finally be opening, noting social distancing won't be a problem because of the space's large beer garden.

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