Tucked away in a maze of narrow alleyways in the Al-Qaymariya area of Damascus’s Old City, is my favourite restaurant in the whole world, Jabri House.
Jabri House (or Beit Jabri) is situated in the courtyard of an old Damascene house. People come here to have dinner, drink a cup of coffee, smoke narghile or to play cards, enjoying the large covered yard with its pond and cluster of gnarled jasmine and orange trees.
I come here to read, people watch and draw… and of course to enjoy the tasty Syrian food.
Between mouthfuls of fatteh, fattoush, burek, mutabahl, hummus, and sips of coffee, I manage to do a number of sneaky sketches This paintings is based on some of my sketches done in this popular and packed cafe.
Smoking shisha at Jabri House in Damascus, Syria.
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- Jabri House Restaurant in Damascus, Syria.
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- Smoking shisha at Jabri House in Damascus, Syria.
Another highlight for me at Jabri House, was to have a childish snigger at the menu (which has probably been updated now), where one of the drinks had been listed as the rather peculiarly titled ‘Lemon Slash’ – I’m guessing it was a typo, but was never confident enough to order it.