KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — When Syrian Ameer Alzalek fled his country due to the war about 10 years ago, he didn't expect to enter into the culinary world and eventually open the popular Leen's Middle East Kitchen located at Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

"We hear about Malaysia on the map only in school," he said. It was a whole new world for the young man who had once been an accountant in Damascus.

As jobs were scarce for migrants, "the life in the kitchen chose me."

Once he entered that world, it became his future. Not only did he pick up English while working with his fellow kitchen mates, he also adopted our Malaysian "lah" that now peppers his sentences.

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He is humble about the reality that it's not easy for others to enjoy his type of food, hence the need to be more experienced and brave enough to push through the barriers within the F&B world.

That journey saw him exploring Penang and Langkawi. He got his break at La Pari Pari, a boutique hotel at Langkawi's Pantai Cenang, where he started training in the kitchen for over two years. He also had a stint at the Four Seasons Resort on the island.

The Smoked Hummus is a dish given the 'wow' factor with the ingenious use of smoked oil  — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen
The Smoked Hummus is a dish given the 'wow' factor with the ingenious use of smoked oil — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen

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All their breads are made in their clay oven — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen
All their breads are made in their clay oven — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen

Eventually he returned to Kuala Lumpur to take up a job at Ember Modern Bistro with Chef Gary Anwar.

At Ember, Ameer started to see food through a different lens. There was more finesse and a touch of fusion to the dishes. And most importantly, he learnt what Malaysians wanted on their plates.

Awakened by what he had experienced, he started Leen's as a small pop-up to start experimenting. In the early days, all he did was charred hummus.

During the pandemic, he would cook up traditional Syrian dishes for delivery that kept the name Leen's alive. That caught the attention of the organisers of Tiffin at the Yard who invited Ameer to open Leen's there in November 2021.

"Tiffin gave us a big push for our exposure so we decided to take a bigger step to open our own place," explained Ameer.

At Tiffin, Leen's focus was fast food but for the restaurant that opened about six months ago, Ameer wanted a menu that charted what he had learned throughout his time in Malaysia.

Traditional Fattoush is given a makeover with sourdough mixed with vegetables, haloumi and a spring onion dressing — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen
Traditional Fattoush is given a makeover with sourdough mixed with vegetables, haloumi and a spring onion dressing — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen

Lamb features heavily in the menu like this crowd favourite of Mariah Pide — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen
Lamb features heavily in the menu like this crowd favourite of Mariah Pide — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen

Thus traditional Syrian dishes such as Hummus, Fattoush and Baba Ghanoush are reimagined with new flavours and textures.

"Every single dish in the menu means a lot to me as it brings me to a higher level."

Two dishes that put Leen's on the map, according to Ameer, have been their Baba Ghanoush and Crispy Syrian Rice.

Here, the Baba Ghanoush goes beyond the traditional charred eggplant puree. With the eggplant puree as a base, it now includes a pleasing combination of textures, where you get deep fried eggplant tossed with pomegranate yoghurt, walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

For the Crispy Syrian Rice, this is Ameer's tribute to beloved rice bowls, whether it's a Japanese don or even the quintessential Malaysian nasi lemak.

"In Syria, we don't eat pickles with rice so I came up with a version with a twist where we sear the rice for a crispy texture and it is tossed with tzatziki, harissa, pickles and fried peanuts for crunch. The name... crispy rice also makes you want to think about what it is."

Usually in Syria, lamb tartare is used but here, Leen's serves their Kofta Tartare using Australian Wagyu beef with harissa and garlic sauce — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen
Usually in Syria, lamb tartare is used but here, Leen's serves their Kofta Tartare using Australian Wagyu beef with harissa and garlic sauce — Picture courtesy of Leen's Middle East Kitchen

The Smoked Hummus is another crowd favourite especially with their freshly made Arabic breads. The idea was from The CKT Supperclub pop-up series where he worked side-by-side with Andy Choy from Chateau Dionne, to create Syrian dishes with a twist.

"It was a crazy idea," said Ameer. Initially Ameer suggested smoked lamb fat with the hummus but Choy felt locals may not like that. Instead, they experimented with smoked charcoal oil, which got a big wow from both of them.

Similarly, Fattoush was given an upgrade and nod towards the sourdough craze. Rather than use deep fried pita bread, they switched it to sourdough.

"We decided to modernise it using sourdough as everybody eats sourdough." It's also given a spring onion dressing rather than the simpler Syrian method of just olive oil and sumac.

You will also find various lamb dishes like their Mariah Pide, Lamb Rack paired with Muhammara, and Kebab Khashkash on the menu.

Even though there's three lamb dishes on the menu, each item uses a different cooking method, making it unique. Ameer will also be introducing a new Lamb Shank dish soon.

The Grilled Chicken is given a Malaysian twist with a topping of fresh ulam — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The Grilled Chicken is given a Malaysian twist with a topping of fresh ulam — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

The Kunafa Ice Cream is a play of crispy textures from the kunafa and a creamy icy cold homemade pistachio ice cream — Picture by Lee Khang Yi
The Kunafa Ice Cream is a play of crispy textures from the kunafa and a creamy icy cold homemade pistachio ice cream — Picture by Lee Khang Yi

For sweets, don't miss the Kunafa Ice Cream. This dish had Ameer racking his brains up to the last minute before Leen's opened their doors.

"I had the idea but I just didn't know how to plate it." What baffled him was how to maintain the crispiness of the kunafa, with its fine kataifi pastry.

First, he tried baking it with ghee but that was a failure as the ghee overpowered the flavour. His 'aha' moment was when he switched to deep frying it and those fine kataifi shreds retained their crispy texture for a few hours.

As you can imagine, this dessert is a play of textures. There's the cold, creamy element with their homemade pistachio ice cream studded with nuts and smoked. Then comes the avalanche of fine, crispy kunafa combined with charred fruits, dried apricots and just a touch of rose water.

Another dessert is their Kurma Labneh. Best eaten in one bite, Ameer uses kurma dates piped with cold, strained yoghurt that is sprinkled with almonds and dried rose petals.

Even the name of the restaurant is non-traditional, as Leen is actually Ameer's wife Serena's nickname in Chinese.

Kurma Labneh sees plump dates piped with labneh and sprinkled with almonds and dried rose petals — Picture by Choo Choy May
Kurma Labneh sees plump dates piped with labneh and sprinkled with almonds and dried rose petals — Picture by Choo Choy May

A funny coincidence though, once they opened the restaurant they found out from diners' queries, there's actually a Leen's in Dubai! Even the colours of that restaurant bear a striking similarity to their place, said Ameer.

You may find the decor here different from your typical Middle Eastern interior but in actual fact, it's Ameer's tribute to his hometown of Damascus.

"I am making my small Damascus inside the restaurant," he said. The brick walls that line the side of the restaurant with a distinct pattern is exactly what you would see in the city, down to even the globe lights used. You also find pictures of Damascus peppered on the walls.

It's been a steep learning curve for Ameer and his crew here, but he is quick to respond to feedback from customers. "If for 30 days, you get 10 complaints, you have to stop, change and start again," he added.

For instance, in the early days diners complained about the sound so he installed soundproofing to ensure a better dining experience for the diners.

Till today, much care is taken by Ameer, as he will personally select the ingredients at the market. It's where he can pick the best local herbs like daun selom, pegaga and ulam raja, which he uses extensively in his dishes.

Looking forward, Ameer is also working on opening another space in Mont Kiara hopefully next year with a new, exciting concept for brunch, where he hopes to bring more flavours from Syria to Malaysia.

The decor at Leen's Middle East Kitchen pays tribute to Ameer Alzalek's hometown of Damascus — Picture by Choo Choy May
The decor at Leen's Middle East Kitchen pays tribute to Ameer Alzalek's hometown of Damascus — Picture by Choo Choy May

Leen's Middle East Kitchen, 136 (First Floor), Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 6pm to 11pm. (Monday to Friday), 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 11pm (Saturday and Sunday). Note: For Ramadan, they will not be open for lunch. Tel:011-70207551. Instagram: @/leens.kl

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