A husband and wife who enjoyed rave reviews when they launched a takeaway service for locals during lockdown are to open their first restaurant in Hale next month.
Souhyb and Rose Masri built their kitchen table operation to a popular food truck and will now open Yallah in Crown Passages on July 12th.
Yallah - an Arabic expression often used to mean "let's go" or "come on" - will offer a fusion of Mediterranean, Lebanese and British food.
It represents something of a change for Rose and Souhyb, a psychologist and medic by profession respectively.
But they say the reception they received when cooking during lockdown had proved to be a great motivation.
Rose said: “Cooking for friends and family has always been a joy for me. During lockdown, it felt natural to extend that joy to our community through our takeaway service. Working alongside my brother made it even more special."
Souhyb added: “Our customer base grew rapidly thanks to the wonderful reviews we received.
"As lockdown eased, we saw an opportunity to open a restaurant that upholds our values of generosity, kindness, and great food. While it took some time to establish, we kept the momentum going with our food truck at festivals and parties, and by continuing our catering services.”
Rose’s brother Mohammad will be joining the couple for the new opening, making it a true family affair, and the couple's three children have served as official tasters.
The new restaurant - which is currently being fitted out - will be opening at 4 Crown Passages on July 12th, which is also Rose and Souhyb’s wedding anniversary.
Yallah joins the likes of Aspire Gym, Luxury Items Ltd and Mulan Bar at Forward Property Group’s Crown Passages, located on the site of the former Hogan's of Hale.
