A little dessert shop on Park Road run by a father and son team is determined to give the community a sweet taste of Middle Eastern culture.
Kunafa House opened in April of this year, and is the passion project of Alan Hasbiro and his father, Mohamad. The duo specialise in kunafa - hence the store's name - a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with spun pastry and soaked in sweet syrup.
The father and son hail from Syria but have been in Liverpool for nine years. For Alan, 24, the shop is the culmination of years of hard work and immersion in the city and its way of life.
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Speaking to the Echo, Alan said: "It was a big shock moving here at 15. I had to learn the language which was a struggle. Some people were welcoming - not everybody, though. People here [in this area] are welcoming.
"People want to learn about other cultures, you don't think they do but when they see us, they want to come in and learn and see what we're about. I like educating people on my culture.
"We're nice people. We have a lot of people who stand outside looking in and sometimes, I'll just go out and give them things to try. I want them to see what we do."
Alan and his father first learned the ropes of running a dessert shop on Granby Street back in 2017, but were eager to relocate to a busier spot. Alan continued: "It's a lot better than before. There's a lot more footfall - so many people are about and the street is more active till later times. On Granby Street, it could get quiet from 6pm but it's much busier in the evenings here.
"There seems to be less Islamic people in this area but we're still getting to introduce people to it - people here need to find out what it is and what we do. Getting the people that don't know about this to try this and then seeing their reactions, they're like 'woah, this is amazing', that's my favourite part about having the shop. We want to open in a different location - hopefully central and then hopefully in another city so we can branch out and become a chain."
The shop initially began after an idea from Alan's mum. The family's passion for food led to them cooking and creating sweet and savoury treats, before the demand became too much.
Alan, a graduate of Liverpool John Moores University, continued: "Basically, [it began] with my mum as a chef - it was an idea that just popped up in the house. When people started coming in though and it got busy; my mum stepped down because it was too much so we got a chef.
"A lot of people know my dad - he's the face of the business. Every country would say this is theirs, but the big difference with how we do things is the amount of syrup we use. We've got our own recipes and our own ways of doing things."
Kunafa House boasts an extensive menu of decadent treats, packed with flavour. Behind the expansive glass counter, there's an array of intricate creations, clearly concocted with dedication and an eye for detail.
Every item is made fresh, with a variety of sweet and savoury products to suit all manner of tastes. Everything is sold by weight, and there's the choice of cream based products, known as ‘Qishta’ in Arabic (£14 per kilo), as well as a range of decadent baklavas (from £18 per kilo) and a variety of kunafa options, including chocolate, fruit and more (from £16 per kilo).
Of the food, Alan said: "Kunafa is our main thing and we do it in many different ways. There's cheese, which is served hot so it's gooey in the middle. We can make it with chocolate, with fruit, with cream - we can fill it with anything, really.
"The idea is like how a waffle is but instead of a waffle, we do the kunafa and you can have any toppings you like. We do catering for big occasions, like weddings, too."
While I was there, the staff brought out plate after plate of delicious food, keen for me to sample as many of their creations as possible. At one point during our conversation, a man entered and Alan lit up. He stood to greet him, then gave him a tour of the little store.
"It's my neighbour," he told me, smiling excitedly. The neighbour was keen to show his support for the business, much to the delight of Alan and his father. It's clear the duo have made a mark on those around them, and their passion and creativity is sure to guarantee the store becomes a mainstay in the city.
Kunafa House is based at 300 Park Road, Liverpool, L8 4UE. It's open Monday to Saturday, from 11am until 9pm.
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