The Chef
Chef Adnan Haidar
Lebanese cuisine is more than a profession. It is an inheritance - learned not in restaurant kitchens, but at his grandmother’s side.
The Beginning
Lessons from Haniya’s kitchen
Raised in a family where food was woven into everyday life, Chef Adnan’s earliest memories are of working alongside his grandmother, Haniya. Together they gathered orange blossoms for fragrant waters, harvested pomegranates for molasses, sun-dried tomatoes into rich pastes and pressed olives into oil by hand.
It was here that he learned his first and most enduring lesson: exceptional food begins with respect - for the land, for the seasons, and for the ingredients they provide.
“My grandmother never measured ingredients. She measured generosity. If someone unexpected arrived, she simply added another place at the table.”Chef Adnan Haidar
The Craft
Tradition, carried forward
His journey continued in his father’s small restaurant by the sea, preparing humble Lebanese staples and experiencing first-hand the rhythm and discipline of family hospitality. Alongside these formative years, he pursued professional studies in hospitality and hotel management.
Over time he developed a style that honours the soul of traditional Lebanese cooking while embracing a more contemporary expression. At ZAYA, familiar flavours are revisited with care, precision and creativity - deeply rooted, yet refreshingly modern.
For Chef Adnan, cooking is not about recreating the past. It is about carrying its spirit forward, and sharing it with a new generation of guests, one plate at a time.
Reservations
Taste the inheritance
Reserve a table and experience Chef Adnan’s Levantine cooking, or bring it home.
137 North End Road · West Kensington · London W14 8XU