Muhammad Ameer Alzalek – Leen’s Middle East Kitchen
In this interview, Muhammad Ameer Alzalek tells of how Leen’s Middle East Kitchen was born and some of his favourite pairings.
What do you do?
I am the head chef and owner of Leen’s Middle East Kitchen.
How did you get into the industry?
It all began with a passion for food.
Share with us a story from behind the scenes.
I love the dynamic when we work as a team in the kitchen; at the end of the day, the satisfaction we get is precious.
What food memory from your childhood or travels stands out?
The family gathered every Friday, and my late mom cooked us a spread of her yummy food – especially kibbeh (bulgur stuffed with minced lamb), which needed much work, but she did not fail to serve us every Friday.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part is seeing customers enjoy every dish that comes out of my kitchen.
What’s one of your favourite food and beverage pairings?
Undoubtedly a Syrian breakfast spread (labneh, haloumi cheese, eggs, black olives) with sweet black tea!
What’s one of the craziest things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
During the opening of Leen’s, one of the dessert items was not ready, but I went all out and stayed up until 8 am to finish the dish, and now it has become one of our bestsellers! You should try the Kunafa ice cream!
The perfect day off would be…
Definitely spending time with my small family.
A day in the life of Muhammad Ameer Alzalek is…
Crazy and fun.
What does Muhammad Ameer Alzalek do for fun?
Cook! Ha ha! Create new dishes and have crazy thoughts to present my ideas.
What’s something you’d like guests to know about Leen’s?
Leen’s started from a jar of hummus, and slowly we moved to selling traditional Syrian food online. Eventually, we joined Tiffin for one year, and that really brought us much experience. Finally, we have Leen’s at TTDI.
How has the pandemic changed your perspective or the way you operate?
After being laid off and locked down, I have been trying to push myself to introduce to the locals my own traditional food. Technically, Leen’s was born because f the pandemic.
What’s something you’d like people to know about being a chef as a profession?
Definitely it is not easy to be in F&B as you spend a whole lot of time and effort. All we need is some kindness towards everyone that is in the hospitality industry.
What’s your view on the F&B scene in KL?
I think F&B in KL has potential and many good restaurants that serve various cuisines – maybe also due to the multinationals in KL.
What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?
We buy locally to save fuel costs and also sell used cooking oil for recycling.
What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?
More to come at Leen’s TTDI as we create more dishes! *Sneak peek – we might have new upcoming outlets!
Read more interviews like this one with Muhammad Ameer Alzalek here, and stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here.
Never had anything Mid-Eastern before. None here.